Armando Trovajoli (also Trovaioli, 2 September 1917 – 28 February 2013) was an Italian film composer and pianist with over 300 credits as composer and/or conductor, many of them jazz scores for exploitation films of the

Commedia all'italiana ''Commedia all'italiana'' () or Italian-style comedy is an Italian film genre born in Italy in the 1950s and developed in the 1960s and 1970s. It is widely considered to have started with Mario Monicelli's ''Big Deal on Madonna Street'' in 1958 ...

genre. He collaborated with

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, four of the fil ...

on a number of projects, including one segment of ''

Boccaccio '70 ''Boccaccio '70'' is a 1962 comedy anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli and Luchino Visconti from an idea by Cesare Zavattini. It consists of four episodes, each by one of the directors, all about ...

''. Trovajoli was also the author of several Italian

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

: among them, '' Rugantino'' and '' Aggiungi un posto a tavola''. Trovajoli was the husband of actress

Pier Angeli Anna Maria Pierangeli (19 June 193210 September 1971), known internationally by the stage name Pier Angeli, was an Italian actress, model and singer. She won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Actress for her debut role in the 1950 film '' Tomorrow ...

. He died in Rome at the age of 95 on 28 February 2013.

Radio

After graduating from the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

(1948), Trovajoli was entrusted by

RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...

with the direction of a

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...

orchestra, set with 12 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, 1 flute, 1 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 horn, harp, vibraphone, electric guitar, bass, drums and the piano (played by Trovajoli himself). In 1952–53 he collaborated with

Piero Piccioni Piero Piccioni (; December 6, 1921 – July 23, 2004) was an Italian film score composer. A pianist, organist, conductor, and composer, he was also the prolific author of more than 300 film soundtracks. He played for the first time on radio in ...

in ''Eclipse'', a weekly musical broadcast in which the orchestra is directed alternately by the two composers, in a style extremely refined and sophisticated, very different from the music of radio orchestras at that time.

Movie scores

Together with Goffredo Petrassi, Trovajoli composed the score of

Giuseppe De Santis Giuseppe De Santis (11 February 1917 – 16 May 1997) was an Italian film director. One of the most idealistic neorealist filmmakers of the 1940s and 1950s, he wrote and directed films punctuated by ardent cries for social reform. He was ...

' ''

Bitter Rice ''Bitter Rice'' ( ) is a 1949 Italian neorealist crime drama film directed and co-written by Giuseppe De Santis, produced by Dino De Laurentiis, and starring Vittorio Gassman, Doris Dowling, Silvana Mangano, and Raf Vallone. The story follows ...

'' (1949). In 1951, Trovajoli was invited by

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian film producer and businessman who held both Italian and American citizenship. Following a brief acting career in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he moved into f ...

to write music for '' Anna'', a film directed by

Alberto Lattuada Mario Alberto Lattuada (; 13 November 1914 – 3 July 2005) was an Italian film director. Career Lattuada was born in Vaprio d'Adda, the son of composer Felice Lattuada. He was initially interested in literature, becoming, while still a studen ...

, particularly the song '' El Negro Zumbón'', which became an international success. Inspired by tropical rhythms, in the film it was

lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , like the word ''sink'', despite the Hard and soft C, spelling of the participial forms ''synced'' and ''syncing''), short for lip synchronization, is a technical term for matching a Speech, speaking or singin ...

ed and danced by

Silvana Mangano Silvana Mangano (; 21 April 1930 – 16 December 1989) was an Italian film actress. She was one of a generation of thespians who arose from the neorealist movement, and went on to become a major female star, regarded as a sex symbol for the 19 ...

, with the actual vocal performance by Flo Sandon's. After that, Trovajoli wrote soundtracks for directors such as

Dino Risi Dino Risi (23 December 1916 – 7 June 2008) was an Italian film director. With Mario Monicelli, Luigi Comencini, Nanni Loy, and Ettore Scola, he was one of the masters of ''commedia all'italiana''. Biography Risi was born in Milan. He had an ...

