From the time I was a very young girl I have loved the works of Antonio Vivaldi. I grew up listening to The Four Seasons and many of his other pieces. I used to pretend to be a symphony conductor from my car seat and wave my pointer fingers in the air with the crescendos and diminuendos of Vivaldi's concertos. His work has had a great influence on how my musical taste has developed in life. Now a mother myself, I find myself playing these very concertos for my own daughter in the car. In these philistine days I hope for her to attain some shred of culture.
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| Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678- July 28, 1741) |
Admittedly, this was the most handsome portrayal of him, so I had to go with it. Most of the others give him a very effeminate flair. Not that I am one to say what he looked like, but this is a little closer to my own imagining.
In Venice, the place of his birth, Antonio Vivaldi trained to become a priest. However, his career in the church did not last long. He was likely forced into priesthood as the only way for a poor child to become educated was to study to be ordained.
It was a good "foot-in-the-door" for his later position at an orphanage called Ospedale della Pietà, which was widely considered to be the best of the four Ospedali in the region.
"However,
while often referred to as "orphanages", these Ospedali were in fact
homes for the female offspring of noblemen and their numerous dalliances
with their mistresses. They were thus well endowed by the "anonymous"
fathers,
their furnishings bordered on the opulent, the young ladies were well
looked-after, and the musical standards among the highest in Venice." (1)
Vivaldi became widely known both through his work teaching at the orphanage, and also through private patronage. He wrote many a beautiful piece for the young children he taught, and this tenderness and compassion creates a good amount of appeal to his character and music.
"In
Rome, Vivaldi found a patron in the person of Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, a
great music lover, who earlier had been the patron of Arcangelo
Corelli. And if we can believe Vivaldi himself, the Pope asked him to
come and play the violin for him at a private audience." (1)
Royalty played a major role in shaping an spreading Vivaldi's music and reputation. He was spontaneously called to the Palace of Versailles on numerous occasions by Louis XV, in order to perform his concerto "Spring", one of the King's Top 40.
"Although Vivaldi negotiated sizable fees for his work, he spent prolifically and died in poverty during a 1741 trip to Vienna, where he was given a pauper's funeral.
For nearly 200 years, Vivaldi was a historical footnote, although a
somewhat influential one – the twelve concerti comprising his first
publication (L'estro armonico, 1711) were widely imitated. Yet, as Groves' Dictionary aptly observes, the current repertory system lay well in the future; instead there was a constant need for new output.
Thus, soon after his death his few publications were forgotten and the
rest of his output remained unknown. His only lasting recognition came
from the fervent admiration of Bach, who modeled his own concerto style
after Vivaldi's and adapted for keyboard nine Vivaldi violin concerti
(even though Bach devotees tended to disparage the source)."(2)
It wasn't until the 1920's that his music saw a revival, and it was received with fervor.
He was truly a master of his art with peerless skill at the violin, producing music which to this day has the power to send chills down one's spine.
I also listened to Vivaldi at a young age and I really enjoy the violin melodies that are played throughout The Four Seasons. It is a good thing that royalty took such an interest in Vivaldi's work, or much of it may not have existed today. I must say that you and Louis XV both have excellent taste because the Winter and Spring sections are also my favorites from The Four Seasons. The links you provided were very informational and I learned some cool facts about Vivaldi like the fact that he actually had red hair, and was nicknamed The Red Priest.
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