How are
you?
This week's
lecture is “Antonio Vivaldi”, the third topic of “Classical Music”, which is a
summary of the contents of “88. Classical Music: 3.
Antonio Vivaldi” introduced on May 20th, 2017.
Antonio Vivaldi from Venice was a Baroque composer, Virtuoso violinist, teacher, impresario and Roman Catholic priest, born March 4, 1678 and died July 28, 1741.
Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi influenced all over Europe during his life and played a major role in the development of Johann Sebastian Bach's instrumental music.
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| Johann Sebastian Bach |
He composed a number of
instrumental concertos for a variety of musical instruments, including violins,
sacred choral works and more than 40 operas. His most famous work is a series
of violin concertos known as “The Four Seasons”.
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| Title page of Vivaldi's "Cimento dell'Armonia e dell'Invenzione", which included "The Four Seasons" |
His father,
Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, was a famous violinist of his time, and Vivaldi, who
inherited a musical talent from his father, showed exceptional musical talent
from an early age. However, since Vivaldi was not in good health from birth,
his parents sent him to a monastery for priestly lessons rather than making him
a musician.
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| Caricature of composer Antonio Vivaldi, Pier Leone Ghezzi |
In 1703, Vivaldi became a priest of the monastery, but his prestige as a musician increased as he became more involved in musical performance and composition than in the performance of priesthood. In the same year, in 1703, Vivaldi became a violin teacher at the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for orphans, and many of the work he made were written for the all-female music ensemble there.
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| Commemorative plaque beside the Ospedale della Pietà |
Vivaldi had worked there as a Catholic priest for 18 months, and was employed
there from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. After meeting the Emperor
Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna in anticipation of royal support, but the
Emperor died shortly after he moved, and he died in poverty less than a year
later.
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| Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor |
Vivaldi's
music, which was then forgotten for almost two centuries, revived in the early
20th century through much scholarly research for his work, and many of his
works that were once thought lost have also been rediscovered. His music is
still loved in the present day and played regularly all over the world.
Thank you.
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