The Secret Song

A refined scholar, a lover of fine style and a certain vision of humanism, the author of this charming little volume is not content with mere archival research. It is through her talent as a storyteller – capable of bringing events and circumstances to life and of introducing the reader (or listener) to an enchanted world – that Pilato conveys the romantic tale of five twentieth-century authors and their encounter with music: Alberto Savinio, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Luigi Pirandello, Eugenio Montale and Elsa Morante.

The starting point is a selection of letters, diaries and critical writings from various genres, skilfully brought together. In each chapter dedicated to the authors under consideration, the relationship between these writers and their Muse is brought to life – an imagery that is little known but often central to the development of artistic careers that later became famous.

Savinio’s Greek childhood unfolded under the blinding sun of a journey that combined text and musical score – the latter was subsequently abandoned for fear of a spell deemed dangerous. Debussy and d’Annunzio were true friends, united by the scandal caused by the opera on which they worked together, "Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien". They were side by side during the Vate’s years in Paris, then remained in contact – through correspondence – during the more secluded years when d’Annunzio took refuge in his chalet between the pine forest and the ocean, on the Arcachon Bay. Luigi Pirandello, the singular author that he always was, struggled, as is well known, in his time to find kindred spirits. So much so that he ended up in voluntary exile in Berlin in 1928. Before that, however, there had been the exhilarating experience of the Teatro degli Undici and his collaboration with Alfredo Casella on the ballet I segreti della Giara. The possibility of bringing two ‘similar yet distinct’ modes of expression to life in harmony was an artistic obsession for Pirandello. Montale’s passion for music, on the other hand, is well documented. From the years when he performed as a keen amateur, singing bass and baritone for Maestro Sivori, right through to his much-loved work as a music critic for the Corriere della Sera and the Corriere dell’Informazione – the poet was a visionary: he was among the first to recognise the genius of Carlo Maria Giulini. As for Elsa Morante, Pilato recalls her prodigious musical aptitude – almost an instinct, never tamed by any formal training – centred on two guiding lights: Mozart and Beethoven. She is supported here by an essay lost in the folds of time, yet still capable of speaking to us today, written by that forgotten giant, Carmelo Samonà. What remains, in the end, is a unique and cohesive narrative, at times stylised, yet always fascinating.

 

Francesca Pilato
, "Il canto segreto
", Florestano Edizioni, 88 pp., 18 euros