Best Of Vivaldi
9 videos • 70 views • by GeoMelodias Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian composer, violinist, and teacher who left a decisive mark on the form of the concerto and the style of late Baroque instrumental music. Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy, and was baptized immediately after his birth by the midwife due to "danger of death," suggesting he was in poor health. Despite this, he survived and trained for the priesthood from 1693 to 1703. However, due to his health, he left the priesthood in 1703 after only a year. Vivaldi's main body of work was composed while he worked at an orphanage called the Pio Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. He was hired as a violin teacher in 1703, and his responsibilities soon expanded to include composition, directing the orchestra, and maintaining musical instruments. His relationship with the institution was often strained, but it gave him the freedom and resources to compose. Vivaldi is best known for his series of violin concertos known as "The Four Seasons." These four concertos depict scenes appropriate for each season, such as "Winter," which sounds like teeth chattering in the cold, or "Spring," which takes listeners through a thunderstorm to a festive dance by shepherds. Vivaldi's music was innovative in its time, breaking a consolidated tradition in schemes; he gave brightness to the formal and rhythmic structure of the concerto, repeatedly looking for harmonic contrasts and innovative melodies and themes. Moreover, Vivaldi was able to compose nonacademic music, particularly meant to be appreciated by the wide public and not only by an intellectual minority.