Fountains of Rome - Respighi

Trevi Fountain

Composed in 1916, Fountains of Rome is one of three symphonic poems written by the Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. The other two include Roman Festivals (Feste Romane) and Pines of Rome (Pini di Roma). Each of the four sections musically depicts one of Rome's 280 fountains at a different time of day. Like all of our Music Gone Wild compositions, this is a great work of program music, because it conveys a sense of place and time through the music of instruments alone.

Rome is a fascinating city; historically, archeologically, artistically and architecturally. What is the big deal about fountains? Well, they are a symbol of Ancient Rome's power and ingenuity, and Respighi was inspired to write music that celebrated four of the these fountains during different times. See if you can determine how Respighi conveys the beauty of each scene through his use of orchestration, tempo, dynamic, melody and harmony. Why do you think he chose these four fountains?

Four Sections:

I. "La fontana di Valle Giulia all'alba" 
(The Fountain of Valle Giulia at Dawn)

II. "La fontana del Tritone al mattino" 
(The Triton Fountain in the Morning)

III. "La fontana di Trevi al meriggio" 
(The Trevi Fountain at noon)

IV. "La fontana di Villa Medici al tramonto" 
(The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset)

Video of still photo slideshow with complete music
 
List of Fountains in Rome

Directory of Fountains

360 Degree View of Trevi Fountain


Further connections and directions to explore:
Roman History
Public Art
Hydrology 
The Medicis
Civil Engineering
City Planning