Alessandro Roccatagliati (Reggio Emilia, 1960) is Full professor of Musicology at the University of Ferrara, where he has worked from 1992 and where he teaches History of Music and Musical Dramaturgy. Since spring 2019 he is directing the scientific activities of the National Institute of Verdi Studies in Parma and its annual journal "Studi verdiani".
In 1993 he received a PhD in Musicology from the University of Bologna (1989-93); his doctoral studies included a period at the Institut für Musikwissenschaften of the Freie Universität Berlin (1990-91). He holds a degree in Disciplines of Art Music and Theatre (University of Bologna, 1986) and a diploma in cello performance (Conservatory of Reggio Emilia, 1982), and worked as librarian at the Historical Recordings library of the Municipal Theatre “R. Valli” in Reggio Emilia (1983-1989).
Together with Fabrizio Della Seta and Luca Zoppelli, he has been general editor of the Edizione critica delle opera di Vincenzo Bellini (Milan, Ricordi) since its inception in 2000. He is also associate editor of the journal “Il Saggiatore musicale” (Firenze, Olschki), of whose editorial board he has been a member since 2002; editor of the yearbook “Festival Verdi Journal” (Parma, Teatro Regio); and Italian member of the editorial board of “verdiperspektiven” (Würzburg-Bern). He is also a member of some Scientific Committees: Edizione nazionale dei carteggi e documenti verdiani; Edizione critica delle opere di Gaetano Donizetti; Parma Verdi Festival (2017-2019); Centro di Documentazione per gli Studi Belliniani and Fondazione Bellini in Catania.
He has edited the critical edition of Bellini’s La sonnambula (with L. Zoppelli), and has published extensively on 19th-century Italian Opera, especially Verdi, Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti, the textual status of the opera libretto, the reception of French opera in Italy, the theory and methodology of critically editing operatic music, musical terminology, and, finally, on the most esteemed operatic poet of the early nineteenth century, Felice Romani. Other studies have been dedicated to the operas of Gluck, Paisiello, Meyerbeer, Halévy, Janáček and Berio.
He has also studied the musical history of a few cities and towns in northern Italy, such as Ferrara (a monograph on the local Teatro Comunale), Modena (an essay on the theatrical life of the city from 1814 to 1860), and others (encyclopedia articles for The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart). He has also co-authored an History of Music handbook, for which he wrote chapters on Austro-German music and musicians between the 18th and 19th century (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber).
He has been awarded several prizes for his musicological activity: the national Prize “Il Coretto” (Bari) for the best thesis in Musicology (1988); the Latina international Prize for music studies, class of historical musicology (1994); and an Overseas Visting Scholarship at St John’s College, Cambridge (2008).
In 1999-2003 he was a member of the Board of directors and of the Research Council of the University of Ferrara, where in 2011-12 he served on the Committee for Statute revision (ex l. 240/10) and on the Committee for the Code of Ethics. In 2016 he began a second four-year term as academic member of the Board of directors of the University of Ferrara. Also at the University of Ferrara, he was director of the degree course in Communication Sciences and Technologies (2012-16) and chaired the Committee for the humanities, law and economics libraries (2012-15).
Between 1995 to 1999 he was a member of the City council of Reggio Emilia, in charge of culture (libraries, theatres, museums, music schools).
Between 2007 and 2010 he was the representative of the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MIUR) on the Board of directors of Ferrara’s Frescobaldi Conservatory.
In 1993 he received a PhD in Musicology from the University of Bologna (1989-93); his doctoral studies included a period at the Institut für Musikwissenschaften of the Freie Universität Berlin (1990-91). He holds a degree in Disciplines of Art Music and Theatre (University of Bologna, 1986) and a diploma in cello performance (Conservatory of Reggio Emilia, 1982), and worked as librarian at the Historical Recordings library of the Municipal Theatre “R. Valli” in Reggio Emilia (1983-1989).
Together with Fabrizio Della Seta and Luca Zoppelli, he has been general editor of the Edizione critica delle opera di Vincenzo Bellini (Milan, Ricordi) since its inception in 2000. He is also associate editor of the journal “Il Saggiatore musicale” (Firenze, Olschki), of whose editorial board he has been a member since 2002; editor of the yearbook “Festival Verdi Journal” (Parma, Teatro Regio); and Italian member of the editorial board of “verdiperspektiven” (Würzburg-Bern). He is also a member of some Scientific Committees: Edizione nazionale dei carteggi e documenti verdiani; Edizione critica delle opere di Gaetano Donizetti; Parma Verdi Festival (2017-2019); Centro di Documentazione per gli Studi Belliniani and Fondazione Bellini in Catania.
He has edited the critical edition of Bellini’s La sonnambula (with L. Zoppelli), and has published extensively on 19th-century Italian Opera, especially Verdi, Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti, the textual status of the opera libretto, the reception of French opera in Italy, the theory and methodology of critically editing operatic music, musical terminology, and, finally, on the most esteemed operatic poet of the early nineteenth century, Felice Romani. Other studies have been dedicated to the operas of Gluck, Paisiello, Meyerbeer, Halévy, Janáček and Berio.
He has also studied the musical history of a few cities and towns in northern Italy, such as Ferrara (a monograph on the local Teatro Comunale), Modena (an essay on the theatrical life of the city from 1814 to 1860), and others (encyclopedia articles for The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart). He has also co-authored an History of Music handbook, for which he wrote chapters on Austro-German music and musicians between the 18th and 19th century (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Weber).
He has been awarded several prizes for his musicological activity: the national Prize “Il Coretto” (Bari) for the best thesis in Musicology (1988); the Latina international Prize for music studies, class of historical musicology (1994); and an Overseas Visting Scholarship at St John’s College, Cambridge (2008).
In 1999-2003 he was a member of the Board of directors and of the Research Council of the University of Ferrara, where in 2011-12 he served on the Committee for Statute revision (ex l. 240/10) and on the Committee for the Code of Ethics. In 2016 he began a second four-year term as academic member of the Board of directors of the University of Ferrara. Also at the University of Ferrara, he was director of the degree course in Communication Sciences and Technologies (2012-16) and chaired the Committee for the humanities, law and economics libraries (2012-15).
Between 1995 to 1999 he was a member of the City council of Reggio Emilia, in charge of culture (libraries, theatres, museums, music schools).
Between 2007 and 2010 he was the representative of the Italian Ministry for University and Research (MIUR) on the Board of directors of Ferrara’s Frescobaldi Conservatory.
