Category Archives: Performers

by rilm | May 14, 2026 · 6:00 am

The Iraqi maqām: An Intangible Cultural Heritage at risk

The instrumental ensemble of the Iraqi Maqam, *al-chālghī*, as depicted on a 2002 national stamp.

This post inaugurates a series that will feature annotated bibliographies on performing arts inscribed in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. To promote open knowledge and preserve these traditions through scholarly writings, a monthly post will be curated for Bibliolore over the course of the year.

The Iraqi maqām (المقام العراقي) is the art music of Iraq, historically performed in the country’s urban centers, namely Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Mosul. For centuries, it has been transmitted orally from master musicians to apprentices. The core of the genre is a vocal performance in which a singer delivers classical or colloquial poetry, accompanied by a small ensemble known as the chālġī. This ensemble typically consists of the sanṭūr (a hammered dulcimer), the ǧūzaẗ (a spiked fiddle), and the ṭablaẗ (a goblet drum). In a masterful display of improvisation, the instrumentalists engage in call and response with the singer, supporting the embellished melodic mode and poetry. The canonical repertoire comprises approximately 54 modes, each with a distinct emotional and melodic character. It is said that mastering the entire system requires a lifetime of study, and today, only a few living masters have the entire repertoire memorized.

In 2008, UNESCO recognized the Iraqi maqām by inscribing it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. With documented history stretching back centuries to the Abbasid era in Baghdad, the genre stands today at a critical crossroads, challenged by shrinking performance spaces and a declining number of master practitioners. Despite this vulnerable status, musicians and scholars are actively engaged in preserving the Iraqi maqām’s legacy through dedicated research and documentation. Their writings aim to preserve the genre’s status in collective memory. A selection of key scholarly contributions to this effort is presented below.

Listen to Iraqi Maqâm: Baghdad tradition–A tribute to Yusuf Omar (Inedit: Maison des Cultures du Monde) https://open.spotify.com/album/1ZQTW88EhMv9CgbFkMjrtD

The Iraqi musician Hamid al-Saadi performs with Safaafir in 2023. Photo courtesy of the Bloomington Early Music Festival

Annotated bibliography

al-Aʿẓamī, Ḥusayn Ismāʿīl. المقام العراقي بين طريقتين: دراسة موسيقية لفترة الصراع خلال القرن العشرين [The two styles of the Iraqi maqām in the 20th century: An analytical study] (Bayrūt: al-Mu’assasaẗ al-ʿArabiyyaẗ li-l-Dirāsāt wa-al-Našr, 2011). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2011-51858]

Presents a comparative analysis of the two main styles of the Iraqi maqām: the traditional performance style named after the reciter (qāri’) Rašīd al-Qundarchī (1886–1945), and the modernized style named after the reciter Muḥammad al-Qubbanchī (1904–89). Aesthetic principles and recitation style characterize each school. A comparison of various reciters’ styles highlighted these differences, and anecdotes about the reception and appreciation of the musical tradition by amateurs and the broader public attest to its popularity in the 20th century.

al-ʿĀmirī, Ṯāmir ʿAbd al-Ḥasan. محمد القبانجي: مطرب العراق الأول [Muḥammad al-Qubbanchī: Iraq’s master singer] (Baġdād: Dār al-Šu’ūn al-Ṯaqāfiiyyaẗ al-ʿĀmmaẗ Āfāq ʿArabiyyaẗ, 1987). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 1987-32379-32379]

The life of Iraqi maqām master singer Muḥammad al-Qubbanchī (1904–89) testifies to his immense contribution to the musical genre and to the country’s musical life in the 20th century. Analysis of key recordings illustrates his many innovations to the Iraqi maqām.

The Iraqi singer Farida Mohammad Ali performs in the Netherlands in 2017. Photo courtesy of Le Guess Who? Festival.

al-Bayātī, Muwaffaq. القطع والأصال في المقام العراقي: دراسة تحليلية [Melodic pieces and melodic connectors used in the Iraqi maqām: An analytical study] (Baġdād: Matbaʿat Bāsim, 2009). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2009-55313]

The performance of the Iraqi maqām relies on singers’ knowledge and mastery of classical and colloquial poetry, as well as the order of the melodies that constitute the repertoire. Modally, each Iraqi maqām is composed of a series of interconnected melodic pieces, known as quṭaʿ, and melodic connectors, known as awṣāl. Thirty-seven of these melodies are analyzed.

al-Ḥanafī, Ğalāl. المغنون البغداديون والمقام العراقي [Baghdadi singers and the Iraqi maqām] (Baġdād: Wizāraẗ al-Iršād al-ʿIrāqiyyaẗ, 1964). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 1964-10286]

The melodies of the Iraqi maqām permeate every aspect of life in Baghdad. Such melodies are regularly recited in the mawlid ceremonies (celebrations of the Prophet Muḥammad’s birthday), ḏikr circles (God’s remembrance), and tamǧīd (religious praise). They are also performed in secular cycles accompanied by the chālġī ensemble. Names and biographies of Iraqi maqām reciters and musicians are included.

Hassan, Scheherazade Qasim. “Le maqām irakien: Structures et réalisations” [The Iraqi maqām: Structures and realizations], L’improvisation dans les musiques de tradition orale, ed.by Bernard Lortat-Jacob. Ethnomusicologie (Paris: Société d’Études Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France (SELAF); 1989) 143–149. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 1989-1012].

Analyses of the Iraqi maqām reveal a melodic conception unique to Iraqi vocal art music. A maqām is identified by fixed elements and the obligatory placement of certain parts within their respective time frames. Three musical elements, taḥrīr (vocal introduction), quṭaʿ (melodic pieces), and taslīm (final vocal cadence), are indispensable in establishing the identity of an individual maqām.

Hassan, Scheherazade Qasim. “A space of inclusiveness: The case of the art music of Iraq”, International journal of contemporary Iraqi studies 2:1 (2008) 115–128. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2008-53697].

The traditional art music of Iraq, the Iraqi maqām, which is part of other core Islamic maqām traditions, has historically been designed to fulfill two purposes: a supranational frame and a diversity of local content. Both of these underscore the idea of bringing together multi-ethnic and multi-social differences, articulating them on a common ground of musical content, social contexts, and performers. By bringing together the study of the social and the musical, the issue of Iraqi identity as expressed in this musical tradition is addressed. The Iraqi maqām is a strong cultural marker, as it represents the forms of relations between ethnic and social groups in the country. The interaction appears in sacred and religious ceremonies, secular meetings, and all social gatherings, as well as in transmitted moral and aesthetic values. (abstract by the author)

Hassan, Scheherazade Qasim. “Between formal structure and performance practice: On the Baghdadi secular cycles”, Theory and practice in the music of the Islamic world: Essays in honour of Owen Wright, ed.by Rachel A. Harris and Martin Stokes. SOAS musicology (Aldershot: Ashgate; 2017) 273–292. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2017-48378].

