Mario Nascimbene
Encyclopedia
Mario Nascimbene was one of the best known Italian film soundtrack composers of the 20th Century. His career spanned six decades, during which time he earned several awards for the innovative contents of his composing style. During his career he composed soundtracks for more than 150 films.
under the guidance of Ildebrando Pizzetti
, Following graduation he wrote several pieces for chamber music
and ballet
.
He was commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film "L'amore canta" (Love Song), directed in 1941 by Ferdinando Maria Poggioli, and the success of this film opened the doors of an entirely new career for him. He was one of the few composers in Italy whose career was based on his work in the cinema.
He was particularly appreciated for the revolutionary innovation of incorporating the sounds of non-orchestral instruments like that of a jaw harp or a harmonica
, everyday noises (like the tick-tock of a clock, the ring of a bicycle bell or the ticking sound of typewriters in Rome 11:00
) in a musical score, with the purpose to underline some particular film scenes.
After World War II he developed an artistical partnership with such famous Italian film directors as Giuseppe De Santis and Roberto Rossellini
. His work found acclaim in the United States, where he was invited to Hollywood to compose the score for famous films, including The Barefoot Contessa
directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
in 1954, Alexander the Great
, directed by Robert Rossen
in 1956, and Solomon and Sheba directed by King Vidor
in 1959. These scores were conducted by Franco Ferrara
, the great conductor and lecturer on conducting at many academies of music around the world.
awards in 1952
for Rome 11:00
, in 1960
for Violent Summer, and 1968
for Pronto...c'è una certa Giuliana per te. He was also nominated for a David di Donatello Award in 1990 for his work on Blue dolphin - l'avventura continua. Although he did not win the prize that year, Nascimbene was awarded a "Career David" from the David di Donatello Awards in 1991
honouring his lifetime achievements in film music.
Biography
Nascimbene studied composition and orchestral conducting at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of Music in MilanMilan Conservatory
The Milan Conservatory is a college of music which was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. It opened the following year with premises in the cloisters of the Baroque church of Santa Maria della Passione. There were initially 18 boarders,...
under the guidance of Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ildebrando Pizzetti
Ildebrando Pizzetti was an Italian composer of classical music.- Biography :Pizzetti was born in Parma in 1880. He was part of the "Generation of 1880" along with Ottorino Respighi and Gian Francesco Malipiero. They were among the first Italian composers in some time whose primary contributions...
, Following graduation he wrote several pieces for chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
.
He was commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film "L'amore canta" (Love Song), directed in 1941 by Ferdinando Maria Poggioli, and the success of this film opened the doors of an entirely new career for him. He was one of the few composers in Italy whose career was based on his work in the cinema.
He was particularly appreciated for the revolutionary innovation of incorporating the sounds of non-orchestral instruments like that of a jaw harp or a harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, everyday noises (like the tick-tock of a clock, the ring of a bicycle bell or the ticking sound of typewriters in Rome 11:00
Rome 11:00
Rome 11 o'clock or Roma ore 11 is a 1952 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe De Santis and one of the best examples of Neorealist filmmaking...
) in a musical score, with the purpose to underline some particular film scenes.
After World War II he developed an artistical partnership with such famous Italian film directors as Giuseppe De Santis and Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini
Roberto Rossellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Rossellini was one of the directors of the Italian neorealist cinema, contributing films such as Roma città aperta to the movement.-Early life:Born in Rome, Roberto Rossellini lived on the Via Ludovisi, where Benito Mussolini had...
. His work found acclaim in the United States, where he was invited to Hollywood to compose the score for famous films, including The Barefoot Contessa
The Barefoot Contessa
The Barefoot Contessa is a 1954 film about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien....
directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Mankiewicz had a long Hollywood career and is best known as the writer-director of All About Eve , which was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six. He was brother to screenwriter and drama critic Herman J...
in 1954, Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great (1956 film)
Alexander the Great is a 1956 America sword and sandal epic film written, directed and produced by Robert Rossen with Gordon S. Griffith as executive producer...
, directed by Robert Rossen
Robert Rossen
Robert Rossen was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer whose film career spanned almost three decades. His 1949 film All the King's Men won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, while Rossen was nominated for an Oscar as Best Director...
in 1956, and Solomon and Sheba directed by King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
in 1959. These scores were conducted by Franco Ferrara
Franco Ferrara
Franco Ferrara was an Italian conductor.After obtaining diplomas in piano, violin, organ and musical composition at the Conservatory of Bologna, Ferrara began his career as violin player in Bologna, in Rome and in Florence, with the Orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino...
