Runtime: Approx. 17 minutes

Ottorino Respighi was a composer, violinist, and musicologist best known for his exuberant trilogy of tone poems, Pines of Rome, Fountains of Rome, and Roman Festivals. Writing and playing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of Respighi’s compositional output adheres well to the expected sounds of late Romantic music with its overt emotional scope, large scale, and narrative arch. But there was a growing interest during the early part of the 20th century in looking back at music from the distant past. Up until this time, orchestras were mostly interested in performing the compositions of contemporary composers and commissioning new works. The practice of treating arts organizations essentially as live museums, presenting works from a huge range of historical periods did not begin until the late 1800s.

This historical reflection gave rise to an arts movement known as neo-classicism. Also sometimes referred to as the “Back to Bach” movement, the backward reach extends beyond just the Classical era and can include music influenced by Baroque and Renaissance writing as well. Neo-classisicm generally refers to music that uses elements from pre-romantic eras, but sets them in an unmistakably modern way.

The three Ancient Airs and Dances suites were born out of Respighi’s interest in late Renaissance lute music. In Suite No. 1, he borrows several existing melodies from that period and sets them for a modern orchestration. While many neo-classical composers went so far as to drastically alter the harmonic and rhythmic elements of the music, Respighi opts to preserve nearly all of the melodic source material, choosing instead to explore the sound of early music played on truly modern instruments in a modern-sized ensemble. He does, however, opt to use Harpsichord rather than piano, an instrument that was mostly unused by the 20th century, and one that instantly evokes the sound of eras past.

The first movement, Belletto detto Il Conte Orlando, is taken from a work dating from 1599 by Italian composer Simone Molinaro. It begins in a stately fashion with the full orchestra playing a melody evocative of 16th century court life.

The second movement, Gagliarda, is a setting of a piece written in the 1550s by Vincenzo Galilei, father of the famous Galileo Galilei. The galliard, as it is known in English, was a popular dance of the Renaissance and early Baroque periods.

The lovely and poignant third movement is based on a renaissance-era lute piece by an unknown composer. It begins with a singing oboe melody that is later harmonized and then taken over by the strings. The harp colors the movement throughout with broken chords slightly evocative of early strummed string instruments like the lute.

The piece concludes with the lively Passo mezzo e mascherada. This movement is based on two forms, the passo mezzo, an Italian folk dance, and the mascherada, music intended for use at masquerade balls. In this movement, the regal sounding masquerade music is juxtaposed with the more earthy folk dance melodies to create a whirlwind of energy. Here, Resphigi introduces a single trumpet to the tapestry. The trumpet was an entirely outdoor instrument until very late in the Baroque period. Respighi holds true to his source material in this way by saving the instrument for movements that would most likely have originated as outdoor music.

Perhaps Respighi’s interest in music of the past was in part due to his broad personal interests. In an increasingly specialized 20th century world, he was somewhat of a renaissance man. A self-taught pianist, he developed a keen interest in geography and science, collected books, and became fluent in eleven languages, all of which he read in. Whatever sparked Respighi’s curiosity, what is certain is the lasting influence of early music on subsequent artists, which continues still today.

Written by Valerie Sly, 2024