In 1913 Ottorino Respighi settled in Rome, where he became professor of composition and later director at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia One of his students was the eighteen year old Elsa Olivieri-Sangiacomo. Herself a singer and composer, she was attracted both to Respighi and to his songs. The couple married and together embarked on many international tours, giving over 300 recitals in which Elsa was accompanied by the composer at the piano performing his songs. After Respighi's death in 1936, Elsa Greatly promoted her husband's compositions until her death in 1996 at the age of 102.