Alessandro Cicognini (15 January 1906 – 9 November 1995) was an Italian composer who is chiefly remembered for his

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

Biography

Born in

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

, Cicognini graduated with a degree in music composition from the

Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory (''Conservatorio di Milano'') is a college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy. It opened the following year ...

in 1927 where he was a pupil of Giulio Cesare Paribeni and Renzo Bossi.Anna Rita Colaianni. "Cicognini, Alessandro". Gino Castaldo (edited by). ''Dizionario della canzone italiana''. Curcio Editore, 1990. In 1933 his opera, ''Donna Lombarda'', inspired by a popular folk ballad, premiered at the Teatro Regio in Turin. From then, with the exceptions of ''Messa a 5 voci'' and ''Saul'', he focused his activities on composing musical scores for over 100 films, often collaborating with filmmakers

Vittorio de Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

and Alessandro Blasetti. Much of his film music makes use of small ensembles and unusual instrumentation, rather than the lush orchestral scores common to film music of the mid-20th century. His style has been described as late-romantic, and was characterized by immediacy and catchiness. In 1965 he retired from film composition and became a teacher; one of his soundtracks, to the 1953 film '' Stazione Termini'', was reused in '' What's Eating Gilbert Grape'' in 1993. Cicognini died in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

on 9 November 1995 at the age of 89.

Film scores

* Il compagno don Camillo (1965) *

The Pigeon That Took Rome ''The Pigeon That Took Rome'' is a 1962 American comedy war film directed and written by Melville Shavelson and starring Charlton Heston. The film is set in the Italian Campaign of World War II and was based on the 1961 novel ''The Easter Dinner' ...

(1962) * Il giudizio universale (1961) * Don Camillo monsignore... ma non troppo (1961) *

A Breath of Scandal ''A Breath of Scandal'' (released as ''Olympia'' in Italy) is a 1960 American/Italian international co-production romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on the stage play ''Olympia'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Sophia Lore ...

(1960) *

It Started in Naples ''It Started in Naples'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy film directed by Melville Shavelson and produced by Jack Rose from a screenplay by Suso Cecchi d'Amico, based on the story by Michael Pertwee and Jack Davies. The Technicolor cinematog ...

(1960) * Bread, Love and Andalusia (1959) * The Black Orchid (film) (1958) * Anna di Brooklyn (1958) * È arrivata la parigina (1958) * Vacanze a Ischia (1957) * Il tetto (1956) * Il bigamo (1956) * La fortuna di essere donna (1956) * La banda degli onesti (1956) * La finestra sul Luna Park (1956) *

Loser Takes All ''Loser Takes All'' is a 1955 novella by British author Graham Greene. In his dedication Greene said he had not written "this little story" to encourage "adultery, the use of pyjama tops, or registry office weddings. Nor is it meant to discour ...

(1956) * Tempo di villeggiatura (1956) * Totò, Peppino e i fuorilegge (1956) * Pane, amore e... (1955) * Don Camillo e l'onorevole Peppone (1955) * Summertime (1955) * Gli ultimi cinque minuti (1955) * L'arte di arrangiarsi (1955) * Siamo uomini o caporali (1955) * Ulysses (1954) * Peccato che sia una canaglia (1954) * L'oro di Napoli (1954) *

Pane, amore e gelosia ''Bread, Love and Jealousy'' ( it, Pane, amore e gelosia), known as ''Frisky'' in the US, is a 1954 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. It is the second part of the Italian trilogy, preceded by ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' an ...

(1954) * Tempi nostri (1954) *

Graziella ''Graziella'' is an 1852 novel by the French author Alphonse de Lamartine. It tells of a young French man who falls for a fisherman's granddaughter – the eponymous Graziella – during a trip to Naples, Italy; they are separated when ...

(1954) *

Pane, amore e fantasia ''Bread, Love and Dreams'' ( it, Pane, amore e fantasia) is a 1953 Italian romantic comedy film directed by Luigi Comencini. At the 4th Berlin International Film Festival it won the Silver Bear award. Plot The film is set in Sagliena, an imaginar ...

(1953) *

Siamo donne ''We, the Women'' (also known as ''Of Life and Love'' and in it, Siamo donne) is a 1953 Italian portmanteau film divided into five segments and directed by five different directors. Four of these segments focus upon alleged events in the privat ...

(1953) * Il ritorno di Don Camillo (1953) * Stazione Termini (1953) * Gli eroi della domenica (1953) *

Wanda la peccatrice ''The Shameless Sex'' ( it, Wanda la peccatrice, also known as ''Wanda the Sinner'') is a 1952 Italian melodrama film directed by Duilio Coletti. Plot Stefano, a naval officer for some time not operating on ships following a removal and therefo ...

(1952) *

Two Cents Worth of Hope ''Two Cents Worth of Hope'' ( it, Due soldi di speranza) is a 1952 film directed by Renato Castellani. It is the third part of Castellani's ''Young Love'' trilogy, following '' Sotto il sole di Roma'' (1948) and '' È primavera...''(1950). It sh ...

