Alessandro Cicognini

Alessandro Cicognini (25 January 1906 in Pescara – 9 November 1995 in Rome) was an Italian film music composer.

Born in Pescara, Cicognini was classically trained at the Milan Conservatory. In 1933 he composed an opera, Donna lombarda, inspired by a popular folk ballad. From then, with the exceptions of Messa a 5 voci and Saul, he focused his activities on composing musical scores for over 100 films, often collaborating with filmmakers Vittorio de Sica and Alessandro Blasetti. Much of his film music makes use of small ensembles and unusual instrumentation, rather than the lush orchestral scores common to film music of the mid-20th century. His style has been described as late-romantic, and was characterized by immediacy and catchiness. In 1965 he retired from film composition and became a teacher; one of his soundtracks, to the 1953 film Stazione Termini, was reused in What's Eating Gilbert Grape in 1993.

Cicognini died in Rome on 9 November 1995 at the age of 89.

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