On January 22, 2026, by 2.30 pm, will be held the doctoral examinations in Musicology – Specialization in Historical Musicology of Master José Miguel Nicolau Pinto who will defend his dissertation titled Musical plots: The music in the films of João César Monteiro, supervised by Manuel Deniz Silva.
Ph.D Committee:
- Prof. Dr Manuel Pedro Ferreira, President of the Committee (CESEM, NOVA FCSH)
- Prof. Dr Manuel Deniz Silva, supervisor (INET-md, NOVA-FCSH)
- Prof. Dr Luíza Beatriz Alvim (Universidade de São Paulo, ECA-USP)
- Prof. Dr Paulo Cunha (LabCom, Universidade da Beira Interior)
- Prof. Dr Daniel Moreira (CEIS20, ESMAE)
- Prof. Dr João Pedro Cachopo (CESEM, NOVA-FCSH)
Musical plots: The music in the films of João César Monteiro
This dissertation focuses on the music in the films directed by João César Monteiro. While his cinema has been studied by other scholars, the musical components of these works have not been explored in detail. Considering the role of music within the audiovisual systems of these films, this analysis offers a fresh perspective on Monteiro’s cinema, placing listening at the centre.
For this research, I adopted an interdisciplinary approach that combines historiographical and analytical perspectives. On the one hand, I consulted various materials used in the films’ production – scripts, drafts, musical lists, records, among others – and examined testimonies from people involved in the filmmaking process. On the other hand, the analytical approach focused on the films themselves and their musical elements, aiming to map how music interacts within each work. I also cross-referenced this information with critical texts and scholarly research to situate my interpretation alongside other views on Monteiro’s cinema.
This approach allowed me to examine what I call the “musical plots” of the films. It showed not only how music interacts with other film components but also how it relates to contexts outside the films. The study highlights how music contributes to narrative construction and identifies the tools it uses to do so. It also points out recurring interactions across Monteiro’s films, which are the main themes explored in the chapters of this dissertation. Finally, given that most musical elements are pre-existing, their identification revealed additional semantic and contextual networks that enrich our understanding of Monteiro’s cinema.
Overall, this dissertation contributes to a deeper critical understanding of Monteiro’s work, defining his “musical approach” and situating it within the Portuguese and European artistic context of the second half of the twentieth century.
Key-words: João César Monteiro; Film Music; Pre-existent Music; Portuguese Cinema.