Antonio Vivaldi

Born  March 4, 1678 in Venice, Italy

Died July 28, 1741

Nationality: Italian

Period/Style: Baroque

About the composer:

Antonio Vivaldi was was known as the “Red Priest” because he had bright red hair, and he really was a priest for a while before he decided he wanted to be a full-time musician instead.  He is most famous for the hundreds of concertos he wrote for solo instruments or combinations of instruments.  The most famous of all was called ‘The Four Seasons’ in which he wrote a sort of musical “picture” for Spring, Summer, Autumn & Winter.  Vivaldi taught music to children at an orphanage in Venice. During those years he wrote all types of music for his students to play, as learning exercises and for performance.  A concerto is a piece of music played by a soloist (sometimes more than one), accompanied by an orchestra.  In “The Four Seasons” the solo was written for the violin.  In some of Vivaldi’s other concertos, different instruments are in the spotlight.

About the music:

Concertos (various instruments)

Vivaldi wrote over 300 concertos for all kinds and combinations of instruments.  Some people say he wrote the same concerto 300 times, because they tend to sound somewhat alike.  However, if you listen closely, you can hear a big difference between them. A concerto is for one solo instrument, or a small number of instruments, accompanied by a larger group.  In the Baroque, the orchestra was rather small, and almost always strings.

The Four Seasons: “Spring” & “Autumn” (each is about 10 min)

The Four Seasons is a set of four concertos, each one in three sections called ‘movements.’  A violinist plays the main part and the rest of the orchestra accompanies.  Baroque concertos usually have three movements.  The first movement is fast, the second is slow and melodic, and the third is fast and lively.  Listen to the sound of the violin and notice the different slow and fast sections of this concerto.

Suggested activities:

Draw pictures of the season you hear. Use lots of color!

Draw a picture of “The Red Priest.”