Antonio Vivaldib. March 4, 1678– Venice, Italy

d. July 28, 1741—Vienna,

BIO• Nicknamed “il Prete Rosso” (the Red Priest)• Triple threat: Composer, Priest, and virtuoso Violinist• Started his study into the priesthood at age 15 in 1693 and

became an ordained man of the vest at age 25 in 1703• 1703, he also became maestro di violino (master of the violin)

at the Pio Ospedale della Pieta (Devout Hospital of Mercy) orphanage in Venice

• 1717-1718 he became the Maestro di Cappella of the court of prince Phillip of hesse-Darmstadt of Mantua

• Wrote over 500 concertos(230 for violin, 350 for solo and strings), 46 operas, sinfonias, 90 sonatas, and chamber music

OPERAS

• Ottone in villa (1713)– Garzerie Theater in Vicenza

• Orlando finto pazzo (1714)-- Teatro Sant’ Angelo in Venice

• Nerone fatto Cesare (1715)-- music compilation of 7 composers containing 11 arias

• Oratorios: Juditha triumphans

• La constanza trionfante• Farnace• Tito Manlio• La Silvia (pastoral

drama)

The Four Seasons

• Le quattro stagioni (The Four seasons)– a great example of program music

• Four violin concertos depicting scenes for each of the four seasons

• The Spring concerto is borrowed from Vivaldi’s opera Il Giustino

• They were published as the first four concerti in a collection of twelve published by Le Cene (1725) in Amsterdam– il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione, op. 8 (The contest between Harmony and Invention)

Vivaldi’s Gloria

• SATB• Very popular, one of the most

well-known pieces• There are two known surviving

Gloria(s) and the possibility of a third is very high