Advanced Scientific Methodology Plays Rossini

TL;DR

This paper introduces a computational methodology for analyzing Rossini's multiple versions of a specific arietta, combining parsing, data mining, and graph theory to support music philology research.

Contribution

It presents a novel systematic approach using computational analysis to study Rossini's revisions, aiding philological research and future generative model applications.

Findings

Identified structural differences across Rossini's versions

Established a framework for analyzing musical revisions computationally

Laid groundwork for generative models in music analysis

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 lagner\`o 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.