Ernesto Paolo Abbate

La Sagra dei Fiori

Ernesto Paolo Abbate, born in Noicattaro (Bari) in 1881, was an Italian conductor and composer. Together with his brother Gennaro, he was one of the first Italian composers writing original scores for wind band. A few examples of his descriptive style are his symphonic poems such as La Sagra dei Fiori, Canto d'Eroi and La Principessa Lontana. La Sagra dei Fiori, written in 1921, is a symphonic poem about the ritual of flower blessing during a country village celebration; the score describes sounds and images taken from early 20th century Southern Italy. The original score was written for a 'Grande Banda'. Italian arranger Alessandro Celardi, edited this original score for a modern Symphonic Wind Orchestra. The international premier of this revised score took place at the World Music Contest 2013 in Kerkrade (the Netherlands).