Il suono dell'indicibile. Note al «commento musicale» al Museo Monumento al Deportato Politico e Razziale di Carpi

This article explores the relationship between music and Holocaust memorialization through the lens of a significant but unrealized project: the musical commentary proposed in 1972 by the Italian composer Enrico Lipparini for the Museo Monumento al Deportato Politico e Razziale, a historical museum dedicated to deportation and to the victims of Nazi concentration camps, designed by the BBPR architectural firm and inaugurated in Carpi (Modena) in 1973. The study situates the project within broader debates on Holocaust memory, examining how museums and memorials have adapted to the gradual loss of firsthand witnesses and the ethical challenges of historical representation. While literature and visual arts have been widely recognized as media of testimony, music’s role in shaping collective memory has received comparatively less attention. Lipparini’s proposal aimed to integrate avant-garde and classical compositions into the museum space, fostering an immersive and reflective visitor experience. The project was shaped by contemporary debates on the political and cultural dimensions of music, particularly in relation to the Resistance and anti-fascist movements. However, despite initial support, the initiative was ultimately abandoned, likely due to financial constraints, acoustic challenges, and aesthetic considerations. Based on archival research and contextual analysis, this article highlights both the potential and limitations of music in Holocaust remembrance. It underscores the complexities of integrating sound into memorial spaces, and contributes to discussions on contemporary memorialization strategies, demonstrating how music, both as a historical document and an aesthetic medium, remains central to shaping the ways we remember and engage with the past.