Respighi: Vocal Works
View all works by Respighi in the main appExplore the complete catalog of Vocal compositions by Respighi. This curated list includes composition years, historical Wikipedia context, and interactive audio to add specific tracks directly to your listening queue.
| Title | Year | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Liriche su parole di poeti armeni, P.132, "4 Lyrical Songs on Texts by Armenian Poets" | ||
| 4 Liriche, for voice, harp, keyboard, and strings, P.125 | ||
| 5 Canti all'antica, for mezzo-soprano and piano, P.71, "5 Songs of Antiquity" | ||
| 5 Liriche, P.108, "5 Lyrical Songs" | ||
| 6 Liriche, Series 1, P.90 |
Ottorino Respighi ( resp-EE-ghee, US also rəsp-; Italian: [ottoˈriːno reˈspiːɡi]; 9 July 1879 – 18 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral suites, choral songs, chamber music, and transcriptions of Italian compositions of the 16th–18th centuries, but his best known and most performed works are his three orchestral tone poems which brought him international fame: Fountains of Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928). Respighi was born in Bologna to a musical and artistic family. He was encouraged by his father to pursue music at a young age, and took formal tuition in the violin and piano. In 1891, he enrolled at the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, where he studied the violin, viola, and composition, was principal violinist at the Russian Imperial Theatre, and studied briefly with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He relocated to Rome in 1913 to become professor of composition at the Liceo Musicale di Santa Cecilia. During this period he married his pupil, singer Elsa Olivieri-Sangiacomo. In 1923, Respighi quit his professorship to dedicate time to tour and compose, but continued to teach until 1935. He performed and conducted in various capacities across the United States and South America from 1925 until his death. In late 1935, while composing his opera Lucrezia, Respighi became ill and was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis. He died four months later, aged 56. His wife Elsa outlived him for almost 60 years, championing her late husband's works and legacy until her death in 1996. Conductor and composer Salvatore Di Vittorio completed several of Respighi's incomplete and previously unpublished works, including the finished Violin Concerto in A major (1903) which premiered in 2010. |
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| 6 Liriche, Series 2, P.97 |
Ottorino Respighi ( resp-EE-ghee, US also rəsp-; Italian: [ottoˈriːno reˈspiːɡi]; 9 July 1879 – 18 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral suites, choral songs, chamber music, and transcriptions of Italian compositions of the 16th–18th centuries, but his best known and most performed works are his three orchestral tone poems which brought him international fame: Fountains of Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928). Respighi was born in Bologna to a musical and artistic family. He was encouraged by his father to pursue music at a young age, and took formal tuition in the violin and piano. In 1891, he enrolled at the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, where he studied the violin, viola, and composition, was principal violinist at the Russian Imperial Theatre, and studied briefly with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He relocated to Rome in 1913 to become professor of composition at the Liceo Musicale di Santa Cecilia. During this period he married his pupil, singer Elsa Olivieri-Sangiacomo. In 1923, Respighi quit his professorship to dedicate time to tour and compose, but continued to teach until 1935. He performed and conducted in various capacities across the United States and South America from 1925 until his death. In late 1935, while composing his opera Lucrezia, Respighi became ill and was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis. He died four months later, aged 56. His wife Elsa outlived him for almost 60 years, championing her late husband's works and legacy until her death in 1996. Conductor and composer Salvatore Di Vittorio completed several of Respighi's incomplete and previously unpublished works, including the finished Violin Concerto in A major (1903) which premiered in 2010. |
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| Aretusa, for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, P.95 |
The history of opera has a relatively short duration within the context of the history of music in general. It appeared in 1597, when the first opera, Dafne, by Jacopo Peri, was created. Since then it has developed parallel to the various musical currents that have followed one another over time up to the present day, generally linked to the current concept of classical music. Opera (from the Latin opera, plural of opus, "work") is a musical genre that combines symphonic music, usually performed by an orchestra, and a written dramatic text—expressed in the form of a libretto—interpreted vocally by singers of different tessitura: tenor, baritone, and bass for the male register, and soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contralto for the female, in addition to the so-called white voices (those of children) or in falsetto (castrato, countertenor). Generally, the musical work contains overtures, interludes and musical accompaniments, while the sung part can be in choir or solo, duet, trio, or various combinations, in different