Rhythm, Intonation and Voice Quality in Italian Experimental Poetry (1960s– 1970s): Between Gruppo 63 and Mulino di Bazzano

The scientific community’s interest in poetry read aloud or performed is rapidly growing, bringing together disciplines ranging from literary stylistics to experimental phonetics. Despite this flourishing field of research, dedicated studies on experimental reading and recitation remain scarce. These forms of reading are highly multifaceted compared to styles often considered neutral, making them particularly challenging to describe. In response, this study offers a phonetic analysis to examine the reading styles of select members of two prominent Italian poetic experimentalist groups of the 1960s and 1970s: Gruppo 63 and Mulino di Bazzano. Specifically, the study focuses on the intonational, rhythmic, and acoustic features of the readings by Rosselli, Balestrini, and Pagliarani from the first group, and Spatola, Costa, and Niccolai from the second. The primary objective is to identify both the points of convergence and divergence among these poets, as well as to distinguish the features that set experimental reading styles apart from more traditional approaches to poetic recitation.