Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 2

The Medical College of Wisconsin Orchestra
Winter 2023 Concert
Ottorino Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 2
Laura Soave - Danza Rustica - Campanae Parisienses - Bergamasca
Conducted by: Alexander Mandl, DMA
The beginning of the 20th century saw a revival of interest in 16th and 17th century music; in Italy, violinist Ottorino Respighi was one of the first composers to incorporate the sounds of the Renaissance into his own music. A one-time composition pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, he is perhaps most remembered as a brilliant orchestrator and arranger, although according to his wife and biographer “nothing irked him more than to hear someone praise his orchestration.” Respighi wrote three suites of Ancient Airs and Dances, of which the second is the biggest and dates from 1923. All the pieces are taken from collections of Renaissance lute music, although he has taken some liberties with their form and content. An interesting feature of the orchestration of Suite No. 2 (the orchestration of the three) is the inclusion of two harpsichord parts, both designed to be played on the same instrument.  
 Laura Soave - after Fabrizio Carosio. 
Carosio was a sixteenth century scholar and lutenist. The piece is described as ``Ballet with Galliard, Saltarella and Canarie'', these all being types of dance. 
Danza Rustica - after Jean-Baptiste Bésard. 
Bésard (1567-1625) was something of a dilettante; he published books on medicine, history and philosophy as well as two volumes of lute music. This less than subtle ``Rustic Dance'' is from his 1617 collection. 
Campanae Parisienses - Aria. 
Respighi here uses two themes from the seventeenth century. The first is by that most prolific of composers, Autore Incerto (better known in the English-speaking world as Anon), and the second is by Mersenne Marin, whose only claim to fame seems to be that he is too obscure to be included in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians ... 
 Bergamasca - after Bernardo Gianoncelli. 
A Bergamasca is a peasant dance originating in Bergamo in Italy; the distinguishing characteristic is the bass line, here repeated ad nauseam. This piece can be found in a collection of lute music by Gianoncelli, published by his widow in 1650. Respighi's interpretation is somewhat free, and takes a more than cursory look at twentieth-century dance music in places.