The comparative study of the suite forms of the Islamic Middle East reveals entanglements, connections, common features, and interactions that cut across borders. Those of present-day Iraq, and particularly the Iraqi maqām, deserve special attention, not only as the distant ancestors of those developed in the Baghdad caliphate, but also because they have taken shape in a border zone where the Arab, Persian, and Turkish musical worlds overlap. The ordering of maqām within the cycles—significantly different from the Turkish fasıl and the Arabic waṣlaẗ—constitutes a significant puzzle, even more so since later 20th-century performers started to assert their prerogative to pick and choose. Yet the underlying principle, one of singing improvised music, moving from mode to mode, and incorporating composed items along the way, has been remarkably resilient. (abstract by Martin Stokes)

al-Saʿdī, Ḥāmid. المقام وبحور الأنغام: دراسة تحليلية لغناء المقامات العراقية مع نصوصها الشعرية [The maqām and the oceans of melodies: An analytical study of the singing of the Iraqi maqām and its poetry] (Baġdād: author, 2006). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2006-55181]

The Iraqi maqām is the traditional genre performed in Iraq’s urban centers. An analysis of the structure, performance style, and poetic content of each individual maqām shows the melodic complexity and poetic richness of the musical genre. Anecdotes about master musicians and from the author’s life attest to the vibrant musical life of the Iraqi maqām in Baghdad in the 20th century.

Maqam ensemble at Alwiyah Club in Baghdad in 2010. Photo courtesy of the Iraqi maqam blog.

Simms, Rob. The repertoire of Iraqi maqam (Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2004). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2004-4076]

The art music of Iraq, known as Iraqi maqām, features poetry in classical Arabic and in the vernacular Iraqi dialect, sung by a virtuoso soloist and accompanied by a small instrumental ensemble. It is a remarkably cosmopolitan art, sharing many features with neighboring art music traditions, particularly with Iranian music. Its repertoire consists of orally transmitted, multi-sectioned compositions, performed with some flexibility regarding ornamentation, arrangement, and development. Focusing on the period between 1930 and 1980, this reference offers a comprehensive overview of the repertoire’s musical content through tables and musical transcriptions of scalar structures, melodies, and overall forms. Information from prominent Iraqi sources is consolidated, and a selection of recordings by master musicians, including Rašīd al-Qundarchī and Yūsuf ʿUmar, is presented. An introductory section provides a brief overview of pan-Middle Eastern modal theory along with an outline of the terminology, theory, and practices specific to the Iraqi maqām. The main section of the work is a catalog of 40 maqāms that constitute the central core of the contemporary repertoire.

al-Mašhadānī, ʿAbd Allāh Ibrāhīm. موسوعة المقام العراقي [The encyclopedia of the Iraqi maqām] (Baġdād: Matbaʿat Bāsim, 2009). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature RILM 2012-52890]

Although the Iraqi maqām represents a continuation of performance traditions originating in Abbasid Baghdad, the 20th century was the period in which the genre evolved into the form recognized today. Traditional venues like cafés and domestic spaces gave way to new listening experiences facilitated by audio technology such as radio and commercial recordings. Simultaneously, new educational institutions, often supported by the government, began to formalize its instruction in the 1960s. Today, the standard Iraqi maqām repertoire comprises approximately 54 distinct pieces, each analyzed and categorized by its unique melodic and rhythmic structures.

From the EBSCOpost backlist. II: What is musicology? (2018)

RILM staff periodically contribute writings to EBSCOpost, a lively blog run by our partners that publishes pieces pertinent to librarianship, higher education, and beyond. Over time, some of these posts are removed, and even those that remain generally recede from view, following the ephemeral nature of much digital content. With 60 years of preserving the world’s writings on music and music-related topics behind us, we are now adding a small rescue project: bringing these blog posts back into circulation. However modest, they help document our history as an organization, and we hope they will continue to resonate with our international readership as well as with any music enthusiast who happens upon them.

This next installment in this series, written by editor and MGG Online product coordinator Georg Burgstaller, shines a light on the discipline of musicology, reflecting on its origins, offshoots, interdisciplinarity, and more.

What is musicology?

Since its formal inception in 19th-century Europe, musicology has come to cover the gamut of music making worldwide. In its original conception the discipline was, and to a large part remains, distinct from solely enjoying or even making music, although scholars tacitly understood from the outset that it would or rather should benefit any given listener and, especially, the performer. Seeking to mirror the artistry of composers and the virtuosity of singers and players, musicologists aim to discover—usually having developed a background as musicians themselves—why music sounds the way it does, what it wishes to express, and how this is best achieved in performance.

Adding to this, the cultural study of music known as ethnomusicology has created awareness of music’s meaning in societies around the globe. While ethnomusicology and popular music studies frequently remain institutionally separate from musicology, their concerns have come to increasingly influence all music scholars, encouraging them to look beyond musical structures codified in musical notation and emphasize other ways of thinking about musical production and consumption, often broaching historically marginalized themes and considering historically marginalized people.

At the same time, musicology intersects with a host of other disciplines, often in complex and unexpected ways. These include the power of music to evoke any range of emotions in listeners and the application thereof in medicine and therapy, music’s interplay with other art forms and interactive media, and inquiries into music’s acoustic and metaphysical dimensions unfolding in time and space. At its most ambitious, musicology helps to uncover, recover, and reposition the way we view a universal human activity that is likewise telling of the human condition. To that end, musicologists are perhaps less preoccupied with their discipline’s scientific status (as signaled by the suffix -ology), but rather inspired by their own curiosity about, enthrallment with, and deep love for music.

Above: Guido Adler (1855–1941), one of the founders of musicology as a discipline; below, an introduction to Shashmaqom, one of many musical traditions studied by ethnomusicologists.

Covering the cultural heritage of Finland in RILM

International Peace Gardens in Jordan Park, Salt Lake City, Utah

Situated about three miles away from the Hilton Salt Lake City Center, site of the 2026 annual meeting of the Music Library Association attended by RILM staff, Jordan Park contains a heritage setting that is uniquely global in character: the International Peace Gardens. The grounds feature 26 country-themed sections, each reflecting a nation’s culture and landscape, that are designed to foster peace and friendship.

