Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741)

Born Venice 1678, died Vienna 1741, composer and violinist, was the son of a violinist in the orchestra of St. Mark’s Venice. Taught by his father, he entered the church becoming a priest in 1703, although it was stated that after 2 years he never said Mass, because of a congenital chest complaint. In that same year, he took the post of teaching violin at a girls’ orphanage - Ospedale della Pietà - and remained there until practically the end of his life, when he decided to leave Venice for Vienna to search out a court appointment. Like, Mozart, he died there, buried in a pauper’s grave. During his life in Venice, the composer gave recitals and became a prolific composer of sonatas for various combinations, operas and cantatas. He was also an operatic impresario, conducting and performing in a number of productions. Then, there was a period of 3 years - 1719-21 - when he served under the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt in Mantua, which inspired him to compose operas for Mantua, Vicenza, Milan and Rome. By 1725, the year his most famous work Le quattro staggioni (The Four Seasons) was published, Vivaldi was famous throughout Europe. Nine years later, he collaborated with Goldoni on an opera, but found himself in hot water three years on, when a performance was forbidden because he was still not saying Mass and was having an affair with a woman singer. A visit to Amsterdam, ensured his success in that country; in common with France and England his music had become more popular in those countries than in his native Italy. Vivaldi’s vast output is a cataloguer’s nightmare, as only a percentage of his music was published in his lifetime. Most of this comprises operas, sacred works, and string concerti and sonatas. Equally fascinating from both musical and technical standpoints, are the concertos for other instruments, including those for flute, transverse flute and sopranino recorder.

Antonio Vivaldi on Guild Music

• GMCD 7169 The Art of Horacio Franco

Page revised 09.09.2000