structures such as recitative or aria. There are various genres, such as classical opera, chamber opera, operetta, musical, singspiel, and zarzuela. On the other hand, as in theater, there is dramatic opera (opera seria) and comic opera (opera buffa), as well as a hybrid between the two: the dramma giocoso. As a multidisciplinary art form, opera combines music, drama, dance, scenography, costume, and makeup, relying on collaborative work between the composer, librettist, performers, conductor, and production team. Designed for live audiences, opera has historically reflected prevailing cultural, philosophical, religious, and political ideas. Opera originated with the Florentine Camerata, a group of late 16th-century humanists who sought to revive the musical and dramatic traditions of Ancient Greek theater. This led to early works by Jacopo Peri, including Dafne (1597) and Euridice (1600), and Claudio Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (1607), which helped define the genre by introducing structured arias and instrumental sinfonias. The genre evolved through major musical periods. The Baroque era (17th–mid-18th century) established many operatic conventions and was marked by elaborate vocal and scenic elements, accessible mainly to elites. The Classical period emphasized clarity and balance, with major contributions from Mozart and Beethoven. In the 19th century, Romanticism elevated the status of composers and vocalists, reflecting bourgeois tastes and giving rise to national operatic traditions. Later developments included French impressionism and Italian verismo. The 20th century introduced Modernist approaches and new technologies—radio, phonograph, and television—which expanded opera’s reach, while earlier works remained central to repertory. During the course of history, within opera there have been differences of opinion as to which of its components was more important, the music or the text, or even whether the importance lay in the singing and virtuosity of the performers, a phenomenon that gave rise to bel canto and to the appearance of figures such as the diva or prima donna. From its beginnings until the consolidation of classicism, the text enjoyed greater importance, always linked to the visual spectacle, the lavish decorations and the complex baroque scenographies; Claudio Monteverdi said in this respect: "the word must be decisive, it must direct the harmony, not serve it." However, since the reform carried out by Gluck and the appearance of renowned composers such as Mozart, music as the main component of opera became more and more important. Mozart himself once commented: "poetry must be the obedient servant of music". Other authors, such as Richard Wagner, sought to bring together all the arts in a single creation, which he called "total work of art" (Gesamtkunstwerk). |
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| Arie scozzesi, 4 songs for voice and piano, P.143 |
This is a complete list of the compositions by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936). This list can be sorted by catalogue number (P), year composed, title, and genre. Catalog numbers were attributed by Potito Pedarra, an Italian musicologist who dedicated most of his activity to the study of the works of Respighi. |
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| Bella porta di rubini |
This is a complete list of the compositions by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936). This list can be sorted by catalogue number (P), year composed, title, and genre. Catalog numbers were attributed by Potito Pedarra, an Italian musicologist who dedicated most of his activity to the study of the works of Respighi. |
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| Contrasto, song for mezzo-soprano and piano, P.66 | ||
| Deità silvane, for soprano and 15 instruments, P.147 | ||
| Deità silvane, song cycle for soprano and piano, P.107 | ||
| E se un giorno tornasse, recitative for mezzo-soprano and piano, P. 96 | ||
| Fuga reale a 4 voci, for chorus, P.25 | ||
| Il tramonto, for voice and string quartet, P.101 |
This is a complete list of the compositions by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936). This list can be sorted by catalogue number (P), year composed, title, and genre. Catalog numbers were attributed by Potito Pedarra, an Italian musicologist who dedicated most of his activity to the study of the works of Respighi. |
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| L' Ultima ebbrezza!, song for soprano and piano, P.8 | ||
| La primavera, for voices, chorus, orchestra, and organ, P.136 | ||
| La Sensitiva, for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, P.104 |
This is a complete list of the compositions by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936). This list can be sorted by catalogue number (P), year composed, title, and genre. Catalog numbers were attributed by Potito Pedarra, an Italian musicologist who dedicated most of his activity to the study of the works of Respighi. |
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| Lauda per la Natività del Signore, for soloists, chorus, and ensemble, P.166 |
This is a complete list of recordings by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, shown alphabetically by conductor, and then by recording label. |
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| Melodie, 6 songs for voice and piano, P.89 |
This is a list of musical compositions for violin and orchestra. See entries for concerto and violin concerto for a description of related musical forms. |
