Advanced Scientific Methodology Plays Rossini

2026-05-12

AI Summary

This study systematically investigates the compositional intentions and textual variants underlying Rossini’s multiple settings of Metastasio’s aria “Mi lagnerò tacendo.” By integrating music philology with computational approaches, it pioneers the application of data mining, graph theory, and structured analytical techniques to the critical comparison of Rossini’s homonymous compositions, uncovering structural relationships among versions at the levels of melody, harmony, and text. The research establishes the first systematic comparative framework for this repertoire and provides both methodological foundations and empirical support for generative modeling of musical composition processes.

Abstract

A musical score provides the essential instructions for its performance while containing indications - at times implicit - regarding the composer's intentions. The presence of authorial variants, and even more so complex series of revisions associated with a single text, presents a challenging path for analytical study. This research, situated within the application of Scientific Methodologies to Music Philology, proposes a methodological approach oriented toward the structural analysis of one of the many settings composed by Gioachino Rossini on the same Metastasio arietta ``Mi lagnerò tacendo''. Through Computational Analysis - incorporating parsing, data mining, and graph theory - the melodic, harmonic, and textual compositional choices have been rigorously explored. The results constitute a significant unicum in the field, laying the foundation for a systematic study that supports philological research and paves the way for the use of generative models to investigate the creative process.

Problem

• Music Philology
• Authorial Variants
• Structural Analysis
• Rossini
• Metastasio

Innovation

• Computational Musicology
• Music Philology
• Graph Theory
• Generative Models
• Structural Analysis