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Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music by Stephen Fry
Amongst other classical music books I enjoy reading is Stephen Fry's Incomplete and Utter History of Classical Music as told to Tim Lihoreau.
Stephen Fry is hilarious. His humour is what I expect him to be, exactly as he is portrayed in the book's cover. That cheeky look! Being a lifelong Mozart admirer, I particularly wanted to know how he approaches, attacks, and perhaps throws dirt at Wolfie. Not that bad! Fry simply provides his readers a light treat through history, a glimpse of the maestros, favourite composers - what was then, what is now, in the lives of these composers, these geniuses of a lifetime. I love the way Mr. Fry treats his subjects, with obvious endearing wit.
(c) July 2008. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
Musical Keys of Beethoven Symphonies
Ottorino Respighi
Classical Music / Composer's Datebook: July 9
Ottorino Respighi, Italian composer and teacher. His brief biography – life and major works. He is best known for orchestral and instrumental music, famous for symphonic poem trilogy of Rome.
Ottorino Respighi was born on July 9, 1879, in Bologna into the musical family in Bologna, Italy, and started his first music lessons from his father, a teacher at Liceo Musicale, a local school. Respighi also studied in the same school, and had lessons with Rimsky-Korsakov during visits to Russia in the early 1900s. He also studied under Max Bruch in Berlin.
In his mid-30s, he settled in Rome, teaching and composing, and he wrote his best works. Later in his career, he went on several successful concert tours of the USA.
As a teacher, he was appointed professor of composition at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome.
As a composer, he is best known for his orchestral pieces, capitalizing on the most brilliant aspects of Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel and Richard Strauss.
Respighi's most famous work and masterpiece is the trilogy made up of Fontane di roma (The Fountains of Rome), I Pini di Roma (The Pines of Rome) and Feste romane (Roman Festivals), all symphonic poems. In The Fountains of Rome, he presents a beautiful sound of the four famous fountains of Rome at different times of the day:
Sunrise – Vale Giulia
Morning - Tritone
Midday - Trevi
Sunset – Villa Medici
Below, enjoy Respighi's "Pines of Rome" with standing ovation. Performed by Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra in Gallus Hall, Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana, Slovenia. Conductor: maestro Nejc Bečan; Concert master: Nina Pirc; Sound engineer: Matjaž Culiberg; Head of Production: Grega Jeraša; Director: Primož Zevnik. Youtube, uploaded by Zevnikov. Accessed July 9, 2023.
His other works include orchestral music Vetrate di chiesa, Trittico botticelliano (Three Botticelli Pictures) and Gli uccelli (The Birds), ballets including La Boutique fantasque (The Fantastic Toyshop, La bella dormente nel bosco, Ancient Airs and Dances, and vocal works.
He was greatly helped by his wife, Elsa Olivieri-Sangiacomo, herself a composer and singer. She also completed his last opera Lucrezia, premiered a year after his death.
Ottorino Respighi is one of the Italian composers who broke the Italian tradition of writing principally for the opera, instead, he focused more to instrumental and orchestral music. His legacy lies in his impressive displays of orchestral writing, particularly evoking the beauties of Rome and its surroundings. He was also a master of modern Italian orchestration.
Ottorino Respighi died in Rome, 18th April, 1936.
Ottorino Respighi's Major Works
Sinfonia drammatica 1914
Symphonic poem, The Fountains of Rome 1916
Ancient Airs and Dances, first series 1917
Ballet, La Boutique fantasque (The Fantastic Toyshop), based on music by Rossini 1919
Ballet, La bella dormente nel bosco 1921
Opera, Belfagor 1922
Ancient Airs and Dances, Second series 1923
Symphonic Poem, The Pines of Rome 1924
Orchestral music Vetrate di chiesa 1925
Gli Uccelli (The Birds), suite for small orchestra (based on 17th- and 18th-century pieces about birds) 1927
Trittico botticelliano (Three Botticelli Pictures) 1927
Symphonic poem, Roman Festivals 1928
Opera, La Fiamma 1933
Vocal Works
Image Credit:
Ottorino Respighi. Karadar / Public Domain.
Resources:
Ottorino Respighi. Wikipedia.
The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, The Macmillan Press Ltd (1994)
(c) July 2008. Updated July 9, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
Percy Grainger
Grainger Museum of Australian Music in Melbourne
Despite busy schedules in the U.S., he still visited Australia several times, helping the establishment of the Grainger Museum of Australian Music in Melbourne which he founded in 1935. Some of his manuscripts and other memorabilia are preserved there.
Grainger Irish Tune from County Dairy (arranged). Performed by "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band - Tour 2018. YouTube, Uploaded by U.S. Marine Band. Accessed July 8, 2020.
Note: This abridged article was originally published in full for Suite101.com (now close), February 24, 2008.
(c) July 2008. Updated July 8, 2020. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.