
Vivaldi composer professional#
His father, Giovanni Battista, was a barber before becoming a professional violinist and was one of the founders of the Sovvegno dei musicisti di Santa Cecilia, an association of musicians. This did not prevent him from learning to play the violin, composing, or taking part in musical activities, although it did stop him from playing wind instruments. One of his symptoms, strettezza di petto ("tightness of the chest"), has been interpreted as a form of asthma. Vivaldi had five known siblings: Bonaventura Tomaso, Margarita Gabriela, Cecilia Maria, Francesco Gaetano, and Zanetta Anna. The ceremonies which had been omitted were supplied two months later. However, there was no earthquake on the day Vivaldi was born, and this rumor may originate from an earthquake that struck Venice on April 17, 1688. In the trauma of the earthquake, Vivaldi's mother may have dedicated him to the priesthood. Most likely it was done due either to his poor health or to an earthquake that supposedly struck the city that day. He was baptized immediately after his birth at his home by the midwife, the reason for which has led to speculation. He was son of Giovanni Battista Vivaldi and Camilla Calicchio, as recorded in the register of San Giovanni in Bragora. His music remains widely popular in the present day and is regularly played all over the world.Įarly life Birth and background The church where Vivaldi was given the supplemental baptismal rites, San Giovanni in Bragora, Sestiere di Castello, VeniceĪntonio Lucio Vivaldi was born on 4 March 1678 in Venice, then the capital of the Republic of Venice. Many of Vivaldi's compositions, once thought lost, have been rediscovered – in one case as recently as 2006. However, the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival, and Vivaldi himself died in poverty less than a year later.Īfter almost two centuries of decline, Vivaldi's musical reputation underwent a revival in the early 20th century, with much scholarly research devoted to his work.

After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna, hoping for royal support.

Vivaldi also had some success with expensive stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. Vivaldi began studying for the priesthood at the age of 15 and was ordained at 25, but was given dispensation to no longer say public Masses due to a health problem. Many of his compositions were written for the all-female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children.

Vivaldi composer series#
His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. Vivaldi composed many instrumental concertos, for the violin and a variety of other musical instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than fifty operas. He consolidated the emerging concerto form into a widely accepted and followed idiom. He pioneered many developments in orchestration, violin technique and programmatic music. Along with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, Vivaldi ranks amongst the greatest Baroque composers and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe, giving origin to many imitators and admirers. Īntonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. For other uses, see Vivaldi (disambiguation).
