With its monumental structure, Alla gioja looks like a typical conservatory work. Many decades later, an older Mascagni judged it to be "a composition beyond my reach", despite "the great beauty that it contains". The only exception was salvaging the baritone’s romanza for 'Qui sedes' in the Messa di Gloria.

For almost fifty years, the scores for orchestra and for voice and piano mysteriously disappeared, and it was only recently that the manuscript was returned to Mascagni’s heirs, who have generously made it available for the edition edited by Ennio Clari. Thus, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mascagni, Alla gioja has been brought back to life.