WorCult: Vivaldi

Monday, February 18, 2013

The following blog is on Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, one of the greatest composers of the baroque period, and arguably one of the best composers ever. Vivaldi was not only a composer but a very talented violinist too. The following is a timeline of his life.

Born in Venice 1678

Started studying to be a priest 1693
Ordained as a priest 1703- got the nickname, Il Prete Rosso (The Red Priest) because of his red hair
Was hired as violin teacher at Ospedale Della Pietà 1703 - an orphanage
Had to stop being a priest due to health issues, most likely asthma 1704
His first works are published (a set of 12 trio sonatas) 1705
Composed his first opera (Ottone in Villa) 1713
Wrote La Costanza Trionfante - famous opera 1716 Vivladi-
Composed Four Seasons 1723
Died 1741 at the age of 63 in Vienna

Vivaldi wrote lots of concertos. Most of his concertos were typical of any other concerto, written in three movements, with parts for a solo instrument. Vivaldi often gave the solo to violin, it being a personal favorite. Vivaldi wrote lots for the violin for example the Four Seasons. Vivaldi also wrote over forty operas, for example his famous Ottone in villa and less famous Tito Manlio. Tito manlio is set to a libretto by Matteo Noris. It is three acts long, just like many of his concertos, and was written to honor and celebrate the marriage of Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt. Tito Manlio is said to have been written in just five days.

Now ingenious composers like Vivaldi don’t come without inspirations and teachers. Vivaldi was a very talented violinist, and wrote many songs for violin. Vivaldi was taught to play violin by his father. His father would take him on trips with him to accompany him at concerts. Also Vivaldi's official music teacher was a big impact on his future career. Giovanni Legrenzi, was his musical tutor who, was also primarily taught by his father. Giovanni Legrenzi was an Italian composer of vocal, instrumental and opera music. He was also a talented organist. Also in the baroque time period many artists started to turn to nature for inspiration, Vivaldi was no different. His very famous Four Seasons is quite an obvious referral to this new found inspiration in nature.

-Giovanni Legrenzi

Vivaldi inspired many people during the baroque period and continues to today. It is said that Bach was an admirer of some Vivaldi's works, and that he transcribed a few. Also Vivaldi inspired many of his young pupils. Vivaldi helped inspire many of his students at Ospedale Della Pieta to aspire to be very talented musicians. Vivaldi is said to be one of the musicians that helped the baroque period transition over to the classique music genre. These are some ways Vivaldi inspired many people in the baroque time but what about now? Many of Vivaldis pieces are still played in orchestras around the world. Also he is a great role model showing that even though he was born into a poor family he became someone very famous. Vivaldi is very inspiring to me especially because I play violin too. Just like Vivaldi I like to make music and play violin and so Vivaldi is a great role model for me. Vivaldi inspires me to try my hardest and to practice even when I don’t want to because the outcome is worth it and I can succeed if I commit myself.

Some of Vivaldi's more famous pieces are Ottone in villa, an opera, and The Four Seasons, a concerto. Ottone in Villa is three acts and set in Rome. It is set to an Italian libretto by Domenico Lalli. The Four Seasons is a concerto about the four seasons, it has lots of strings, mainly violin, and has many different textures speeds and styles to mimic the four seasons, Spring, Summer,Winter, and Fall. It is said that there are four sonnets that accompany the concertos but no one knows who wrote them or where they are.

Although Vivaldi is not alive today, his songs have many similarities to more modern songs. Have you ever been listening to the radio and some song comes on and you think that’s a super cool violin solo? Well Vivaldi wrote lots for the violin. I am sure it would be all too easy to find hundreds of amazing violin solos in Vivaldis vast collection of concertos. For example I listen to a lot of Taylor Swift and many of her first songs have really cool violin parts just like lots of Vivaldi's concertos. Another similarity would be that Vivaldi wrote songs where multiple instrument groups are played together, for example the woodwinds and strings, which was a big difference from music before the baroque period. A lot of composers today use multiple instrument groups in their songs, for example the Beatles. Another connection would be that Portland has its own opera company and Vivaldi wrote lots of operas, such as the Ottone in Villa referred to above. Some differences between Vivaldi and more modern musicians are for example that lots of modern songs are written more for the words and Vivaldi wrote more for the instruments. Also modern musicians tend to write more for guitar, piano, and voice where as Vivaldi wrote songs more for violin and harpsichord. Next time you are listening to music see if you can’t hear a little Vivaldi mixed in.

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