Antonio Vivaldi is known as the “Father of the Concerto”. Over his career he wrote over 450 concertos, both in solo and grosso form. With as many as he wrote, he solidified the structure of the form: three movements in a FAST-SLOW-FAST tempo organization.
Vivaldi - painting, body painting & dance. The final scene (winter) where Buddhist painter, Mieko Nishimura, paints a snowflake on Shakti's back. Performed in the inner gardens of the Hotel Mercure Pont d'Avignon in Avignon for the Avignon.
His most famous concertos are La Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons). And of those La Primavera (The Spring) is the biggest hit. Each of these concertos is a solo concerto for violin. During his time, when performing these works, Vivaldi would act as conductor and soloist for the performance. Keep in mind, our modern concept of the conduct was not define until the Romantic Era (1800s).
Characteristically, concertos of the Baroque period including Vivaldi’s, the first and third movements are written in what is known as ritornello form. The ritornello meaning return, or refrain, played by the orchestra would alternate with solo sections for the featured player to show off their skills. Listening to the first movement of Spring, you’ll hear this alternation five time, with a final ritornello to finish the piece. The third movement is in the same form but shorter three alternations of orchestra/soloist followed by a final ritornello. To help describe the form, let’s call the orchestra section A, and the solo sections B. So the form of the first movement is AB-AB-AB-AB-AB-A; and the third movement AB-AB-AB-A.
Word Painting Vivaldi
A unique characteristic of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is that they are an early example of what are called programmatic works. Programmatic meaning a piece has a written story that is to be portray in the music heard. This could by based on a book, play, poem, etc. Over the years, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been a regular story used for programmatic works. For the Four Seasons, Vivaldi wrote a short poem for each movement of each concerto.
Vivaldi’s poem for Spring:
Vivaldi uses these poems to tell his story in music. He pulls some influence from opera, and its use of word painting. Though normally linked with vocal works, Vivaldi use text painting, aka word painting, portray the scenes and sounds of Spring. Listen closely for the (1st mvmt) singing birds, murmuring streams, thunder and lightning, (2nd mvmt) relaxing in an open field, and (3rd mvmt) festive celebration of the coming of the season.
What sort of effects do you hear from the strings to illustrate these sounds and characters?
Vivaldi Spring Painting
- Vivaldi’s effective representation of the sounds of nature inaugurated a tradition to which works such as Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto No. 2 piece to Antonio Vivaldi’s.
- Vivaldi structured the Magnificat, RV 610, in nine movements, eight for the text of the canticle (Luke 1:46-55) and the conclusion for the doxology. Set in G minor, it is scored for two soprano soloists, alto and tenor soloists, SATB choir, violin I and II, viola, and basso continuo, such as cello and a keyboard instrument.
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- It’s the most frightening sound of all time and suggests that you’ve died in some quite horrible circumstances with an Edvard Munch painting for a facial expression. It happens twice in the whole symphony, and both times it’s like that time in Raiders of the Lost Ark when the guy’s face melted off, i.e.