(1952) *

Don Camillo Don Camillo () and Peppone () are the fictional protagonists of a series of works by the Italian writer and journalist Giovannino Guareschi set in what Guareschi refers to as the "small world" of rural Italy after World War II. Most of the Don Ca ...

(1952) *

Buongiorno, elefante! ''Hello Elephant'' ( it, Buongiorno, elefante!) is a 1952 Italian comedy film directed by Gianni Franciolini. Cast * Vittorio De Sica: Carlo Caretti * María Mercader María de la Asunción Mercader Forcada (; 6 March 1918 – 26 Januar ...

(1952) * Umberto D. (1952) *

Altri tempi ''In Olden Days'' ( it, Altri tempi, link=no, also known as ''Times Gone By'' and ''Infidelity'') is a 1952 Italian anthology film. Plot The cart of old books A good-natured peddler of old books shows his customers some works from the past ...

(1952) * Moglie per una notte (1952) * Il segreto delle tre punte (1952) * La strada finisce sul fiume (1951) *

Guardie e ladri ''Cops and Robbers'' ( it, Guardie e ladri) is a 1951 Italian cult comedy film directed by Steno and Mario Monicelli. It stars the famous comedian Totò, and the cinematographer was the future film director Mario Bava. It was produced by Dino De ...

(1951) * I sette nani alla riscossa (1951) * Cameriera bella presenza offresi... (1951) * Miracolo a Milano (1951) *

Prima comunione ''Father's Dilemma'' ( it, Prima comunione) is a 1950 Italian comedy film directed by Alessandro Blasetti. It won an award at the Venice Film Festival. Details * The voice of the narrator is Alberto Sordi. When Sordi worked on the film he had ju ...

(1950) * Cavalcata d'eroi (1950) * Domani è troppo tardi (1950) * Il ladro di Venezia (1950) * Vogliamoci bene! (1950) * Fiamma che non si spegne (1949) * Il grido della terra (1949) * Il Conte Ugolino (1949) * Ho sognato il Paradiso (1949) *

Paolo e Francesca ''Paolo e Francesca'' (''Paolo and Francesca''), also known as ''Legend of Love'', is a 1950 Italian historical melodrama film directed by Raffaello Matarazzo and starring Odile Versois and Armando Francioli. It is loosely based on real life event ...

(1949) * Rondini in volo (1949) * Lo sparviero del Nilo (1949) * Ladri di biciclette (1948) * Il cavaliere misterioso (1948) * Il cavaliere del sogno (1947) * Ultimo amore (1947) * Il duomo di Milano (1947) * Cronaca nera (1947) * Le avventure di Pinocchio (1947) *

Sciuscià ''Shoeshine'' ( it, Sciuscià , from Neapolitan pronunciation of the English) is a 1946 Italian film directed by Vittorio De Sica. Sometimes regarded as his first masterpiece, the film follows two shoeshine boys who get into trouble with the po ...

(1946) * La sua strada (1946) * Lo sconosciuto di San Marino (1946) * Due lettere anonime (1945) * La resa di Titì (1945) * Nessuno torna indietro (1945) * Tristi amori (1943) * '' A Living Statue'' (1943) * Il nostro prossimo (1943) *

Quattro passi fra le nuvole ''Four Steps in the Clouds'' () is a 1942 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Alessandro Blasetti, starring Gino Cervi and Adriana Benetti. It tells the story of a married man who agrees to act as the husband of a young pregnant woman who has b ...

(1942) * Pastor Angelicus (1942) * Quarta pagina (1942) * La maestrina (1942) * Primo amore (1941) * La corona di ferro (1941) * Ridi pagliaccio! (1941) * Giuliano de' Medici (1941) * Senza cielo (1940) *

Don Pasquale ''Don Pasquale'' () is an opera buffa, or comic opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti with an Italian libretto completed largely by Giovanni Ruffini as well as the composer. It was based on a libretto by Angelo Anelli for Stefano Pavesi's ...

(1940) * Una romantica avventura (1940) * La peccatrice (1940) * '' Beyond Love'' (1940) * Melodie eterne (1940) * La Nascita di Salomè (1940) * ''

One Hundred Thousand Dollars ''One Hundred Thousand Dollars'' (Italian: ''Centomila dollari'') is a 1940 Italian " white-telephones" comedy film directed by Mario Camerini and starring Assia Noris, Amedeo Nazzari and Lauro Gazzolo.Gundle p.169 It was shot at the Palatino Stu ...

'' (1940) * Un'avventura di Salvator Rosa (1939) * Backstage * Il documento (1939) * Cavalleria rusticana (1939) * Una moglie in pericolo (1939) * I grandi magazzini (1939) * Castelli in aria (1939) * Napoli che non muore (1939) * Ettore Fieramosca (1938) * Napoli d'altri tempi (1938) * Partire (1938) * Le due madri (1938) * Il corsaro nero (1937) * I due misantropi (1937, uncredited) * I due sergenti (1936, uncredited)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cicognini, Alessandro 1906 births 1995 deaths 20th-century classical composers Italian film score composers Italian opera composers Italian male film score composers People from Pescara Nastro d'Argento winners 20th-century Italian composers 20th-century Italian male musicians