The Italian Giovanni Sgambati received music tuition from an early age and gave his first public concert performances as a child. When Liszt came to Rome in 1861, Sgambati became his student. At the opening of the Sala Dante in 1966 he conducted Liszt's Dante Symphony and later travelled with him to Munich, where he also became acquainted with Richard Wagner's music. Sgambati's first song album was published by Schott in 1870, followed by many piano works, chamber works, symphonies and church music compositions. The transcription 'Melodie de Gluck', published in 1881 (plate number 23209), is dedicated to the 'Dance of the Blessed Spirits', a ballet in the second act of the opera 'Orfeo ed Euridice', and is still a popular encore piece by pianists including Evgeny Kissin and Yuja Wang.