Francesco Zappa (album)

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Francesco Zappa
Frank Zappa, Francesco Zappa.jpg
Studio album by
Frank Zappa
ReleasedNovember 21, 1984 [1]
RecordedFebruary – April 1984
Studio UMRK (Los Angeles)
Genre Chamber music, electronic
Length37:46
Label Barking Pumpkin
Producer Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa chronology
Thing-Fish
(1984)		Francesco Zappa
(1984)		 The Old Masters Box I
(1985)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Francesco Zappa is a 1984 album by Frank Zappa. It features synthesized arrangements of chamber music by the Italian composer Francesco Zappa, who composed between 1763 and 1788.

Contents

Album origins

According to recording engineer Mark Pinske, musician David Ocker introduced Francesco Zappa's music to Frank Zappa because it was popular with some college music students. Ocker discovered the music in what Pinske describes as "the Mormon library or something". The exact location where the scores were found was not specified by Pinske, but was possibly archives for the music department at Brigham Young University which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[ citation needed ] Frank initially thought Ocker was joking about an earlier composer who shared his name.

Frank Zappa was impressed by the scores and realized they were not copyrighted, and subsequently obtained a copyright for the works of Francesco Zappa. He then programmed some of these pieces into his new Synclavier synthesizer. [3]

Finding the composer's works

Frank found an entry for Francesco in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and then researched his sheet music in the library at UC Berkeley. According to The Real Frank Zappa Book , the two musicians are not related.

Album content

Francesco Zappa was the first full album on which Frank used the Synclavier, [4] but Synclavier pieces appeared on The Perfect Stranger earlier that year, as well as Thing-Fish , also released in 1984 but recorded earlier.

Track listing

All selections composed by Francesco Zappa.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Opus I: No. 1 1st Movement: Andante"3:32
2."Opus I: No. 1 2nd Movement: Allegro con brio"1:27
3."Opus I: No. 2 1st Movement: Andantino"2:14
4."Opus I: No. 2 2nd Movement: Minuetto grazioso"2:04
5."Opus I: No. 3 1st Movement: Andantino"1:52
6."Opus I: No. 3 2nd Movement: Presto"1:50
7."Opus I: No. 4 1st Movement: Andante"2:20
8."Opus I: No. 4 2nd Movement: Allegro"3:04
Side two
No.TitleLength
9."Opus I: No. 5 2nd Movement: Minuetto grazioso"2:29
10."Opus I: No. 6 1st Movement: Largo"2:08
11."Opus I: No. 6 2nd Movement: Minuet"2:03
12."Opus IV: No. 1 1st Movement: Andantino"2:47
13."Opus IV: No. 1 2nd Movement: Allegro assai"2:02
14."Opus IV: No. 2 2nd Movement: Allegro assai"1:20
15."Opus IV: No. 3 1st Movement: Andante"2:24
16."Opus IV: No. 3 2nd Movement: Tempo di minuetto"2:00
17."Opus IV: No. 4 1st Movement: Minuetto"2:10

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ "Frank Zappa Official Discography, Francesco Zappa" . Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Ruhlmann, W. (2011). "Francesco Zappa - Frank Zappa | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  3. ↑ "The Complete Mark Pinske Interview - Day Three - Part Two". Mixonline.com. 2003-01-01. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
  4. ↑ "The Complete Mark Pinske Interview - Day Two". Mixonline.com. 2003-01-01. Archived from the original on 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
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