The locale’s spirit of international cooperation recalls the global initiatives of UNESCO that inspired the organizational structure of RILM 60 years ago. It is rooted in the conviction that authoritative and incisive knowledge on human creativity can only be attained collectively, by embracing a multitude of perspectives. Today, as RILM continues to collect and amplify every voice in music research as a UNESCO-accredited NGO, the Peace Gardens remind us of the importance of embracing a global sensibility towards interdisciplinary research.

With the approach of Voicing Innocence (7-8 April 2026)—a conference that accompanies the performance of Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence at the Metropolitan Opera in New York from several different fields of inquiry—the picturesque area of the park designated to represent Finland (Saariaho’s homeland and that of many of the speakers and illustrious guests) seems particularly prescient and appropriate. It immediately calls to mind the surfeit of writings on Finland’s lands, history, music and instruments, musicians and artists, and so much more that RILM has documented across all of its resources over the last six decades.

Below is a sample of this collecting effort of just some of the holdings dedicated to, and to some extent produced by, Finland. We hope that it serves as an entry point into research on the country’s artistic production and appreciation for its incredibly rich cultural heritage.

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Those interested in research surrounding Finland will encounter a plethora of writings in RILM Abstracts of Music Literature. The country itself is indexed in 8126 records (1493 available in full text). Over 2200 of these writings are in the Finnish language, and writings on Finland exist in 47 languages, attesting to the global musicological interest in the country. These publications reveal a broad and well-developed field that spans historical research, contemporary analysis, and documentation of musical life. Much of the focus lies in music history and musical life, alongside strong contributions from musicology and ethnomusicology, reflecting an interest in both institutional and lived musical practices. Scholarship covers a wide range of genres, including traditional music, popular music, jazz, and religious music, while also addressing pedagogy, performance practice, and musical instruments. These studies are often supported by extensive documentation such as discographies, catalogues, and bibliographies, underscoring a commitment not only to analysis but also to preservation and reference. Geographically and culturally, the material highlights both regional diversity and cultural specificity within Finland. Major urban centers such as Helsinki, Turku, and Tampere emerge as key hubs of musical activity and scholarship, while smaller localities like Kaustinen are especially prominent in the context of folk traditions and festivals. At the same time, research engages with Finland’s multilingual and multicultural fabric, particularly Finnish-Swedish, Sámi, and other minority communities, as well as immigrant groups. Overall, writings on music in Finland situate musical practices within broader cultural, social, and political frameworks, reflecting how music intersects with identity, regional heritage, and cultural policy.

Additional writings are concerned with “Finnish music outside Finland”, highlighting a diaspora-oriented perspective, where references are relatively sparse and spread across a small number of countries. Mentions appear in contexts such as Canada, Estonia, France, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the U.S., along with broader regional references such as North America. Finnish music outside its country of origin is studied primarily in terms of diaspora presence and reception rather than in large volume, with modest attention distributed across neighboring Nordic and Baltic countries as well as select global contexts.

Content related to Finland in the RILM Index to Scores and Collected Editions reflects the country’s outsized contributions to the production and development of Western art music. Finland appears in 203 indexed records, encompassing detailed bibliographic information for 94 full scores, 58 parts, and 27 works for solo instrument or voice, alongside 45 records in Finnish and 20 associated with the historic Finnish publisher Fazer. The scope of available material is further demonstrated by major editorial projects such as Documenta musicae Fennicae, a 20-volume series presenting works by Finnish composers from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the 27-volume edition of Jean Sibelius’s complete works, underscoring both the depth of archival resources and the international significance of Finnish musical output.

Oxford anthology of Western music. III, ed. Robert Rau Holzer and David J. Rothenberg (New York: Oxford University Press) 591–597 [RILM Index to Scores and Collected Editions, 2013-44897]

The RILM Archive of Popular Music Magazines mentions Finland 383 times across 18 different zines, attesting to international interest. Discourse on Finnish pop often centers on heavy metal and its stylistic offshoots. Finnish groups like Amorphis (blending death metal with local folk influences), Sentenced, and Stratovarius established a style characterized by melodic, atmospheric, and sometimes melancholic metal. By the 1990s, Finland’s reputation as an incubator for metal became solidified with the global success of groups like Nightwish, Children of Bodom, HIM, and Apocalyptica, partially defining subgenres like symphonic metal and melodic death metal.

“Finnish Line: Pagan Prog Rockers AMORPHIS defy death” by Michael Moynihan in Seconds no. 29, 1994

Finland has also produced a rich punk scene documented by several non-Finnish zines. Embracing the subversive potential of the music (and the zines themselves), writings from the 1980s sometimes situated music criticism and review within the context of the Soviet presence. Given its geographic proximity, history of conflict (e.g., the Winter and Continuation wars), perceived enforced capitulations surrounding so-called Finlandization policies, and Cold War threats, the Soviet Union as a reference point is rather unsurprising. Articles in zines offer a unique window into the agency and activities of subcultures eager to deploy text, image, and music, some as a response to perceived misunderstandings from outsiders about the Finnish situation, particularly in the country’s major cities.

Content related to Finland in the RILM Music Encyclopedias underscores the country’s rich and multifaceted musical heritage as represented across a wide range of reference works. The collection includes information on 464 Finnish musicians, 74 Finland-related topics, and 21 instruments associated with the country, alongside full encyclopedia entries dedicated to Finland in several major sources. Notable among these are Timo Leisiö’s entry in The concise Garland encyclopedia of world music, which situates Finnish music within its geopolitical, linguistic, and cultural contexts while also addressing traditional music, instruments, and developments such as jazz, and the collaborative article by Liv Greni, Miep Zijlstra, Dilkka Kolehmainen, and Rina Barbier in the Algemene muziek encyclopedie, which traces Finland’s musical history from liturgical and secular traditions through to postwar developments, including education, ballet, and key genres.

Earlier and complementary perspectives are provided by the Finland entry in Hugo Riemann’s Musik-Lexikon, which documents sacred, secular, and traditional music in a historical framework from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Together, these sources are further enriched by specialized scholarship such as The historical dictionary of the music and musicians of Finland by Ruth-Esther Hillilä and Barbara Blanchard Hong, the only comprehensive English-language reference devoted entirely to Finnish music and culture. Spanning a broad historical range from antiquity to the late 20th century, these encyclopedic resources collectively highlight the depth of Finnish musical life, its historiography, and its continued relevance within both national and international contexts.

Kalevala-style song (soloist and choir): Timo Leisiö, Kalevalaisen kansanlaulun ulottuvuuksia, 1976. Liv Greni, Miep Zijlstra, Dilkka Kolehmainen, and Rina Barbier, “Finland”, Vocale muziek, Algemene muziek encyclopedie, eds. Jozef Robijns and Miep Zijlstra (Haarlem: De Haan/Unieboek, 1979–84). Article published 1980.

