Francesco Pratella

Francis Balilla Pratella (Lugo di Romagna, 1 February 1880 - Ravenna, March 17, 1955) was an Italian musician.

Francis Balilla Pratella was born in a family atmosphere favourable to the practice of music. His father played guitar and gave lessons to his son when small. In 1899it admitted to the Conservatory of Pesaro and follows courses Mascagni and Cicognani and in 1903 he graduated in composition. 
After studying with Mascagni go to Paris where he met Luigi Russolo and become a fully-fledged part of the group of artists futuristi. The Technical Manifesto ofFuturist music of the 1911 proclaims atonalismo, enharmony, polyphony in an absolute sense and pace free. Before Marinetti meet and adhere to futurism, it was very concerned with popular songs of his region will influence the writing of five symphonic poems entitled Romagna which then landed at The dialect Sina'd Vargöun (Rossellina of Vergoni) scene Romagna low for music, in three acts. The Sina'd Vargöun Baruzzi win the competition and will be staged in 1909 at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. On 20 August 1910 Pratella run the intermezzo of The Sina'd Vargöun at the Teatro Comunale di Imola and makes you aware of the Marinetti with whom he had already exchanged correspondence. The same year Pratella prepares the manifest musicians futuristi (11 October 1910) which will be followed by the Technical Manifesto of Futurist music (11 March 1911) and the Destruction of squaring (18 July 1912). In 1912 the publisher Bolognese Bongiovanni publish a volume called Music futurist, which Pratella is presented as a reference point in the field of music futurist. L 'Ode to life is his first composition that adheres to principles futuristi musical will be presented at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on February 21, 1913 during a "futuristic evening. In 1913 begins to compose The aviator Dro, his second major work futurist, which introduces an orchestra of traditional instruments mixed in intonarumori ends of comporla in 1920 and will be staged onSeptember 4, 1920 at the Teatro Rossini Lugo. The work was resumed in 1996 precisely Lugo, in medesino theatre, a staging importantly, with Gianandrea Gavazzeni music director and Sylvano Bussotti director, set designer and costume designer.

An example of free rhythm note is the chamber opera The road white. The total freedom of expression already proclaimed by Marinetti in poetry is translated into music coll'uso aware of the noise produced by Intonarumori Luigi Russolo. Interventista and nationalist, takes progressively distanced themselves from the music of Debussy, Schoenberg, Mahler and Ravel. In the second part of its production, returned to settle in Italy since the first of the futuristic aviator Dro, spends life inRomagna where contact with the musician takes Forlì Martuzzi and lays the foundation for systematic studies on folklore Romagna, fundamental and pioneristici for'Italy, parallel to those of Bartòk and Kodaly. The results of his research are the basis for the harmonisation for a cappella chorus of mixed voices to songs of his land. The songs were performed by choirs called by Pratella Quartos of Canterini, Canterini Romagnoli example of the already born in Forli in 1922 at the initiative of his musician Martuzzi Caesar (1885, Alfonsine; 1960, Forli).

Competition and fascism

Over time the relationship between the two musicians guastarono. Indeed, the Pratella published their songs for the publisher Galletti, while Martuzzi always refused to publish his, and while the first enjoyed legitimate copyright from the public of its music, for the second were important proceeds of concerts. The rooms of Lugo, Massa Lombarda, Longiano, founded by Pratella after that of Forli, making competition Martuzzi group, which protested vigorously with Pratella. After the relationship between the two musicians s'interruppero entirely for political reasons: Pratella joined fascism, and its rooms were favoured in the most prestigious locations and secured the more lucrative engagements. I Canterini Romagnoli Forli, on the other hand, faith Republican, were accused of sovversivismo and suffered a disastrous eruption squadristica in 1926, during which scores were burned and furnishings; sfasciato piano. The mayor of Forlì impose the group to change the company name and take the name of Camerata, like other groups Pratella.

 Collaboration

In addition to his activities as a composer Pratella promotes music futurist writing many articles in magazines of the time, among other: "Lacerba" for example, Article Against graceful in music (15 May 1913) in which responds to about Bastianelli his negative judgement on music Futurist, the magazine works Milanese"events" while heading musical, is invited by Mussolini in writing for "People of Italy" and also assume the direction of "thinking music" in Bologna. In addition to journalistic work and as theoretical music futurist, Pratella wrote a volume of music education in 1930 entitled: Information for the study of harmony and also wrote a'autobiography to be published posthumously in 1971.

 Contacts with the latest

Pratella is also very interested in the theater and participates in the Futurist Theatre experimental Bragaglia for which comprises Minuetto diabolical and Dances of war. Intermezzi composes the music of the drama of Marinetti The drum fire. Composes for the pantomime performances of The Futurist as manufactured andPopolaresca God. Pratella is in relation with other European avant-garde music and meets Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Massine and Prokofiev in Milan in 1915. We know that has never met Arnold Schönberg but knew his theory, dodecafonismo because state Information for the study of harmony at the consecrated new harmony that:

"The early symptoms and signs [of overcoming the system-tonal harmonic] there have been [...] tonal harmonic theories of a system dodecafonico, including all possible combinations chord, derived from twelve degrees of chromatic scale and totally out of the system and the principles of tone and the way: auctioneer, legislator and principal designer part of this system, the German Arnold Schönberg with his Harmonielehre "

(For Francis Balilla Pratella, Notes for the study of harmony in Francis Balilla Pratella: editions, written, musical manuscripts and futuristi edited by Domenico Tampieri, Ravenna, Longo, 1995, pp. 53-54)

Arnold Schönberg was an Austrian composer who is very interested in atonal music that had developed between 1921 and 1924 a technique which is based on the absence of hierarchy among the twelve notes of the scale. In other words with this theory all sounds are equal among themselves. For more with this theory is the composer who determines the order of note: the scale is so mobile. Pratella this theory considered a major step towards greater freedom music. Towards the end of his life Pratella dedicated to the rediscovery of national musical heritage and the study of music focloristica especially Romagna. In those years, in fact, many composers on the model of Bartok interested folk music of his country.

He died in 1955 in Ravenna. Pratella was with a father Luigi Russolo music futurist and a very important actor in 'European avant-garde music, with its experience of a professional musician gave the movement a certain credibility and the ability to develop theories very musical techniques such as enharmony . His experience has also allowed musician theorizing of a program that others as Russolo or Mix wanted to put into action.