4. Roffredo Caetani (1871-1961)
Caetani is a slightly more obscure composer than the others, but I really like what little music is available.
Caetani was part of an ancient Italian family which dated back to the 9th Century. This included Benedetto Caetani (1235-1303) who was elected as Pope Boniface VIII. Roffredo's father was the Duke of Sermoneta and his mother was an equally aristocratic English noblewoman, Ada Bootle-Wilbraham. His father, a musician and music lover, met Wagner at Bayreuth and promoted his works in Rome. He was also friends with Liszt who actually became Roffredo's godfather.
At first Caetani wrote mainly piano and chamber music but eventually composed larger works that included two operas, Hypatia and L'Isola Del Sole. In 1911 he married Marguerite Chapin a writer and publisher. Their daughter Lelia, a gardner and painter, died in 1977; the last of this Italian dynasty.
I've chosen a seriously lovely piano piece, Ballata.
More Piano pieces worth checking out:
Eugen D'Albert - Acht Klavierstucke, Op.5
Viktor Kosenko - 11 etudes in the Form of Old dances, Op.19
Nicolai Medtner - Forgotten Melodies, Op.38/39
David Pulsford, @lesser-known-composers