Finally, the articles dedicated to Finland in the standalone encyclopedias—DEUMM Online and MGG Online—provide a thorough inspection of the county’s vocal and instrumental traditional musics, art music from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era, and modern musical life, including the music industry, concerts, opera, and festivals. Valuable bibliographies accompany both as well.

Beyond this, both resources contain many entries that center on Finnish musicians across several genres. In MGG Online, the researcher will encounter 62 Finnish composers, 14 conductors, and eight pianists, for example. Additionally, both encyclopedias cover not only the nation’s artistic production, but its scholarly output as well, with entries on prominent Finnish musicologists and music critics.

The jouhikko player Juho Vaittinen (d.1916) from East Karelia, in playing position. Ilkaa Oramo, “Finnland”, Volksmusik, Die Instrumente und die Instrumentalmusik, MGG Online, ed. Laurenz Lütteken. (New York: RILM; Kassel: Bärenreiter; Stuttgart: Metzler, 2016–) Article published November 2016.

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Tagged as cultural heritage, Ethnomusicology, Europe, Finland, International Council for Traditional Music, Musicology, Opera, Popular music, Research, RILM, RILM Resources, Voicing Innocence

by rilm | February 12, 2026 · 9:47 am

Voicing Innocence: An annotated bibliography

On 6 April 2026, Innocence, the final opera by the late Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, receives its Metropolitan Opera premiere in New York, marking a significant moment in the work’s ongoing international circulation and scholarly reception. Coinciding with this event, the Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation hosts the conference Voicing Innocence: Trauma, Memory, and Contemporary Opera in the Work of Kaija Saariaho (7–8 April 2026) at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Inspired by the Metropolitan Opera’s presentation of Simon Stone’s original production—first staged at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2021—the conference situates Innocence within broader critical conversations on contemporary opera, trauma, memory, and the limits of forgiveness.

This annotated bibliography is shaped by the shared mission of the Brook Center and RILM, a project housed within the Center: to document, organize, and make accessible the global circulation of music scholarship across languages, disciplines, and cultural contexts. That mission resonates directly with Innocence itself, an opera conceived as a transnational and multilingual work, unfolding across multiple temporalities and perspectives. Saariaho and librettists Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière construct a dramaturgy in which characters sing in their native languages—Finnish, French, German, Czech, Spanish, Swedish, Greek, and English—without translation within the world of the opera, foregrounding linguistic difference as both a narrative and ethical condition.

In this sense, Innocence offers not only a subject for scholarly inquiry but also a methodological analogue for bibliographic work. Just as the opera resists a single linguistic or cultural vantage point, this bibliography assembles scholarship produced across national traditions, disciplinary frameworks, and languages, tracing how Innocence and the topics at the heart of the opera can be interpreted, historicized, and mobilized within diverse intellectual communities. By mapping these intersecting strands of research, the bibliography reflects the broader commitment of the Brook Center and RILM to foster dialogue across borders—linguistic, cultural, and scholarly—mirroring the opera’s own insistence on global entanglement and shared responsibility.

Innocence: Moving Moment with Vilma Jää

RILM Abstracts offers over 596 bibliographic records that touch on Saariaho and her work, but surprisingly little has been written about Innocence to date. This is also evident from the website saariaho.org—the official hub for the composer. The select bibliography below draws from publications represented by RILM across all of its resources and draws together various topics relevant to a deeper understanding of the opera:

Liisamaija Hautsalo. “Whispers from the past: Musical topics in Saariaho’s operas”, in Kaija Saariaho: Visions, narratives, dialogues, ed. Tim Howell, Jon Hargreaves, Michael D. Rofe, Tim Howell (Farnham: Ashgate, 2011) 107–129. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2011-6218]

Examines the role of musical topics in Kaija Saariaho’s operatic works, focusing on the incorporation of historical and cultural musical references within a contemporary compositional language. Drawing on Raymond Monelle’s theory of musical topics, the study analyzes how recognizable stylistic gestures function semantically and hermeneutically in Saariaho’s operas. It traces the composer’s development as an opera composer and centers on detailed analyses of her two full-length operas, L’amour de loin and Adriana Mater. Musical semantics, semiotics, and hermeneutics are employed to demonstrate how topics mediate between past musical traditions and modern techniques, contributing to themes of memory, intimacy, and cultural resonance. Saariaho’s operatic practice is situated within broader interdisciplinary and narrative contexts, establishing a foundational framework for subsequent topic-based studies of her operatic repertoire. (Frühauf, Tina)

Tomi Mäkelä “Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023): Kunst zwischen Mensch und Maschine—Erste Gedanken post mortem”, Musik & Ästhetik XXVII/108 (2023): 5–11. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-25374]

Pays tribute to the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in her home in Paris on 2 June 2023. More than a necrology, it serves as a topography of agendas that are or could be relevant to the reception of her works, from Bruden (1977) to Hush (2023), as well as her essays. Special emphasis is given to her Finnish environment—heritage, language, and professional surroundings. (journal)

Anni Katariina Oskala. “The voice in Kaija Saariaho’s music, 1977–2000” (Ph.D. diss, University of Oxford, 2008) (p. x, 418). [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2008-19184]

Examines the use of the voice in Kaija Saariaho’s works composed between 1977 and 2000, including her first opera L’amour de loin (2000). The term voice refers to all live, recorded, and/or processed vocal sounds as well as synthesized sounds modeled on vocal timbres. (author)

Éva Pintér. “Was die Träume erzählen: Textdeutungen in den Vokalwerken von Kaija Saariaho”, in Woher? Wohin? Die Komponistin Kaija Saariaho, ed. Hans-Klaus Jungheinrich. Edition Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (Main: Schott Musik International, 2007) 75–84. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2007-25840]

Kaija Saariaho bekennt sich zu den psychoanalytischen Traumdeutungen in ihren Kompositionen. So erwähnt sie beispielsweise in ihrer Einführung zu Grammaire des rêves (1988) auch Aspekte der Traumforschung, hebt jedoch insgesamt die musikalische Ausformulierung hervor. Die psychoanalytische Traumdeutung kann folglich die inhaltlich-musikalische Grundlage solcher Werke wie Im Traume, L’amour de loin, From the grammar of dreams oder Grammaire des rêves beleuchten. Auf der anderen Seite werden diese Traumdeutungen in einen souveränen musikalischen Stil eingebettet, der ein ganz entscheidend charakteristisches “Geflecht” in vielen Werken Kaija Saariahos bildet und damit ein eigenes, autonomes kompositorisches Verfahren aufweist.

