The orchestral tone poems composed by Ottorino Respighi between 1916 and 1928 established his international standing as a central figure in early 20th-century Italian music. Beyond his influence as a composer, his career encompassed extensive work as a conductor, pianist, violist, and musicologist, marking a transition in how Italian classical music was structured and preserved.
Early Development in Bologna
Born in 1879 in Bologna, Respighi began his formal education at the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini. He developed proficiency in both violin and viola, performing in the orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. His training was augmented by studies in Russia, where he received composition and orchestration lessons from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov during two winter residencies at the Russian Imperial Theatre starting in 1900.
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In 1913, Respighi moved to Rome to accept a professorship in composition at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. During this period, he married his pupil, Elsa Olivieri-Sangiacomo. He maintained this faculty position until 1923, when he transitioned to full-time touring and composition, though he continued teaching until 1935. He served as a member of the Royal Academy of Italy and the Accademia Tiberina.
Compositional Legacy
Respighi’s output included operas such as Marie Victoire, La campana sommersa, and Maria egiziaca. He is primarily associated with his orchestral suites, specifically Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome, and Feste Romane. His work as a musicologist led to significant transcriptions of Italian compositions from the 16th through 18th centuries, bridging historical musical forms with modern orchestral sensibilities.
Final Years
Between 1925 and his death in 1936, Respighi conducted and performed across South America and the United States. While working on his opera Lucrezia in late 1935, he contracted bacterial endocarditis. He died in Rome in 1936 at the age of 56. His remains are interred at the Certosa di Bologna in the grave of Respighi Olivieri.
Fast facts
- Born: 1879, Bologna
- Died: 1936, Rome
- Primary Occupations: Composer, conductor, pianist, violist, musicologist
- Education: Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini
- Key Orchestral Works: Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome, Feste Romane
- Operatic Works: Marie Victoire, La campana sommersa, Maria egiziaca
- Memberships: Royal Academy of Italy, Accademia Tiberina
- Burial Site: Certosa di Bologna
Questions readers ask
What were Respighi's most successful compositions?
His three orchestral tone poems, Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome, and Roman Festivals, brought him significant international recognition.
Where is Ottorino Respighi buried?
He is buried at the Certosa di Bologna in the grave of Respighi Olivieri.
Achievements
- Notable work: Fountains of Rome
- Notable work: Marie Victoire
- Notable work: Feste Romane
- Notable work: Maria egiziaca
- Instruments: violin and viola
- Genres: symphonic poem and impressionism in music
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