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| Nebbie, for mezzo-soprano and piano, P.64, "Fog" | ||
| Nevicata, for mezzo-soprano and piano, P.65, "Snowstorm" | ||
| Notte, P.55a | ||
| Notturno, romanza for tenor and piano, P.11 | ||
| Rispetti toscani, 4 songs for soprano and piano, P.103 |
This is a complete list of the compositions by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936). This list can be sorted by catalogue number (P), year composed, title, and genre. Catalog numbers were attributed by Potito Pedarra, an Italian musicologist who dedicated most of his activity to the study of the works of Respighi. |
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| Scherzo, song for soprano and piano, P.68 |
Johannes Brahms (; German: [joˈhanəs ˈbʁaːms] ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied yet expressive contrapuntal textures. He adapted the traditional structures and techniques of a wide historical range of earlier composers. His œuvre includes four symphonies, four concertos, a Requiem, much chamber music, and hundreds of folk-song arrangements and Lieder, among other works for symphony orchestra, piano, organ, and choir. Born to a musical family in Hamburg, Brahms began composing and concertizing locally in his youth. He toured Central Europe as a pianist in his adulthood, premiering many of his own works and meeting Franz Liszt in Weimar. Brahms worked with Ede Reményi and Joseph Joachim, seeking Robert Schumann's approval through Joachim. He gained both Robert and Clara Schumann's support and guidance. Brahms stayed with Clara in Düsseldorf, becoming devoted to her amid Robert's insanity and institutionalization. The two remained close, lifelong friends after Robert's death. Brahms never married, perhaps in an effort to focus on his work as a musician and scholar. He was a self-conscious, sometimes severely self-critical composer. Though innovative, his music was considered relatively conservative within the polarized context of the War of the Romantics, an affair in which Brahms regretted his public involvement. His compositions were largely successful, attracting a growing circle of supporters, friends, and musicians. Eduard Hanslick celebrated them polemically as absolute music, and Hans von Bülow even cast Brahms as the successor of Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, an idea Richard Wagner mocked. Settling in Vienna, Brahms conducted the Singakademie and Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, programming the early and often "serious" music of his personal studies. He considered retiring from composition late in life but continued to write chamber music, especially for Richard Mühlfeld. Brahms's contributions and craftsmanship were admired by his contemporaries like Antonín Dvořák, whose music he enthusiastically supported, and a variety of later composers. Max Reger and Alexander Zemlinsky reconciled Brahms's and Wagner's often contrasted styles. So did Arnold Schoenberg, who emphasized Brahms's "progressive" side. He and Anton Webern were inspired by the intricate structural coherence of Brahms's music, including what Schoenberg termed its developing variation. It remains a staple of the concert repertoire, continuing to influence composers into the 21st century. |
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| Stornellatrice, for soprano and piano, P.69 |
Ottorino Respighi ( resp-EE-ghee, US also rəsp-; Italian: [ottoˈriːno reˈspiːɡi]; 9 July 1879 – 18 April 1936) was an Italian composer, violinist, teacher, and musicologist and one of the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century. His compositions range over operas, ballets, orchestral suites, choral songs, chamber music, and transcriptions of Italian compositions of the 16th–18th centuries, but his best known and most performed works are his three orchestral tone poems which brought him international fame: Fountains of Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928). Respighi was born in Bologna to a musical and artistic family. He was encouraged by his father to pursue music at a young age, and took formal tuition in the violin and piano. In 1891, he enrolled at the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, where he studied the violin, viola, and composition, was principal violinist at the Russian Imperial Theatre, and studied briefly with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He relocated to Rome in 1913 to become professor of composition at the Liceo Musicale di Santa Cecilia. During this period he married his pupil, singer Elsa Olivieri-Sangiacomo. In 1923, Respighi quit his professorship to dedicate time to tour and compose, but continued to teach until 1935. He performed and conducted in various capacities across the United States and South America from 1925 until his death. In late 1935, while composing his opera Lucrezia, Respighi became ill and was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis. He died four months later, aged 56. His wife Elsa outlived him for almost 60 years, championing her late husband's works and legacy until her death in 1996. Conductor and composer Salvatore Di Vittorio completed several of Respighi's incomplete and previously unpublished works, including the finished Violin Concerto in A major (1903) which premiered in 2010. |
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| Tanto bella!, romanza, P.12, "So Beautiful!" |