Kaija Saariaho acknowledges the psychoanalytical interpretations of dreams in her compositions. For example, in her introduction to Grammaire des rêves (1988) she mentions aspects of dream research, though placing primary overall emphasis on the musical formulation. The psychoanalytic interpretation of dreams can therefore shed light on the contentual-musical basis of works such as Im Traume, L’amour de loin, From the grammar of dreams, and Grammaire des rêves. Conversely, these interpretations are integrated into a masterly musical style that creates an absolutely characteristic weave in many of Saariaho’s works and thus reveals a personal, autonomous compositional method. (Schöntube, Cornelia)

Elena Vasil’evna Kiseeva and Emma Sergeevna Korotkieva. “Traktovka žanra v opere Nevinnost’ Kaji Saariaho” [An interpretation of genre in Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence], Problemy muzykal’noj nauki: Rossijskij naučnyj žurnal/Music scholarship: Russian journal of academic studies 4 (January 2023) 128–141. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-23108]

Идея обновления оперного жанра нашла яркое претворение в многочисленных произведениях, авторами которых являются выдающиеся композиторы современности Джон Адамс, Луи Андриссен, Тан Дун, Стив Райх, Филип Гласс, Джон Кейдж, Кайя Саариахо и многие другие. В их сочинениях обнаружились трансформации, обусловленные нарушением в драматургии причинно-следственных связей, включением смысловых разрывов, прерывающих линейность повествования, а также отказом от коммуникативной функции слова в пользу музыкальности его звучания. В некоторых произведениях кардинально изменился характер взаимоотношений между автором, исполнителем и зрителем, что привело к разрушению установившихся жанровых норм. Предметом исследовательского интереса в данной статье выступили жанровые эксперименты, представленные в новой опере Кайи Саариахо «Невиновность» (2018). В них как в зеркале получила отражение гораздо более обширная и серьёзная научная проблема — трактовка оперного жанра в начале XXI века. Новизна исследуемого произведения определена соединением в нём оперы и триллера. Специфика построения либретто и музыкальной драматургии, трактовка вокальных и хоровых партий направлены на создание характерного для триллера длительного эмоционального нагнетания и погружения зрителей в состояние тревоги и страха.

The idea of a renewal of the opera genre is present in numerous works written by some of the outstanding 21st-century composers of our time: John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Tan Dun, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Cage, Kaija Saariaho, and many others. Their works demonstrate transformations stipulated by transgressions of cause-and-effect relationships in their dramaturgy, inclusions of semantic abruptions interrupting the linearity of the narrative, as well as a rejection of the communicative function of words in favor of the musicality of sound. In some works, the nature of the relationship between composer, performer, and audience has radically changed, leading to the disintegration of the established norms of the opera genre. The experiments in the sphere of genre demonstrated in Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence (2018) reflect a much more extensive and serious scholarly issue – the interpretation of the genre of opera at the beginning of the 21st century. The novelty of Saariaho’s composition lies in the combination of the genres of opera and thriller. The specific construction of the libretto and musical dramaturgy, as well as the interpretation of the vocal and choral parts, are aimed at creating a long-lasting emotional buildup, characteristic of a thriller, and immersing the audience in a state of anxiety and fear. (journal)

The full-text extension of RILM Abstracts offers several short write-ups of Innocence stagings:

Jules Cavalié. “Festival d’Aix-En-Provence 2021”, L’avant-scène: Opéra 324 (septembre-octobre 2021) 102–105. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2021-7310]

Anon. Sinfónica. “La impactante nueva ópera Innocence de Kaija Saariaho y su tan esperado debut en el Reino Unido”, 1 mayo 2023. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2023-4230]

Ingo Hoddick “Empathiemusik: Das Musiktheater im Revier bringt die meisterhafte Oper Innocence von Kaija Saariaho zur deutschen Erstaufführung”, Das Orchester: Magazin für Musiker und Management LXXII/12 (2024) 53. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2024-20273]

Lucile Desblache. “Tales of the unexpected: Opera as a new art of glocalization”, in Music, text and translation, ed. Helen Julia, Minors. Bloomsbury advances in translation (New York: Bloomsbury, 2013) 9–19. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2013-5356]

Questions how languages in opera have been used as instruments of globalization, both as agents of what was seen initially as an operatic form expressing universal messages and as tools of cultural identity which promote the value of ethnicity or of a local heritage. Multilingualism and cultural diversity are central to the discussion. (Minors, Helen Julia)

Marta Mateo. “Multilingual libretti across linguistic borders and translation modes”, in Opera in translation: Unity and diversity, ed. Adriana Şerban and Kelly Kar Yue Chan. Benjamins translation library 153 (Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2020) 337–357. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2020-77898]

Based on research on multilingualism in opera production, reception, and translation, the relationship between translation and linguistically heterogeneous librettos is examined, focusing on the texts themselves. Plurilingual operas encourage reflection on how important it is to understand the semantic content of the various languages in order to grasp the communicative value and enjoy these works. The advisability of neutralizing the verbal diversity—integral to their meaning—in the translation process must be questioned, too. The translation strategies used in subtitling and CD inserts for some multilingual librettos are analyzed. These show varying functions and degrees of heteroglossia, in order to observe whether those textual features determine translation choices as much as the translation mode. (author)

Tomi Kiilakoski and Atte Oksanen. “Soundtrack of the school shootings: Cultural script, music and male rage”, Young: Nordic journal of youth research XIX/3 (2011) 247–269. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2011-53211]

School shootings have had an enormous cultural impact on discussions about youth worldwide. Studies on school shootings have not yet considered the complex nature of youth subcultures, often blaming particular subcultures or cultural products. School shooters use different cultural products, including books, films, and, especially, music. As a consequence, particular cultural products are woven into the fabric of the cultural script of school shootings. The music of 46 videos left by the Finnish Jokela High School shooter is analyzed in the context of the cultural script of the shootings. School shooters are not only fascinated by previous shootings but are also fans of similar cultural products. Music is actively used as a reference, as shooters actively searched for lyrics that enforce the idea of revolutionary violence. Internet videos offered a channel for shooters to interact with other people. (journal)

Jennifer M. Sokira. “Considerations for music therapy in long-term response to mass tragedy and trauma”, Music therapy today XV/1 (2019) 78–90. [RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, 2019-7832]

Aprovechando la experiencia en la prestación de musicoterapia en la comunidad de Connecticut Newtown/Sandy Hook, desde el tiroteo que hubo en la escuela en 2012, este artículo describe la evolución y las fases del trauma psicológico de la comunidad, aportando consideraciones a los musicoterapeutas que trabajan con los super vivientes en todas las fases. Con referencia a la sintonía del terapeuta con los cambios neurológicos en el cerebro y en el cuerpo que sufren los supervivientes, se hacen recomendaciones relativas a la resiliencia como prevención, a educación y entrenamiento, a pautas de trabajo, y a la propia resiliencia del terapeuta.

Drawing from experience in providing music therapy to the Newtown/Sandy Hook, Connecticut community since the 2012 school shooting, the trajectory and psychological phases of community trauma are outlined, providing considerations for music therapists serving survivors through all phases. Advocating for therapist attunement to the neurobiological brain and bodily changes which trauma survivors experience, recommendations are made regarding resilience as prevention, education and training, networking, and therapist vicarious resilience. (journal)

Clara Foglia, “Kaija Saariaho,” DEUMM Online, 2025, https://www.deumm.org.

DEUMM Online, the preeminent Italian encyclopedia online, published a fresh appraisal of Saariaho in 2025. In addition to the new entry, Foglia also contributed work-specific articles on L’amour de loin (2000), Adriana mater (2005), La passion de Simone (2006), and Émilie (2009).

RILM Music Encyclopedias, s.v. “Kaija Saariaho,” https://rme.rilm.org.

RILM Music Encyclopedias, which aggregates a wide range of music encyclopedias and dictionaries, providing authoritative biographical, stylistic, and bibliographic information on composers, performers, and music topics, covers Kaija Saariaho across several sources, including the Historical dictionary of the music and musicians of Finland, Komponisten der Gegenwart, International encyclopedia of women composers, and The 20th century violin concertante: A repertoire catalogue. These entries provide concise biographical data, overviews of her compositional style, key works, and references to further scholarly resources.

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Filed under 20th- and 21st-century music, Analysis, Dramatic arts, Language, Musicology, Opera, Opera, Performers, Sound, Uncategorized, Women's studies

Tagged as Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation, Conference, Contemporary classical music, Kaija Saariaho, multilingual, Opera, RILM annotated bibliographies

by rilm | December 11, 2025 · 6:00 am

Jamaica’s first superstar

James Chambers, better known as Jimmy Cliff, one of Jamaica’s most prolific and celebrated performers, and an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has been hailed as the first true superstar of Jamaican music. As a uniquely gifted singer-songwriter, Cliff was among the earliest artists to bring reggae to a global audience. With more than 25 studio albums to his credit, he was the only living musician to have received the Jamaican government’s Order of Merit for his contributions to national culture. Yet his path to international acclaim was far from straightforward. Born James Chambers in Adelphi, a small, rural town on Jamaica’s north coast near Montego Bay, Cliff’s early life was marked by poverty, controversy, and prejudice.

A mural honoring Jimmy Cliff in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Following the dissolution of his parents’ marriage, Cliff and his older brother were raised by their father, a Pentecostal Christian, in a modest two-room shack. When Hurricane Charlie destroyed their home in 1951, Cliff was forced to live for a time with his aunt and grandmother on a nearby farm. At Somerton All Age School, his intelligence was quickly recognized by a teacher who recommended that he pursue studies in electronics at Kingston Technical High School. Moving to Jamaica’s capital of Kingston in the late 1950s, Cliff began studying electronics while simultaneously entering talent contests under the stage name Jimmy Cliff.

Cliff’s appearance at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York brought him to the attention of Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who brought him to London two years later and promoted him as a soul singer, backed by musicians who would later form Mott the Hoople. Even before Bob Marley’s international breakthrough in the 1970s, Cliff introduced Jamaican rocksteady to U.S. audiences through his starring role in the 1972 cult classic film The harder they come. His portrayal of Ivan in the groundbreaking film drew on elements of his own youthful experiences. The film’s soundtrack became a reggae primer for many listeners unfamiliar with the genre, with Cliff contributing four songs, including his enduring You can get it if you really want, which reached number two on the U.K. singles chart; the title track, The harder they come; and the soulful ballad Sitting in limbo.

Promotion poster for *The harder they come* (1972).

Cliff was among the first Jamaican vocalists to relocate to London in pursuit of greater recognition. He also became one of the earliest artists to make a significant impact in South America and Africa, broadening his musical output to reach diverse audiences.

Cover art for *The harder they come* soundtrack.

Cliff was also the first reggae singer to assume a leading role in a feature film (The harder they come) which introduced international audiences to Jamaica’s vibrant musical culture. His distinctive style of reggae, infused with non-Jamaican musical elements, resonated strongly in Africa, leading to performances in Nigeria in 1974 and a subsequent tour of West Africa three years later.

This according to Jimmy Cliff: An unauthorized biography by David Katz (Oxford: Signal Books, 2011; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 2011-18440).

Jimmy Cliff passed away on 24 November 2025 at the age of 81.

Cliff performs at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival in 2019.

Joan Jett’s pacifier necklaces

Razorcake, one of the longest-running punk magazines in the world, has defied the odds to remain in print for over 21 years, releasing new issues bimonthly throughout that time. Launched in 2001 in Los Angeles by Todd Taylor, former managing editor of the iconic zine Flipside, Razorcake debuted during a time when several other notable zines, including Punk Planet, Profane Existence, Suburban Voice, and Maximum RocknRoll, were still in circulation. While many of these publications have either folded or shifted to digital formats, Razorcake has persevered, continuing to feature interviews with bands and artists, reviews of music, film, and print media, as well as columns and advertisements that help sustain its print run.

One of the highlights of Razorcake’s early issues was the series of interviews conducted by Canadian journalist and musician John Ruskin, better known as Nardwuar the Human Serviette. Known for his unique approach to interviewing musicians, celebrities, and politicians, Nardwuar became famous for asking thoroughly researched questions and showcasing an encyclopedic knowledge of music and a wide range of topics. His interviews often caught guests off guard, as he would dig up obscure details about their personal lives and careers—facts they rarely expected anyone else to know.

In Razorcake’s 37th issue from 2007, Nardwuar conducted a memorable interview with the iconic Joan Jett, the legendary singer, songwriter, and guitarist, formerly of The Runaways. During the conversation, Jett shared the story behind her long-time habit of wearing a pacifier around her neck. She explained, “[It] is sort of a remembrance—something to signify something that I went through with The Runaways. When The Runaways first visited Scandinavia, specifically Sweden, we got off the plane and were greeted by hundreds of beautiful blonde teenage girls, all wearing real pacifiers and sucking on them, asking for our autographs. We were completely confused by the whole experience. Just before that, we had been in Japan, where we were also revered by young girls, but I understood that more, because in Japanese society, women are often treated as second-class citizens. So, those girls saw us as a form of empowerment. But the pacifier thing? That really threw me. I asked them about it, and they said, ‘It’s a fad. It’s a fashion.’ One day, I found a silver pacifier in a jewelry store and just had to get it.”