Ettore Scola Ettore Scola (; 10 May 1931 – 19 January 2016) was an Italian screenwriter and film director. He received a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 1978 for his film ''A Special Day'' and over ...

. He composed a total of over 300 scores, with his most popular song being "L'amore Dice Ciao" from the 1968 film '' The Libertine''.

Selected filmography

* ''

Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy (, FdI) is a National conservatism, national-conservative and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Ita ...

'' (1952) *'' Two Nights with Cleopatra'' (1954) *'' A Day in Court'' (1954) *'' Poor Millionaires'' (1959) *''

Il vedovo ''Il Vedovo'' (The Widower) is a 1959 in film, 1959 Italy, Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. Plot Alberto Nardi (Alberto Sordi) is a Rome, Roman businessman who fancies himself a man of great capabilities, but whose factory (producing ...

'' (1959) *'' Uncle Was a Vampire'' (1959) *'' Winter Holidays'' (1959) *'' The Hundred Kilometers'' (1959) *'' A Qualcuna Piace Calvo'' (1959) *'' Call Girls of Rome'' (1960) *'' Two Women'' (1960) *'' Atom Age Vampire'' (1960) *'' Hercules and the Conquest of Atlantis'' (1961) *'' Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules'' (1961) *'' The Giant of Metropolis'' (1961) *'' Hercules in the Haunted World'' (1961) *'' The Orderly'' (1961) *'' His Women'' (1961) *'' Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory'' (1961) *'' La ragazza di mille mesi'' (1961) *'' Le magnifiche 7'' (1961) *'' Planets Against Us'' (1962) *''

'' (1962) *'' Toto's First Night'' (1962) *''

Sexy Toto ''Sexy Toto'' (Italian: ''Totòsexy'') is a 1963 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Amendola and starring Totò Antonio Griffo Focas Flavio Angelo Ducas Comneno Porfirogenito Gagliardi De Curtis di Bisanzio (15 February 1898 – 15 April ...

'' (1963) *''

I mostri ''I mostri'' (also known as ''Opiate '67'' or, in a cut version, ''15 from Rome'') is a 1963 commedia all'italiana film by Italian director Dino Risi. It was coproduced with France. The film was a huge success in Italy. It was censored in Spain. ...

'' (1963) *''

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow ''Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'' () is a 1963 comedy anthology film directed by Vittorio De Sica. Starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, the film consists of three short stories about couples in different parts of Italy. The film won t ...

'' (1963) *''

Marriage Italian Style ''Marriage Italian Style'' ( ) is a 1964 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. The film was adapted by Leonardo Benvenuti, Renato Castellani, Piero De Bernardi, and Tonino G ...

'' (1964) *'' Let's Talk About Women'' (1964) *'' What Ever Happened to Baby Toto?'' (1964) *'' Italian Engagement'' (1964) *'' Beautiful Families'' (1964) *'' Attack and Retreat'' (1964) *'' Assassination in Rome'' (1965) *'' The Myth'' (1965) *'' Casanova '70'' (1965) *'' Seven Golden Men'' (1965) *'' Le bambole'' (1965) *'' I Complessi'' (1965) *'' Seven Golden Men Strike Again'' (1966) *'' God's Own Country (1966 film) *'' Sex Quartet'' (1966) *'' Maigret a Pigalle'' (1966) *'' Adultery Italian Style'' (1966) *'' Treasure of San Gennaro'' (1966) *'' The Devil in Love'' (1966) *'' Long Days of Vengeance'' (1967) *'' Don Giovanni in Sicilia'' (1967) *''

Col cuore in gola ''Col cuore in gola'' () is a 1967 ''giallo'' film directed by Tinto Brass. It is loosely based on the novel ''Il sepolcro di carta'' ( The Paper Tomb) written by Sergio Donati. The film used storyboards from cartoonist Guido Crepax. It has be ...

