RESPIGHI, OTTORINO. - Composer and conductor, b. in Bologna on 9 July 1879, d. in Rome on 18 Apr. 1936.

He studied at the Liceo musicale of Bologna, then in St. Petersburg and in Berlin. He soon attracted notice with works which, for their originality, won the public's favor. In 1913 he was appointed professor at the Liceo musicale of St. Cecilia in Rome, of which he was then director until 1925. Purity of style, clarity of expression, absolute independence from any artistic current or tendency — although some wish to consider him a leader of impressionism in opposition to the verismo of Puccini and Mascagni — make R. a composer of great merit. He gave the theater several operas that won over the international public; he wrote choruses, symphonic-vocal poems, chamber music, transcriptions of ancient religious arias, lyrics, cantatas and sonatas of high inspiration and composed modernity.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: M. Saint Cyr, O. R., Paris 1932; M. Mila, Problema di gusto e di arte in O. R., in Rassegna musicale, 6 (1933), p. 123 ff.; R. De Rensis, O. R., Turin 1936; G. Marini, O. R. e la sua arte, nel decennale della morte, ibid. 1946.

Silverio Mattei

@incollection{ec10_respighi_ottorino, author = {Mattei, Silverio}, title = {Respighi, ottorino}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {X}, pages = {799--800}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1953}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/respighi-ottorino} }

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Respighi, Ottorino

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