Portrait of Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (born in Venice on March 4, 1678, died in Vienna on July 28 (or 27), 1741), nicknamed Il Prete Rosso (red-haired priest), was an Italian priest and composer of Baroque music, as well as a violinist. His most famous work is The Four Seasons.

Vivaldi's father, Giovanni Battista Vivaldi (1655-1736), left Brescia for Venice at the age of ten, where he became a hairdresser. He married Camilla Cariggio, a local girl, in 1676 and had nine children. Antonio was the eldest, and it is said that there was an earthquake on the day of his birth. In 1685 Giovanni became a violinist at St. Mark's Basilica; he was a successful violinist, and because of his status as a member of the Sicilian Federation, he quickly gained fame in the Venetian music scene and was also considered an excellent violinist. Antonio was no match for his father from an early age, and was able to perform in his place at a young age. His theory of music may have come from Giovanni Legrenzi, but that seems unlikely, since he died in 1690, at the age of 12.

Vivaldi shaved his head and accepted his first secular ordination ceremony at the age of 15, but this did not mean that he had become a priest at the time, but just to slightly improve his social status. When he accepted a higher level of ordination (deputy archpriest) at the age of 18, Vivaldi devoted himself to becoming a clergy. He received his priesthood education (theology) in two nearby parishes and graduated. At the age of 25, Vivaldi became a priest.

Then he became a priest at the Church of S. Maria della Pietà and a violin teacher at the girls' conservatory.

Vivaldi gave up his priesthood for good after a year and a half of memorial Mass there, but he remained a priest. In a later letter, he wrote that he had resigned from the church because of a health condition. (He wrote "strettezza di petto," meaning chest tightness, possibly angina, possibly asthma.) But recent research suggests that he may have had personal reasons, or psychological discomfort. On the one hand, his composing work left him with no time for distractions, and on the other hand, the income from the church position was not so important to him.

According to his income receipts at Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, Vivaldi later became not only a violin, but also a lyrical Viol and cello teacher. There are also anecdotes that he also plays harpsichord.

The color of his hair, which he inherited from his father, led him to be called the "red-haired priest." Many Venetians don't know Vivaldi, but they know the red-haired priest.

Vivaldi directed Ospedale della Pietà's Maiden Orchestra, first as a teacher for different string groups and later as acting conductor. The orchestra quickly gained a good reputation and attracted many Italian tourists. Most of Vivaldi's violin concerto and sonata were written for Ospedale as a soundtrack for religious ceremonies. Vivaldi served in this position until 1716 (with a break from February 1709 to September 1711). He was then appointed "Maestro dei concerti"(concert master).

After publishing two collections of sonatas in Venice (12 triple sonatas op. 1 and 12 violin sonatas op. 2, published in 1705 and 1709), Vivaldi published the concerto collection "L'Estro armonico" (inspiration for harmony) op. 3 (printed in 1711), which won him European fame. Until 1729 he wrote a total of 12 collections, all of which were printed in Amsterdam after op. 3. Among them are 12 concertos op. 8 (1725) Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (harmony and creative dispute), the first four of which are the famous "Le quattro stagioni" (Four Seasons).

Vivaldi had already begun to compose operas as early as his tenure at Ospedale della Pietà. His first opera, Ottone in villa, was premiered in Vicenza in 1713, and he wrote 50 operas between 173,926. After that, Vivaldi, in addition to his position at Ospedale della Pietà, served as the presiding officer of the San Angelo Theatre in Vicenza with increasing frequency.

After a dispute at Venice Vivaldi, he decided to move to Mantua in 1718 to work for the landowner Philips von Hessen Darmstadt (1671-1739, son of Ludwig VI, nephew of Elisabeth Amalie and wife of Ferdinand III, Elenora (Vgl. Titelblätter zu den Opuswerken X und XII: "... S.A.S.Il Sig'r Principe Filippo Langravio d'Hassia Darmstadt"). He was there mainly as a concert director and to compose operas. In 1721 he stayed in Rome several times and performed twice in front of the Pope, thus winning numerous commissions for opera and religious music. He returned to Venice in 1726 as musical director of the Teatro San Angelo. This time, as a composer and violinist, he won the admiration of all Europeans and was even the object of pilgrimage for many musicians. During this time, he met the 16-year-old singer Anna Giró, who accompanied him on his travels.

Around 1730 he underwent a stylistic change, moving from the former Baroque style to the elegant style, but this style of work was not very popular. So Vivaldi moved to Vienna at the age of 63, seeking the support of Charles VI. But Charles VI died in October 1740. Vivaldi was not much healthier than the king at that time, and he died a month after arriving in Vienna, on July 28, 1741. The world-famous composer passed away silently. His humble burial ground is located in Carindia, which is now the Vienna Technical University (Karlplatz).

It was not until 1940 that Vivaldi's work was rediscovered. French music researcher Marc Pincheli and other collectors bought a large number of manuscripts in the 1930s and 1940s. These manuscripts have been hidden in places such as castles and monasteries for more than 200 years. Binheli tried to number Vivaldi's works, but based on further research and newly discovered works, the catalog is not complete. There is also a set of catalogs compiled by Antonio Van 'ner (F). In 1973, Danish music scientist Peter Luang (*1937) published an updated catalog, Ryom-Verzeichnis(abbreviated RV), replacing the previous two sets as the currently circulating numbered catalog of Vivaldi's works.

Comments: Most composers don't live long, but they leave the world rich musical wealth.