Program Music, as it’s formally called, was an art form which Vivaldi was determined to prove sophisticated enough to be taken seriously. The timelessness of this music stems from its ability to evoke something extra-musical. What is remarkable, and revolutionary, about the concertos of The Four Seasons is their extraordinary programmatic imagination (which Vivaldi managed to counterbalance via close attention to formal structure). Each season contains three movements with tempos in the following order: fast-slow-fast. Vivaldi even wrote pieces of poetry on the manuscript for each season. The concertos beautifully capture the lively essence of each of the four seasons. The inspiration for the concertos was probably the Italian countryside around Mantua.
VIVALDI SPRING SERIES
Vivaldi composed his most famous series of violin concertos, The Four Seasons, in 1723. An Enduring Piece of Classical Music: The Four Seasons
Today there is a plaque on its walls commemorating the burial place of this outstanding composer.
The graveyard was abandoned in 1783, and in 1818 The Vienna University of Technology was built on its grounds. Sadly, Vivaldi died in poverty at the age of 63 and was given a simple funeral in Vienna in 1741. Bach transcribed several of Vivaldi’s concertos for keyboard, strings, organ, and harpsichord. One of Vivaldi’s greatest admirers was Johann Sebastian Bach. He withdrew from the priesthood after 1.5 years due to frail health. He became a priest at the age of 15, and became known as “The Red Priest” because of his curly red hair, inherited from his father. There was a massive earthquake that very same day, and baby Vivaldi was baptized immediately after birth because of this. Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678, in Venice, Italy. His influence was widespread across Europe during his lifetime. A Baroque MasterĪntonio Vivaldi is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers. Of his 500+ concertos for violin, cello, flute, lute, and other instruments, as well as 90 sonatas, 46 operas, and large collection of sacred choral works and chamber music, it has stood the test of time as his most famous work.īefore we celebrate the The Four Seasons, with an emphasis on Spring, we should get to know a little more about Vivaldi and his influence on Classical music. Published in 1725, The Four Seasons gives a musical expression to each season of the year. If you listen closely enough, you can probably hear it playing somewhere. Music from this group of four violin concerti has been featured in at least 100 different films and television shows, countless commercials, and wedding ceremonies across the globe. There is no doubt that you have heard at least a small part of his The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni). And there is no composer who captures the sights, sounds, and feelings of Spring like Vivaldi did. We want to take this moment to shine a light on the tenderness of Nature, casting aside the harshness of winter (definitely true for us here in Canada) for brighter days. It feels strange to write an ode to Spring, but now is an ideal time to practise tenderness, not only with yourself but with the world around you. With the current outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the celebration of Spring is not what we are used to. This Spring is different in more profoundly important way as well. In fact, the first day of spring 2020 is unlike any we have seen in more than a century: it happened on March 19th.
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