Angelo Francesco Lavagnino

Full biography Angelo Francesco Lavagnino

Angelo Francesco Lavagnino (1909-1987) was an Italian composer, born in Genoa, who is best known for his work in film scores. He started his career by scoring the soundtrack for Orson Welles' film Othello in 1951, and went on to compose music for many other films, primarily in the Italian and French film industries. Lavagnino wrote and recorded the 15-minute score for The Merchant of Venice , one of three Shakespearean works that he scored for Orson Welles.

In addition to his work in film, Lavagnino was also a classically trained musician who wrote a Concert for violin and orchestra and a Mass for choir and orchestra in the classical field. He considered himself a versatile composer and when scoring a movie, he always prepared himself spiritually by analyzing the genre and the setting of the movie. If it was a historical movie, he wrote period music, and if it was geographic, he tried to write music that reflected the character of the chosen location.

Overall, Angelo Francesco Lavagnino was a versatile and accomplished composer whose legacy lives on through his impressive body of work in film scores, as well as his classical music compositions.