Nicola Piovani
Encyclopedia
Nicola Piovani is a light-classical musician, theater and film score
composer, and winner of the 1998 Best Original Dramatic Score
Oscar for the score of the Roberto Benigni
film La Vita è bella, better known to English-speaking audiences as Life Is Beautiful
.
After high school, Piovani enrolled at the Sapienza University of Rome, receiving his degree in piano
from the Verdi Conservatory
in Milan
in 1967, and later studied orchestration
under the Greek
composer Manos Hadjidakis
.
Among his more popular works is the score for the Federico Fellini
film Intervista
, his second of three collaborations with the famous director, the others being Ginger e Fred (Ginger and Fred
in english) and La voce della luna (The Voice of the Moon)
. Years later, he composed a ballet
titled Balletto Fellini.
In 2000, his Academy Award-winning score for La Vita è bella was further nominated for a Grammy Award
in the "Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" category, losing to Randy Newman
. In light of his recent work with French directors, notably Danièle Thompson
, Philippe Lioret
, and Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
, the French Minister of Culture
gave him the title of Cavalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
on 21 May 2008 at the Cannes Film Festival
.
To date, Piovani has over 130 film scores to his credit. However, he is reported to believe that, "Too many film scores make a composer a hack
, but in the theatre music is above all craftsmanship." Accordingly, he continues to work in musical theatre
, and also composes concert and chamber music
.
Rumors have abounded for years that Nicola Piovani was a pseudonym
of better-known composer Ennio Morricone
, a fact Piovani uses to humorous effect when speaking in public.
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composer, and winner of the 1998 Best Original Dramatic Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
Oscar for the score of the Roberto Benigni
Roberto Benigni
Roberto Remigio Benigni, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI is an Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director of film, theatre and television.- Early years :...
film La Vita è bella, better known to English-speaking audiences as Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful
Life Is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian film which tells the story of a Jewish Italian, Guido Orefice , who must employ his fertile imagination to help his family during their internment in a Nazi concentration camp.At the 71st Academy Awards in 1999, Benigni won the Academy Award for Best Actor and...
.
After high school, Piovani enrolled at the Sapienza University of Rome, receiving his degree in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
from the Verdi Conservatory
Milan 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,...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
in 1967, and later studied orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
under the Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
composer Manos Hadjidakis
Manos Hadjidakis
Manos Hatzidakis was a Greek composer and theorist of the Greek music. He was also one of the main prime movers of the "Éntekhno" song ....
.
Among his more popular works is the score for the Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
film Intervista
Intervista
Intervista is a 1987 film by the Italian film director Federico Fellini.-Plot:Interviewed by a Japanese TV crew for a news report on his latest film, Fellini takes the viewer behind the scenes at Cinecittà. A nighttime set is prepared for a sequence that Fellini defines as “the prisoner’s dream”...
, his second of three collaborations with the famous director, the others being Ginger e Fred (Ginger and Fred
Ginger and Fred
Ginger and Fred is a 1986 comedy/drama film directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina.The title is a reference to the American dancing couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers...
in english) and La voce della luna (The Voice of the Moon)
La voce della luna
The Voice of the Moon is a 1990 film by Italian director Federico Fellini, featuring actors Paolo Villaggio and Roberto Benigni. Returning to themes he first explored in La strada , Fellini crafts a parable on the whisperings of the soul that only madmen and vagabonds are capable of hearing...
. Years later, he composed a 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...
titled Balletto Fellini.
In 2000, his Academy Award-winning score for La Vita è bella was further nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the "Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media" category, losing to Randy Newman
Randy Newman
Randall Stuart "Randy" Newman is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist who is known for his mordant pop songs and for film scores....
. In light of his recent work with French directors, notably Danièle Thompson
Danièle Thompson
Danièle Thompson is a French film director and screenwriter. She is the daughter of film director Gérard Oury and actress Jacqueline Roma....
, Philippe Lioret
Philippe Lioret
Philippe Lioret is a French film director.- Filmography :*1993: Tombés du ciel*1997: Tenue correcte exigée*2001: Mademoiselle*2004: L'Équipier*2006: Je vais bien, ne t'en fais pas*2009: Welcome...
, and Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is a French dramatist, novelist and fiction writer. His plays have been staged in over fifty countries all over the world.- Life :...
, the French Minister of Culture
Minister of Culture (France)
The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
gave him the title of Cavalier (Knight) of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
on 21 May 2008 at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
.
To date, Piovani has over 130 film scores to his credit. However, he is reported to believe that, "Too many film scores make a composer a hack
Hack writer
Hack writer is a colloquial and usually pejorative term used to refer to a writer who is paid to write low-quality, rushed articles or books "to order", often with a short deadline. In a fiction-writing context, the term is used to describe writers who are paid to churn out sensational,...
, but in the theatre music is above all craftsmanship." Accordingly, he continues to work in musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, and also composes concert and 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...
.
Rumors have abounded for years that Nicola Piovani was a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of better-known composer Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
, a fact Piovani uses to humorous effect when speaking in public.