'' (1967) *'' Drop Dead, My Love'' (1968) *'' The Fuller Report'' (1968) *''

Il profeta ''Il profeta'' (internationally released as ''Mr. Kinky'' and ''The Prophet'') is a 1968 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. Plot Pietro Breccia (Vittorio Gassman) is a man who has long decided to abandon civilization, becoming a hermit, ...

'' (1968) *'' Torture Me But Kill Me with Kisses'' (1968) *'' Faustina'' (1968) *'' Will Our Heroes Be Able to Find Their Friend Who Has Mysteriously Disappeared in Africa?'' (1968) *'' The Libertine'' (1968) *'' Seven Times Seven'' (1969) *'' I See Naked'' (1969) *'' How, When and with Whom'' (1969) *'' Police Chief Pepe'' (1969) *'' Where Are You Going All Naked?'' (1969) *''

Nell'anno del Signore ''The Conspirators'' (Italian: ''Nell'anno del Signore'') is a 1969 Italian historical drama film written and directed by Luigi Magni and starring Nino Manfredi, Enrico Maria Salerno and Claudia Cardinale. It is based on the actual story of th ...

'' (1969) *'' Il giovane normale'' (1969) *'' The Pizza Triangle'' (1970) *''

May Morning May Morning is an annual event in Oxford, United Kingdom, on May Day (1 May). Event The event starts early at 6 a.m. with the Magdalen College Choir singing a hymn, the Hymnus Eucharisticus, from the top of Magdalen Tower. The choir trad ...

'' (1970) *'' The Priest's Wife'' (1970) *''

Stanza 17-17 palazzo delle tasse, ufficio imposte ''Stanza 17-17 palazzo delle tasse, ufficio imposte'' (translation: "Room 17-17, income taxes palace, tax office") is a 1971 Italian heist comedy film directed by Michele Lupo. Plot Paduan architect Giambattista Manteghin, actor Romolo More ...

'' (1971) *''

The Blonde in the Blue Movie ''The Blonde in the Blue Movie'' (, also known as ''No One Will Notice You're Naked'' and ''The Viking Who Came from the South'') is a 1971 Italian comedy film directed by Steno. Cast * Lando Buzzanca: Rosario Trapanese * Pamela Tiffin: Karen ...

'' (1971) *'' The Double'' (1971) *'' Homo Eroticus'' (1971) *'' That's How We Women Are'' (1971) *'' Manhunt'' (1972) *'' L'uccello migratore'' (1972) *''

La Tosca ''La Tosca'' is a five-Act (drama), act drama by the Nineteenth-century theatre, 19th-century Theatre of France, French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, wi ...

'' (1973) *''

Amore e ginnastica ''Amore e ginnastica'' (''Love And Gymnastics'') is a , 1973 comedy film directed by Luigi Filippo D'Amico. It is based on a novel with the same name written by Edmondo De Amicis. Cast * Lino Capolicchio: Simone Celzani *Senta Berger: Maria P ...

'' (1973) *'' The Sensual Man'' (1973) *'' Rugantino'' (1973) *''

How Funny Can Sex Be? ''Sessomatto'' ("Sex Nut"), internationally released as ''How Funny Can Sex Be?'', is a 1973 Italian anthology erotic comedy film directed by Dino Risi. All the segments have sex and sexual perversions as their main theme. The film was a commerci ...

'' (1973) *'' There is More Than One Mother'' (1974) *'' La via dei babbuini'' (1974) *'' Bitter Love'' (1974) *'' Scent of a Woman'' (1974) *''

We All Loved Each Other So Much ''We All Loved Each Other So Much'' () is a 1974 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Ettore Scola, who co-wrote the screenplay with screenwriting duo Age & Scarpelli. It stars Nino Manfredi, Vittorio Gassman, Stefania Sandrelli, Stefano Satta ...

