Abstract
The present doctoral essay is the first complete study of all known compositions for piano solo by Ottorino Respighi, including published, unpublished, uncataloged, newly discovered, and transcriptions. This research is not only a systematic inquiry, but also the most up-to-date cataloging and in-depth investigation of all known materials, which is a result of comprehensive field-work on primary sources, examination of existing scholarly works to date, and personal correspondence with Potito Pedarra, one of the most dedicated scholars as well as cataloger of Respighi’s works. Even though biographical notes and a works-overview are provided in order to better place Respighi in the proper historical context, this study mainly focuses on the analysis and description of Respighi’s piano compositions (Chapter 6): those published during his lifetime; the ones discovered during the 1980s; a few recently added to the catalog of the composer compiled by Pedarra; and a couple very recently discovered. Major sources related to the piano output have been referenced, including Pedarra’s writings, his last catalog enclosed in the seminal work by Christoph Flamm, and a crucial email-correspondence during which he has made available copies of manuscripts belonging to his private collection, analyzed here for the first time. While not intended as an exhaustive work, this paper nonetheless is an important resource that collects all piano works in one place, including recent findings of manuscripts for piano, contributing to an ongoing conversation on Respighi’s less explored aspects, suggesting updates and critically challenging choices made on the existing catalog.