Ancient Airs and Dances is a set of three suites composed by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi

Ottorino Respighi

Ottorino Respighi was an Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral "Roman trilogy": Fountains of Rome ; Pines of Rome ; and Roman Festivals...

.

Suite No. 1 (1917)

Suite No. 1 was composed in 1917. It was based on Renaissance lute pieces by Simone Molinaro

Simone Molinaro

Simone Molinaro was a composer of the late Renaissance in Italy. He was especially renowned for his lute music.-Life and career:...

, Vincenzo Galilei

Vincenzo Galilei

Vincenzo Galilei was an Italian lutenist, composer, and music theorist, and the father of the famous astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei and of the lute virtuoso and composer Michelagnolo Galilei...

 (father of Galileo Galilei), and additional anonymous composers.

1. Balletto, “Il Conte Orlando”
2. Gagliarda
3. Villanella
4. Passo mezzo e mascherada

Suite No. 2 (1923)

Suite No. 2 was composed in 1923. It was based on pieces for lute, archlute, and viol by Fabrizio Caroso, Jean-Baptiste Besard, Bernardo Gianoncelli, and an anonymous composer. It also interpolates an aria attributed to Marin Mersenne

Marin Mersenne

Marin Mersenne, Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne was a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist, often referred to as the "father of acoustics"...

.

1. Laura soave
2. Danza rustica
3. Campanae parisienses & Aria
4. Bergamasca

Suite No. 3 (1932)

Suite No. 3 was composed in 1932. It differs from the previous two suites in being arranged for strings only and somewhat melancholy in overall mood. It is based on lute songs by Besard, a piece for baroque guitar by Ludovico Roncalli

Ludovico Roncalli

Count Ludovico Roncalli , or simply Count Ludovico, was an Italian nobleman who published a collection of suites for five-course baroque guitar, Capricci armonici sopra la chitarra spagnola , in 1692. This was transcribed to modern notation and arranged for the six-string guitar by Oscar...

, and lute pieces by Santino Garsi da Parma

Santino Garsi da Parma

Santino Garsi da Parma was an Italian lutenist and composer of the late Renaissance.His music was used as a basis for part of the Ancient Airs and Dances Suite No. 3 by Ottorino Respighi....

and additional anonymous composers.

1. Italiana
2. Arie di corte
3. Siciliana
4. Passacaglia