ROSSELLINI, RENZO

(1908-1982)

Composer. Younger brother of directorRoberto Rossellini, Renzo showed an early propensity for musical composition, publishing his first opera with the noted musical firm Ricordi at the age of only 16. After completing his studies at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia, he became director of the Liceo Musicale at Varese and between 1940 and 1942 taught composition at the Pesaro Conservatory. He began composing for films in the mid-1930s, his first scores being forGuido Brignone'sL'antenato(The Ancestor, 1936) andMario Camerini'sIl Signor Max(Mister Max, 1937). He wrote the music for another dozen films, includingVittorio De Sica'sRose scarlatte(Red Roses, 1940),Maddalena zero in condotta(Maddalena, Zero for Conduct, 1940), andTeresa Venerdi(Mademoiselle Friday, 1941), before scoring his brother's first feature film,La nave bianca(The White Ship, 1941). He supplied the background music for all of his brother's subsequent films, up to and includingVanina Vanini(1961), and was awarded theNastro d'argentofor his score forPaisa(Paisan, 1947). In 1948 he won his second Nastro d'argento for his music for Giacomo Gentilomo'sI fratelli Karamazoff(The Brothers Karamazov, 1947). Rossellini retired from composing for the cinema in the early 1960s, although, due to a curious set of circumstances, he did contribute some music to one of the several versions ofTinto Brass'sCaligola(Caligula, 1979).