This according to Razorcake. Find it in the RILM Archive of Popular Music Magazines.

Watch Nardwuar’s interview with Joan Jett here.

M.L. Vasanthakumari: A playback singer of Karnatak vocal pedigree

As a child, Indian playback singer M.L. Vasanthakumari–affectionately known as Vasanthi–dreamed of becoming a doctor, inspired by her belief that “doctors save lives.” Though she ultimately did not pursue a medical career, Vasanthi touched countless lives through the power of her resonant voice. In many ways, music was her birthright: both her parents were accomplished musicians. Her father, Koothanur Ayyasami Iyer, was deeply knowledgeable in Karnatak music and held a strong interest in Hindustani classical traditions. Her mother, Lalithangi, came from a family steeped in the fine arts, studied under several renowned musicians, and was an active concert performer.

M.L. Vasanthakumari performing in Karur.

Despite her parents’ deep involvement in Karnatak music and her evident musical talent from an early age, Vasanthi’s parents were initially reluctant to support a professional career in music. Instead, they enrolled her in a convent school in Madras (now Chennai), where she studied with the intention of pursuing medicine. Nevertheless, the rich musical environment at home offered her ample opportunities to sing and develop her craft. At a young age, she recorded her first 78-rpm single in 1941, paving the way for future recording contracts and releases. Her turning point came when the renowned Karnatak musician G. N. Balasubramaniam heard her sing and persuaded her parents to let him mentor her. At just 12 years old, Vasanthi accompanied her mother at a recital and soon after made her solo concert debut in Bengaluru.

Listen to M.L. Vasanthakumari perform live in Madras (Chennai) in 1975 here.

By the mid-1940s, Vasanthi had established herself as a playback singer, cultivating a distinctive voice and style that would make her one of the leading figures in Indian film music for the next two decades. She was a featured performer at nearly every major music festival in South India, as well as in prominent Karnatak music circles across the country. Her presence on radio was equally pervasive, further solidifying her reputation as a national icon. Vasanthi remained a top performer in India until her passing in October 1990. Her mentor, G. N. Balasubramaniam, once remarked, “Vasanthi typifies real discipleship. She applies her mind to what all she absorbs and presents a glorious edifice of her own creation.”

This according to “M. L. Vasanthakumari–Melody, laya, vidwat” by N. Pattabhi Raman, et al. (Sruti 75-76 [1990–1991] 25–42,47–63; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 1991-38894). Find it in RILM Abstracts with Full Text.

An official Indian postage stamp celebrating M. L. Vasanthakumari.

Mambo’s enduring appeal

The mambo is characterized by short, syncopated rhythmic patterns–the saxophone typically sets the tempo, while the brass instruments carry the melody. Danced by couples, either fully or slightly separated, the mambo is sometimes described as a variant of the rumba, though it incorporates forward and backward steps. Interestingly, the mambo was codified not in Cuba, but in the United States. The key difference between the original danzón-mambo and the mambo lies in the introduction of a new rhythm and, more importantly, the fusion of Cuban music with compositional elements drawn from big band jazz, as seen in the works of René Hernández, Bebo Valdés, and Pérez Prado. In 1948, the Cuban pianist and composer Pérez Prado relocated to Mexico City, where he formed his own orchestra, which he conducted while dancing and singing, and adding his signature vocal grunts to his performances. With his band, Prado helped define the structure of the mambo, releasing his biggest hits with RCA. Following the success of these records, he embarked on a tour of the United States.

Pérez Prado’s music and dance style also gained widespread popularity in Latin America, especially through his appearances in numerous Mexican films during the early 1950s. As a result, he quickly earned the title of the “King of Mambo”. As the mambo gained traction across the Americas, different regional styles began to emerge. In New York, artists like Machito and his Afro-Cubans (pictured at the beginning of this post), Tito Puente, and Tito Rodríguez helped shape the genre’s evolution. Mambo became a mainstream sensation, especially with the release of Papa loves mambo (1954) by Perry Como, which was followed by covers from iconic artists like Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby.

While the popularity of mambo seemed to decline after the rise of the cha cha cha, it remained a lasting cultural force in certain places. Mambo became much more than just a syncopated rhythm or a new style of dancing—it evolved into a cultural phenomenon that left a significant impact on popular culture. The genre found particular success in cinema, especially in the soundtracks of various popular films, including the 1954 film Mambo, directed by Robert Rossen. Mambo’s influence continued to grow in Europe, especially after its association with Federico Fellini’s iconic 1960 film La dolce vita; mambo also appeared in the first act of West side story (1957) by Leonard Bernstein.

Promotional poster for the 1954 film *Mambo*, directed by Robert Rossen.

In more recent years, mambo’s enduring appeal can be seen in Pink Martini’s 1997 song No hay problema, which incorporates mambo rhythms, as well as Lou Bega’s 1999 hit Mambo no. 5, which sparked a pop revival of the genre. Mambo even found a modern twist in 2021, with DJ Steve Aoki, singer Willy William, and Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta collaborating on the track Mambo, blending the rhythm into a dance/electronic style (listen to the track below).

This according to the article of the week in DEUMM Online.

The improbable rise of Run the Jewels

In the history of rap music, the success of Killer Mike (Michael Render), a Black man from Atlanta, Georgia, and El-P (Jaime Meline), a white man from Brooklyn, New York, seems implausible. Yet, they’ve defied all odds, turning what should have been the twilight of their careers into the peak of their success. As the powerhouse duo Run the Jewels, El-P and Killer Mike have headlined global festivals, become action figures and Marvel comic characters, led a worldwide countercultural movement, and played significant roles in the last two U.S. presidential elections.

Their journey evokes a modern-day buddy movie. Filled with twists and triumphs, it mirrors the massive shifts in the music industry over the last 25 years–from the peak of the CD era to its decline and the rise of streaming platforms–and reflects the evolution of pop culture and its sociopolitical climate. From the surge of Afrofuturism and the fall of the Twin Towers to the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and Colin Kaepernick’s protest, these pivotal moments shaped how their growing friendship turned Killer Mike and El-P from underground solo acts into globally recognized icons.

Killer Mike (left) and El-P perform on NPR’s *Tiny Desk*.

Listen to the 10th anniversary edition of Run the Jewels’ first album here.

