Storm – from the Four Seasons played by 2 Cellos (the children have loved this!). L’estro armonico – Concerto No 10 in B Minor for 4 violins. Here are some snippets that we’ll be sharing in class:Īutumn – from the 4 seasons Played by the Orchestra of st Lukes with animations by children from schools in New York. Some of his music is lost, but new pieces keep being discovered all the time! His most famous set of concertos is The Four Seasons. Each of the four concertos (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) gives the violin a chance to conjure up sounds and pictures from each period of the year, from barking dogs and mosquitos, to summer storms and birds happily singing the arrival of spring. He wrote concertos, operas, church music and many other compositions. In all, Antonio wrote over 500 concertos. Many people think Vivaldi was the best Italian composer of his time. Vivaldi’s music died with him but was revived when a large number of his manuscripts were found in Turin in 1926. His music started to become popular again after 1950. This caused him to fall ill and he died soon afterwards. Vivaldi was left destitute without having any job or income. But Charles VI died soon after Antonio Vivaldi arrived in Vienna. In 1740, he sold all his manuscripts and moved to Vienna in the hope of finding steady employment under the patronage of Emperor Charles VI, who greatly admired the composer’s work and had invited him to his court. People came from miles around to hear Vivaldi’s talented students perform the beautiful music he had written. However, after a while, his bad asthma kept Antonio from saying Mass.Īfter that, Vivaldi spent all his time writing music and teaching. He taught at an orphanage for girls, and wrote a lot of music for the girls to play. He worked there for about 40 years. He was called the “Red Priest” because of his flaming red hair. He was a very good violinist.Īs his parents did not earn much and the family was big (8 children), Antonio chose to become a priest as it would enable him to get a good education free of cost.Īntonio continued to study and practice the violin, even after he became a priest (ordained in 1703). Vivaldi’s father taught him to play the violin, and the two would often perform together. Throughout the 1730s Vivaldi continued to travel widely - to Bohemia, Austria and throughout Italy - despite the fact that his worsening health meant taking an expensive entourage of carers.ĭestitute and alone, he passed away in Vienna in 1741 and was buried cheaply the same day in a hospital cemetery which sadly no longer exists.April’s composer of the month is Antonio VivaldiĪntonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy in 1678, which is where he spent most of his life. Remarkably, this was to remain his base for the greater part of his life, from 1703 to 1740, though with several prolonged 'leaves of absence'. He studied for 10 years, received Holy Orders in 1703 and earned the nickname "il prete rosso" (the red priest) from the distinctive colour of his hair.īy September 1703 Vivaldi had already secured his first professional appointment as maestro di violino at the Pio Ospedale della Pieta, one of four orphanages for girls in Venice. Vivaldi's father, Giovanni Battista, was a violinist at St Mark's Cathedral, and although he taught the prodigiously gifted Antonio to play from early childhood, a musical career seemed unlikely, especially when, aged 15, he was shunted off to join the priesthood. The reason for his emergency baptism is not known for certain but is likely due to his poor health or to an earthquake that shook Venice on that day. The exact date of Vivaldi's birth (4th March 1678) confounded scholars for many years, although it was known that following his delivery the midwife performed an emergency baptism. His vast output included substantial quantities of chamber and vocal music, some 46 operas and a remarkable 500 concertos.Ī colourful character with an eye for the ladies, Vivaldi defied a lifetime of ill-health by regularly absenting himself from his home base of Venice in a desperate attempt to establish an international reputation. Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) was one of the most productive composers of the Baroque era. Classical Breakdown JanuAntonio Vivaldi's life, music, and the women who shaped his career Did a volcano erupt when he was born, what illness plagued his priesthood, and why did he write so many concertos Join us to learn all about Vivaldi's life and appreciate the composer from a new angle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |