Sei pezzi per pianoforte
The "Valse Caressante" displays elements of French salon; lyricism and Baroque are highlighted in the "Canone"; the most popular of the set, the "Notturno", shows signs of Impressionism; the "Minuetto" is reminiscent of the Classical era; the "Studio" is molded after Chopin's Études; The "Intermezzo-Serenata", resembling Fauré's music, demonstrates Respighi's Romanticism.
A more mature compositional technique brought on from studying abroad with the composers Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Max Bruch is also seen.
[9][13] The waltz, displaying elements of French salon,[14] is in ABACA rondo form with an introduction and a coda, drawing influence from composers such as Auguste Durand and Frédéric Chopin.
The first is the Andantino, a canon in two wherein the dux (the leading voice), played at the higher register, is echoed by the comes one octave lower and two beats later.
The grouped notes eventually transform into technically challenging double sixths that ascend, while the left hand plays a descending scale leading to the grand climax—the Largamente C section.
Here, the canon from the opening, now in the major tonic, reappears as triumphant ff octaves with the dux on the left hand.
[23][24][25][26] The piece was praised for its lyricism,[27] which led Hess to opine that "we sometimes lose track of imitation between the existing voices.
"[20] The most popular of the set,[28] the "Notturno" ("Nocturne") in G-flat major, represents one of Respighi's finest piano compositions and is often featured as a stand-alone piece in recitals by distinguished pianists.
[29][30][31][note 4] An eclectic work showing signs of Impressionism and Romanticism, this modern piece is signified by tranquil alternating chords (arpeggios) accompanying a "mesmeric melody" with long pedal holds;[33][29] it has been described as "an exercise in musical moonlight and shadow",[34] and as having a "distinctly Rachmaninovian feel".
[45] Stand-alone recordings of the piece by distinguished pianists include those by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli,[46] Sergei Babayan[47] and Imogen Cooper.
Dedicated to the composer's study companion Adele Righi, it illustrates Respighi's adoration for archaism, showing influence of Baroque and Classical music, but also Maurice Ravel and Debussy.
The first phrase is a simple doubled melodic line played by both hands an octave apart, as well as a tonic pedal point on G reminiscent of a musette.
The second section marked Poco più vivace begins with a cascade of sixteenth notes while also using four-measure phrases; Pedarra & Gatto assess that it "looks forward to the Antiche danze per liuto".
The trio section marked Un poco più mosso contrasts the minuet with a faster tempo and a shift to C minor.
The last line has an ossia which Cubisino points out is a cadenza modeled after the sixteenth-note runs of the second section, which leads to the piece repeating D.C. al fine.
"[33] Respighi's "Fauré-like"[59] last piece, the "Intermezzo-Serenata", is a composition from the unfinished Suite, P 043,[10] which itself is a solo piano transcription of a passage of the third act of his opera Re Enzo.
Concurrently, radical changes of harmony are highlighted, such as a sudden switch from F-sharp minor to F major when the first passage is repeated.
[9] Michael Oliver found the set "mildly attractive morceaux de salon, charming but slight.
"[67] In a Gramophone review of Bongiovanni (Qualiton) recording 5099, which included the Sei pezzi per pianoforte, Jonathan Bellman concluded: None of these pieces lies outside a salon aesthetic: pretty, elegant, non-virtuoso music.
