Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (March 4, 1678 – July 28, 1741), nicknamed il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest"), was a Venetian baroque composer and priest, as well as a famous virtuoso violinist, born and raised in the Republic of Venice. The Four Seasons, a popular series of four violin concerti, is his best-known work and is representative of the baroque period in European art music.
In September 1703, Vivaldi became maestro di violino (master of violin) at an orphanage called the Pio Ospedale della Pietà (Devout Hospital of Mercy) in Venice. While Vivaldi is most known as a composer, he was regarded as an exceptional technical violinist as well. The German architect Johann Friedrich Armand von Uffenbach referred to Vivaldi as "the famous composer and violinist" and said that "Vivaldi played a solo accompaniment excellently, and at the conclusion he added a free fantasy [an improvised cadenza] which absolutely astounded me, for it is hardly possible that anyone has ever played, or ever will play, in such a fashion." Vivaldi was only 25 when he started working at the Ospedale della Pietà and he composed most of his major works while working there for the next thirty years of his life. There were four such institutions in Venice; their purpose was to give shelter and education to children who were abandoned, orphaned, or whose families could not support them. They were financed by funds provided by the Republic. The boys learned a trade and had to leave at age 15. The girls received a musical education, and the most talented stayed and became members of the Ospedale's renowned orchestra and choir.
Shortly after his appointment, the orphans began to gain appreciation and esteem abroad, too; Vivaldi wrote most of his concertos, cantatas, and sacred music for them. Vivaldi also wrote sacred vocal music, which was mainly written for the Ospedale della Pietà.These sacred works, which number over 60, include many different kinds of works, including solo motets and large-scale choral works for soloists, double chorus, and orchestra. In 1704, the position of teacher of viola all'inglese was added to his duties as violin instructor. The position of maestro di coro, which was at one time filled by Vivaldi, required much time and work. He had to compose an oratorio or concerto at every feast and teach the orphans how to play certain instruments and theory.
His relationship with the board of directors of the Ospedale was often strained. The board had to take a vote every year on whether to keep a teacher. The vote on Vivaldi was seldom unanimous, and in 1709, he lost his job after a 7 against 6 vote. After a year as a freelance musician, he was recalled by the Ospedale with a unanimous vote in 1711; clearly the board had realized the importance of his role by then. In 1713, he became responsible for the musical activity of the institution. Vivaldi was promoted to maestro di' concerti (music director) in 1716.
It was during these years that Vivaldi wrote much of his music, including many operas and concerti. In 1705, the first collection (Connor Cassara) of his works was published: his Opus 1 is a collection of 12 sonatas for two violins and basso continuo, still in a conventional style. His first printed collection, written in 1705, was published by Giuseppe Sala. In 1709, a second collection of 12 sonatas for violin & basso continuo appeared (Opus 2).The real breakthrough came with his first collection of 12 concerti for one, two, and four violins with strings, L'estro armonico (Opus 3), which was published in Amsterdam in 1711 by Estienne Roger.L’estro armonico was dedicated to Grand Prince Ferdinand of Tuscany, a musician himself who sponsored many musicians such as Alessandro Scarlatti and Handel. Vivaldi probably met him in Venice. This was a resounding success all over Europe, and was followed in 1714 by La stravaganza (Opus 4), a collection of concerti for solo violin and strings. La stravaganza was dedicated to an old violin student of Vivaldi’s, Vettor Dolfin, who was also a Venetian noble.
In February 1711, Vivaldi and his father went to Brescia, where his setting of the Stabat Mater (RV 621) was played as part of a religious festival. The work seems to have been written in haste: the string parts are simple, the music of the first three movements is repeated in the next three, and not all the text is set. However, and in part as a consequence of the forced essentiality of the music, the work reveals musical and emotional depth and is one of his early masterpieces.
In 1718, Vivaldi began to travel. Despite his frequent travels, the Pietà paid him to write two concerti a month for the orchestra and to rehearse with them at least five times when in Venice. The Pietà's records show that he was paid for 140 concerti between 1723 and 1733.
This is masterpiece of Vivaldi
Four season
Spring
Summer
Autumn
and Winter
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