Antonio Vivaldi

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Topic: Antonio Vivaldi
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Date: 27Th June, 2014
Antonio Vivaldi created hundred of instrumental works that were highly spirited and extremely extroverted. The composer, a native Italian is recognized as being the master of the Baroque instrumental concerto that he practiced, perfected, and extensively popularized compared to any of his contemporary music. Born in 4th March, 1678, in Venice, Vivaldi as a young man studied for priesthood and was officially ordained as a priest in 1703. Vivaldi’s father was a violinist himself at Cathedral of Venice’s orchestra and is believed that he was Vivaldi’s first musical teacher. Therefore, in his childhood Vivaldi was trained as both a priest and musician (Baumont and Voake 28).
Due to his flaming red hair Vivaldi was known as "il prete rosso" (the red-priest of the red-haired priest). However, following his ordination as a priest he declined to undertake any of the ecclesiastical duties and he was never attached or associated within any church, and this was attributed to his health problems. He continued studying and practicing the violin and finally, he became the permanent violin teacher at a young girls orphanage in Venice for the rest of his life where he published trio sonatas and other violin sonatas (Baumont and Voake 28-29).
Talk of his abilities spread to Europe and in 1711, they caught the attention of an Amsterdam publisher who brought out his compositions under the title "Harmonic Inspiration" (L’estro armonico) containing Vivaldi’s concertos that became best sellers which he followed up equally successful sets of concertos. Considered as the most prolific composers in all of Europe, he started composing operas and between 1718 and 1720 he worked in the court of the German principality of Hessen-Darmstadt and travelled to Austria. Later in life Vivaldi accused of having sexual liaison with a vocal student and was censured b...