Killer Mike, the 39-year-old rapper and entrepreneur, commands attention with his powerful presence, blending raw talent with a unique perspective that sets him apart. His verses seamlessly navigate detailed street narratives, intense battle raps, sharp punchlines, and passionate political commentary. Killer Mike first gained widespread recognition as a protégé of Outkast, the iconic Atlanta rap duo that paved the way for Southern hip hop to earn international respect. As a member of the Dungeon Family, he got his big break with a standout feature on Snappin’ and trappin’, a track from OutKast’s 2000 album Stankonia. After a series of solo releases and mixtapes, he expanded his creative reach, contributing music and voicing a character on Frisky dingo, an animated series that marked the beginning of his collaboration with Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. In 2012, Killer Mike dropped R.A.P. music, a fiery album that brought together his commanding presence with the menacing beats of El-P, a seasoned veteran of New York City’s independent hip hop scene.

El-P (left) and Killer Mike (right) perform during the 2019 All Points East Festival at Victoria Park in London. Photo by Robin Little.

El-P first made his mark as part of Company Flow, a group of sharp-tongued, anti-establishment lyricists who approached their tracks with the same rebellious energy as graffiti artists tagging subway cars. As the flagship act of Rawkus Records, a powerhouse of independent hip hop in the mid-1990s, Company Flow’s 1996 album Funcrusher plus became a cornerstone of underground hip hop. By the end of the decade, El-P, alongside his manager Amaechi Uzoigwe, launched the Definitive Jux label, with the intent to release Company Flow’s second album. However, before the project could come to fruition, the group split up. Despite this, the unfinished material was eventually reworked and became the foundation for El-P’s solo breakout, marking the start of his career as a solo artist and producer.

The unexpected collaboration between underground hip hop giants El-P and Killer Mike turned out to be a perfect fit. In 2013, the duo reunited to launch Run the Jewels, revamping the gritty, hard-hitting style of late-1980s and early-1990s hip hop legends like Ice Cube and EPMD. Through their groundbreaking releases, Killer Mike and El-P firmly established themselves as dominant forces in modern music, becoming influential voices in the soundscape of contemporary rap.

This according to Kill your masters: Run the Jewels and the world that made them by Jaap Van der Doelen (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2024; RILM Abstracts of Music Literature 2024-15629).

Watch Run the Jewels perform on NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts here.

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Filed under Humor, Mass media, Music industry, Performers, Politics, Popular music

Tagged as El-P, Hip hop, Killer Mike, New York City, Politics, Popular culture, Popular music, Rap music, Run the Jewels, Southern rap, underground

by rilm | August 2, 2025 · 6:00 am

A new model for Italian music production

RCA Italiana, established in Rome in 1951 as a subsidiary of the Radio Corporation of America, became one of the most influential Italian record labels of the 20th century. Its foundation was supported not only by the Vatican but also by funding from the 1948 European Recovery Program–better known as the Marshall Plan. Under the leadership of Ennio Melis, RCA earned a prominent role in Italian popular music, and from 1962 onward, some of the most iconic figures in Italian music recorded at its expansive studios on Via Tiburtina, as well as the more intimate Cenacolo studios. Artists such as Ennio Morricone, Gianni Morandi, Patty Pravo, Francesco De Gregori, and Antonello Venditti all passed through its doors. However, after its peak in the early 1960s and into the mid-1970s, RCA faced a significant decline, partly due to the bankruptcy of its parent company and shifts in the global market. The 1980s saw the company’s final fall, culminating in its sale to Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) in 1986. Despite its decline, the RCA brand—once a symbol of the golden age of the Italian recording industry—still exists today under the Sony Music catalog.

RCA Italiana employee testing a record plate.

Listen to Nico Fidenco‘s *La voglia di ballare* here. This and many other Italian pop recordings were produced at RCA Italiana.

The company was originally named Radio e Televisione Italiana SpA (RTI). Its president, Count Enrico Pietro Galeazzi Lisi, who was a special delegate of the Pope, oversaw its establishment, while the driving force behind the project was Giuseppe Antonino Biondo, a Sicilian engineer and naturalized U.S. citizen working for the American RCA. The name RCA Italiana SpA was officially adopted in July 1954, a year after the company made the somewhat controversial decision to shift its focus to record production. Initially, the U.S. multinational appeared more interested in exporting its phonographic and radio-television equipment. However, by the end of 1953, the company outlined a new program for releases on 78 rpm records, coinciding with the final wave of Marshall Plan funding. To kickstart this new direction, Biondo enlisted renowned composer and conductor Armando Trovajoli and several other prominent Italian musicians. The new catalogue marked a departure from the dominant the American RCA and its classical repertoire, helping to usher in a new era of Italian music. These recordings took shape in a variety of studios already equipped with RCA technology.

In June 1962, the complex of recording studios on Via Tiburtina was officially inaugurated. The facility was a flagship of the company, featuring a centralized production system inspired by the U.S. model. This system consolidated all phases of the production process–recording, mastering, pressing, and storage–into one multipurpose campus. The heart of the complex was a striking red studio building (see the first image in this post), which featured the RCA Italiana sign, prominently visible from the Raccordo Anulare, the nearby ring road. Inside, the campus housed four recording studios spread across different floors: Studio A, the largest, was designed for big orchestras; studio B, about half the size of studio A, was used for vocals, instrumental recordings, soundtracks, and film dubbing; and the smaller studios C and D were intended for more smaller productions.

Additionally, there were three natural echo chambers (reverberation rooms) built underground to minimize interference from external sounds. However, vibrations from the increasingly heavy traffic on the nearby ring road rendered these chambers unusable, prompting the development of artificial reverb technology. The other building on the site contained office spaces, warehouses dedicated to pressing records, and other storage areas for the finished products. Although the album covers were printed by third-party companies, the design work was carried out on the campus, ensuring a fully integrated creative process.

This according to a newly published entry on RCA Italiana by Francesco Brusco in DEUMM Online.

Watch an documentary in Italian on the history RCA Italiana here.

RCA Italiana employees testing recordings.

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Filed under Acoustics, Europe, Mass media, Music industry, Performers, Popular music

Tagged as Italy, Marshall Plan, Music industry, Pop, Popular music, RCA Italiana, Sound recording and reproduction

Category Archives: Performers

The Iraqi maqām: An Intangible Cultural Heritage at risk

Annotated bibliography

From the EBSCOpost backlist. II: What is musicology? (2018)

What is musicology?

Covering the cultural heritage of Finland in RILM

Voicing Innocence: An annotated bibliography

Jamaica’s first superstar

Joan Jett’s pacifier necklaces

M.L. Vasanthakumari: A playback singer of Karnatak vocal pedigree

Mambo’s enduring appeal

The improbable rise of Run the Jewels

A new model for Italian music production

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