Le musiche di tradizione orale nella trilogia classica di Pasolini

Abstract

Throughout his life, Pasolini came into contact with the so-called “other music”, to quote Roberto Leydi's famous book. In the years when Italian musical life was not taking into consideration this kind of music, relegating it to the margins of any institution or manifestation, Pasolini immediately revealed a keen interest in the songs and performances of the populations of the African continent and Eastern Europe. While travelling in Africa or India with Alberto Moravia and Dacia Maraini, he was literally astounded by the beauty of the songs and instruments he heard along the streets of the cities he visited. All this has been reflected in his literary work - just recall the adagios contained in Odor of India - and in cinema, where we have films literally permeated by this music. Yet Pasolini himself sometimes tries on the role of ethnomusicologist and during the shooting of Flower of the Thousand and One Nights, records some performances that later become part of that beautiful film.