MASSIMO SGARGI
WORKS
MONTESE
March on fragments of Ottorino Respighi
Grade 2,5
Ottorino Respighi often spent his holidays in Montese, a village in the Apennines of the province of Modena, as a guest of Professor Cesare Manzini and scientist Augusto Righi. During these periods, around 1898-1899, the young composer from Bologna wrote a march for the village band. The piece was performed only once under his direction.
Unfortunately, the original scores have been lost. However, in the archive of the Montese Band, there are two transcriptions of the parts of the march, which we used to reconstruct a version as faithful as possible to the original. The march has some interesting features, such as nine-bar phrases and forms with five periods.
The theme of the trio is particularly effective and probably represents the most beautiful part of the march. Our hope is to have respected the author's intention, who already at a young age showed remarkable talent. In any case, we think that this work is important to rediscover an unpublished work by one of the greatest Italian composers of the 20th century.
CANTO DELLA TERRA
Grade 3,5
In "Canto della Terra" (Song of the Earth), everything starts from a melody with an ancient, modal flavor, as if the planet itself wanted to speak to us. A song that expresses its discomfort, its fatigue: from the thirst of a centuries-old tree to the lament of a melting glacier.
From this inspiration, the entire piece takes shape, but it doesn't get stuck in drama. On the contrary, it's crossed by a luminous feeling, a deep and joyful hope: the hope that, by recognizing the fragility and beauty of the Earth, we can find the strength and inspiration to take care of it.
The musical construction seeks a balance between rigor and freedom. The composer follows the development of the thematic material with precision, but leaves room for a fluid, open form that renews itself every time in the flow of emotion.
At a certain point, an unexpected theme emerges, almost a "foreign element". It's there because, simply, it's beautiful. Beautiful like our tired planet, and, precisely because of that, even more precious.
"Canto della Terra" was a semifinalist (3rd place) in the XXXIII edition of the Corciano Composition Competition 2025."
Fair Play
Grade 3
“Fair Play” was chosen as the compulsory piece for the third category of the Flicorno D'oro 2025 competition on Riva Del Garda.
“Fair Play” is a lively fantasy on the Bolognese popular song “La fira ed San Lazer”, in ternary form Allegro - Adagio - Allegro. The "goliardic" version of this song created by Francesco Guccini is very well known. A live version is contained in his 1973 album “Opera Buffa”. In the two fast tempos, expositions of the original melody alternate with other rhythmic and melodic materials elaborated on the melody itself. The adagio is instead constructed as a series of variations, melodic, rhythmic and also timbral, on a slow theme derived from the melody of the song.
DREAMERS
Grade 4
- Dreamers can get lost, but they never lose (Ettore Zanca).
- A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world (Oscar Wilde).
- A winner is a dreamer who never gave up (attributed to Nelson Mandela).
- You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one (John Lennon)
The idea that all the men who have created great works and improved the world have been great dreamers is the source of inspiration for this piece.
Very marked rhythmic elements with the use of odd meters and polyrhythm, combined in contrast with very melodic and expressive parts, are the linguistic and constructive characteristic of the composition.
Antonio Vivaldi
LA PRIMAVERA
Grade 1
An arrangement for young band, grade 1, of Vivaldi's masterpiece.
The piece was the winner at the 2nd International Composition Competition for Youth Band "Piccolo è Bello" - Section B.
CHA
Grade 1
A composition for young band, grade 1. The style is simply inspired by the rhythmic feeling of the Cuban cha-cha-cha.
Pietro Mascagni
IL SOGNO
Intermezzo from the
Opera Guglielmo Ratcliff
Grade 3
‘Guglielmo Ratcliff’ is a tragic opera in four acts by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni. The libretto was translated from the German play 'Wilhelm Ratcliff (1822) by Heinrich Heine.
Mascagni often wrote that ‘Guglielmo Ratcliff’ was his best opera. However, it has not entered the standard operatic repertoire. It is especially known for its act 3 Intermezzo, which features prominently in the Martin Scorsese film ‘Raging Bull’.
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Shooting Stars
GRADO 2
“In the city you can’t see the shooting stars” The idea of this composition came out on a mid august night when, going out in the city to watch the shooting stars, I realized that urban pollution totally obscured the view. We’d need a cleaner world to enjoy the night sky.
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Elisa - march
GRADO 2,5
Following the romantic tradition of marches dedicated by composers to wives or girlfriends, “Elisa” is a classic parade march whose material is inspired and partly derived from Ludwig Van Beethoven's bagatelle “Für Elise”.
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Il giorno degli eroi
GRADO 3
Dedicated to the "Pozzuolo del Friuli" Cavalry Brigade and its Conductor M° Cosimo Taurisano.
Heroes' Day (il giorno degli eroi) is October 30, 1917, the day on which the battle of Pozzuolo del Friuli took place. The Brigade was given the task of defending the retreat of the 3rd Italian Army after the defeat at Caporetto. The objective was achieved but the price paid was extremely heavy, the Brigade lost almost half of its 968 men.
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Shin - march
GRADO 2
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Aram Khachaturian - Lezginka
GRADO 5
Instrumentation of the last movement of Suite n° 1 from the ballet Gayane by Aram Khachaturian.
This piece holds the world record for notes per minute !!
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Claude Debussy
Marche Écossaise
Sur un thème populaire
GRADO 5
It is an instrumentation of this march composed in 1890. The subsequent orchestration of 1908 presents the style of Debussy's great masterpieces.
Composed on commission by General Meredith Read, American consul in France, of Scottish origin, who proposed a popular melody from his country as the theme.
The first exposition imitates the sound of the bagpipe which, apparently, the French composer had never heard.
The middle section has a Russian character and the ending is very brilliant.
Debussy included the march in the programs of the concerts he held as conductor in Rome, Moscow and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam