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Wednesday, October 28, 2020
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Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4,
1678. His father was a baker and a talented violinist. In 1703
Vivaldi became a priest, soon nicknamed Il Prete Rosso, "The
Red Priest", probably because of his red hair. In 1704,
Antonio became a violin teacher at an orphanage for girls called
the Pio Ospedale
della Pietà in Venice. Vivaldi wrote for them most of
his concertos, cantatas, and sacred music. In 1705, the first
collection (raccolta) of his works was published. Many
others would follow. Vivaldi's music is innovative.
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brightness to the formal and the rhythmic structure of the concerto,
repeatedly
looking for harmonic contrasts,
and invented innovative melodies and themes. Moreover, Vivaldi was
able to compose non-academic music, particularly meant to be appreciated
by the wide public, and not only by an intellectual minority. The
joyful appearance of his music reveals in this regard a transmissible
joy of composing. He is considered one of the composers who brought
Baroque music
to evolve into an impressionist style. Vivaldi has been also indicated
as a precursor of romantic musicians. Vivaldi's life, like those
of many composers of the time, ended in poverty. He died in 1741.
Vivaldi was a prolific composer and is most well-known for composing:
over 500
concertos (210 of which are for violin or violoncello solo), 46 operas,
sinfonias, 73 sonatas, chamber music and sacred music. His most famous
work is perhaps 1723's Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons).
(Courtesy
of Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia) |
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The
opinions and interpretations in this publication are those of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. |
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