Respighi, Ottorino, << reh SPEE gee, oh toh REE noh >> (1879-1936), was one of the most successful Italian composers of the early 1900’s. His studies with the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov influenced his vividly colorful orchestrations. The symphonic poems The Fountains of Rome (1917) and The Pines of Rome (1924), his most famous compositions, also show the influence of the composers Maurice Ravel and Richard Strauss. Respighi’s interest in older music is reflected in the use of medieval Gregorian themes. Respighi was born on July 9, 1879, in Bologna. He died on April 18, 1936.
