Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer of the early 20th century, born in Bologna and based chiefly there and in Rome, with extensive concert tours across Europe and the Americas from 1925 onward. His output spans operas, ballets, choral works, chamber music, and transcriptions, but he is best known for his orchestral tone poems Fountains of Rome (1916), Pines of Rome (1924), and Roman Festivals (1928), which brought him international fame through their vivid orchestration. He died in Rome in April 1936 at age 56 from subacute bacterial endocarditis.

Respighi ranks among the leading Italian composers of the early 20th century, celebrated above all for his mastery of orchestral color, which he brought to bear in reviving interest in earlier Italian music alongside his own vividly pictorial scores. His Roman trilogy remains a staple of the orchestral repertoire, and his legacy was actively preserved for decades after his death by his wife Elsa, who founded the Fondo Ottorino Respighi to safeguard his manuscripts.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottorino_Respighi