, the great conductor and lecturer on conducting at many academies of music around the world.
Awards
During his career, Mario Nascimbene won three Nastro d'Argento Best ScoreNastro d'Argento Best Score
A list of Nastro d'Argento awards for Best Score.*1947 - Renzo Rossellini - Paisà*1948 - Renzo Rossellini - I fratelli Karamàzov *1949 - Alessandro Cicognini - Ladri di biciclette...
awards in 1952
1952 in film
The year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
for Rome 11:00
Rome 11:00
Rome 11 o'clock or Roma ore 11 is a 1952 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe De Santis and one of the best examples of Neorealist filmmaking...
, in 1960
1960 in film
The year 1960 in film involved some significant events, with Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho the top-grossing release in the U.S.-Events:* April 20 - for the first time since coming home from military service in Germany, Elvis Presley returns to Hollywood, California to film G.I...
for Violent Summer, and 1968
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
for Pronto...c'è una certa Giuliana per te. He was also nominated for a David di Donatello Award in 1990 for his work on Blue dolphin - l'avventura continua. Although he did not win the prize that year, Nascimbene was awarded a "Career David" from the David di Donatello Awards in 1991
1991 in film
The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
honouring his lifetime achievements in film music.
Selected film scores
- The Night of Counting the YearsThe Night of Counting the YearsThe Night of Counting the Years, a.k.a. The Mummy is a 1969 Egyptian film directed by Shadi Abdel Salam. It was Salam's first feature film. Egyptian critics consistently list it as one of the most important Egyptian films ever made...
- Room at the Top
- One Million Years B.C.One Million Years B.C.One Million Years B.C. is a 1966 British adventure/fantasy film starring Raquel Welch, set - loosely - in the time of cavemen. The film was made by Hammer Film Productions, and was a remake of the 1940 Hollywood film One Million B.C., and it recreates many of the scenes of that film...
- L'amore in cittàL'Amore in CittàL'Amore in Città is a 1953 anthology film composed of six different segments, each with a different writer or director...
- The VikingsThe Vikings (film)The Vikings is an adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer in 1958 Technicolor, produced by and starring Kirk Douglas, and based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall, based in its turn on legendary material from the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok and his sons. Other actors included Tony Curtis,...
- The Quiet American
- Scent of MysteryScent of MysteryScent of Mystery is a 1960 mystery film that featured the one and only use of Smell-O-Vision, a system that timed odors to points in the film's plot. It was the first film in which aromas were integral to the story, providing important details to the audience...
- Violent Summer
- Rome 11:00Rome 11:00Rome 11 o'clock or Roma ore 11 is a 1952 Italian drama film directed by Giuseppe De Santis and one of the best examples of Neorealist filmmaking...
- When Dinosaurs Ruled the EarthWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the EarthWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth is a 1970 movie starring Victoria Vetri, set in the time of cavemen. The film was made by Britain's Hammer Films....
- The Barefoot ContessaThe Barefoot ContessaThe Barefoot Contessa is a 1954 film about the life and loves of fictional Spanish sex symbol Maria Vargas. It was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and stars Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien....
- Alexander the GreatAlexander the Great (1956 film)Alexander the Great is a 1956 America sword and sandal epic film written, directed and produced by Robert Rossen with Gordon S. Griffith as executive producer...
- A Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to Arms (1957 film)A Farewell to Arms is a 1957 American drama film directed by Charles Vidor. The screenplay by Ben Hecht, based in part on a 1930 play by Laurence Stallings, was the second feature film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 1929 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. It was the last film produced...
- Solomon and ShebaSolomon and ShebaSolomon and Sheba is a 1959 Biblical epic film made by Edward Small Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film stars Yul Brynner, Gina Lollobrigida, George Sanders and Marisa Pavan, with David Farrar, Harry Andrews, Jack Gwillim, Laurence Naismith, William Devlin, Jean Anderson and...
- Sons and LoversSons and Lovers (1960 film)Sons and Lovers is a British 1960 film adaptation of the D. H. Lawrence novel Sons and Lovers. It was adapted by T. E. B. Clarke and Gavin Lambert and directed by Jack Cardiff...
- Barabbas
- Doctor FaustusDoctor Faustus (1967 film)Doctor Faustus is a 1967 film adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, written in 1588. The first theatrical film version of a Marlowe play, it starred and was directed by Richard Burton, , who played the title character Faustus...
- Indian SummerLa prima notte di quieteLa prima notte di quiete, released in USA as Indian Summer is a 1972 Italian and French drama film directed by Valerio Zurlini. It is starred and produced by Alain Delon. In France it runs less than the Italian cut...