'' (1974) *'' La moglie vergine'' (1975) *'' Duck in Orange Sauce'' (1975) *'' Strange Shadows in an Empty Room'' (1976) * '' Tell Me You Do Everything for Me'' (1976) *''

The Career of a Chambermaid ''Telefoni bianchi'' (''White Telephones'', internationally released as ''The Career of a Chambermaid'') is a 1976 Italian comedy film directed by Dino Risi. For this film Agostina Belli was awarded with a Special David di Donatello for her per ...

'' (1976) *'' Down and Dirty'' (1976) *''

Evil Thoughts ''Evil Thoughts'', (Italian title: ''Cattivi pensieri'', also known as ''Who Mislaid My Wife?'') is a 1976 Italian comedy film written, directed and starred by Ugo Tognazzi. Plot The Milanese lawyer Mario Marani, due to fog at the airport, is f ...

'' (1976) *'' Luna di miele in tre'' (1976) *'' Basta che non si sappia in giro'' (1976) *''

A Special Day ''A Special Day'' () is a 1977 period drama film directed and co-written by Ettore Scola, produced by Carlo Ponti, and starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Set in Rome in 1938, its narrative follows a housewife (Loren) and her neighbor ...

'' (1977) *'' Il marito in collegio'' (1977) *''

I nuovi mostri ''I nuovi mostri'' ("the new monsters"), known as ''Viva l'Italia!'' in the English-language version, is a 1977 commedia all'italiana film composed by 14 episodes, directed by Dino Risi, Ettore Scola and Mario Monicelli. It is a sequel of '' I mos ...

'' (1977) *'' In the Name of the Pope King'' (1977) *'' La stanza del vescovo'' (1977) *'' The Fifth Commandment'' (1978) *'' Amori miei'' (1978) *'' Dr. Jekyll Likes Them Hot'' (1979) *''

Life Is Beautiful ''Life Is Beautiful'' (, ) is a 1997 Italian period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Roberto Benigni, who co-wrote the film with Vincenzo Cerami. Benigni plays Guido Orefice, a Jewish Italian bookshop owner, who employs his imagin ...

'' (1979) *'' La terrazza'' (1980) *'' Passion of Love'' (1981) *'' Shut Up When You Speak!'' (1981) *'' Count Tacchia'' (1982) *'' Grand Hotel Excelsior'' (1982) *'' Il paramedico'' (1982) *'' That Night in Varennes'' (1982) *'' Dagger Eyes'' (1983) *''

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison for men operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining (village), New York, Ossining, New York, United States. It is abou ...

'' (1983) *'' Frankenstein 90'' (1984) *'' Macaroni'' (1985) *'' La Famiglia'' (1987) *'' Miss Arizona'' (1988) *''

Brothers A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingl ...

'' (1988) *''

Days of Inspector Ambrosio ''Days of Inspector Ambrosio'' ( Italian: ''I giorni del commissario Ambrosio'') is a 1988 Italian crime film directed by Sergio Corbucci. It is loosely based on several novels written by Renato Olivieri. Plot A few days before Inspector Ambrosi ...

'' (1988) *'' Mano rubata'' (1989) *'' What Time Is It?'' (1989) *''

Captain Fracassa's Journey ''Captain Fracassa's Journey'' () is a 1990 Italian comedy film directed by Ettore Scola. The film is based on the 1863 novel '' Captain Fracasse'' by Théophile Gautier. It was entered into the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. Plot Th ...

'' (1990) *'' The Wicked'' (1991) *'' Gangsters'' (1992) *'' Giovani e belli'' (1996) *'' The Dinner'' (1998) *''

Unfair Competition Anti-competitive practices are business or government practices that prevent or reduce competition in a market. Antitrust laws ensure businesses do not engage in competitive practices that harm other, usually smaller, businesses or consumers. ...

'' (2001)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trovajoli, Armando 1917 births 2013 deaths David di Donatello Career Award winners David di Donatello winners Italian film score composers Italian male film score composers Italian jazz musicians Composers from Rome Nastro d'Argento winners Ciak d'oro winners 20th-century Italian musicians 20th-century Italian male musicians Italian male jazz musicians Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni Place of birth missing