Antonio Vivaldi Essay, Research Paper
Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4th,
1678. Through ordained a priest in 1703, according to his
own account, within a year of being ordained Vivaldi no
longer wished to celebrate mass because physical
complaints ?tightness of the chest? which pointed to
asthmatic bronchitis, or a nervous disorder. It is also
possible that Vivaldi was faking his illness. There is a
story that he sometimes left the alter to jot down a musical
idea. He had became a priest against his own will, because
priesthood was often the only way possible for a poor
family to obtain free schooling.
Vavaldi wrote many memorable concertos, such as
the Four seasons and the opus 3, he also wrote many
works for students. People and students still play these
pieces all over the world. Vavaldi was employed for most
of his working life by by the Ospedale della Pieta. Often
termed orphanage, this Ospedale was in fact a home for the
female offspring of noblemen and their numerous dalliance
with their mistresses. Many of Vavaldi?s concerti were
indeed exercises which he would play whith his many
talented pupils.
Vavaldi?s relationship wth the Ospedale began right
after his ordination in 1703, when he was named as the
violin teacher there. Until 1709, Vavaldi?s appointment
was renewed every year and again and after 1711. They
think between 1709 and 1711 Vivaldi was not attached to
the Ospedale. They think he might started working for the
Teatro Sant? Anngelo an opera theater. He was still was a
composer though, in 1711 twelve of his concertos were
written and and published in Amsterdam.
In 1713 Vavaldi was given a months leave from the
Ospedale to stage his first opera, it was called Ottone in
ville. He did this opera in Vicenza. He produced another
opera in the period between 1713 and 1714.
Thse highest part of Vavaldi?s life was the end of
1716. In November he managed to have the Ospedale
perform his great oratorio, it was called the Juditha
Triumphans devicta Holofernis barbaric. This piece was
about the victory of the Christians over the Turks in August
of 1716.
Vavaldi Moved to Mantua in the late 1717 for two
years in order to take up his post as Chamber Kapellmeister
at the court of Landgrave Philips van Hessen Darmstadt.
His task there was to provide operas, cantatas, and perhaps
concert music, too.
Vavaldi in 1720 returned to Venice where he again
staged new operas that he wrote himself. In Mantua he had
met a singer by the name of Anna Giraud, she moved in
with him Vavaldi said that she was just a housekeeper and
agreat friend, just like her sister, Paolina, who also moved
in.
Anna Giraud was young, born in Venice. She was
daughter to French wigmaker. She was?nt beautiful,
though she was elegant, a small women with beatiful eyes
and a fascinating mouth. She had a very small voice, but
she could speak many languages. Vivaldi taught her how
to sing and stayed with her until he died.
Vavaldi wrote works for commission from foreign
rulers, such as the frech king, Louis XV. He serenaded La
Sena festeggiante at the festival of the Seine. The bad
thing is that they can not date this music, but they know
was written after 1720.
In rome Vavaldi found a patron in the person of
Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, a great music lover, who earlier
had been the patron of Arcangelo Corelli. Vavldi himself
was asked by the pope to play the violin for him at a private
audience. He totally loved it, it also was a great time in his
life.
Despite his stay in Rome and other cities, Vivaldi
remained in the service of the Ospedale della Pieta, he was
nominated the Maestro di Concerti. He had to send two
concertos per month to veniceand he received a ducat per
concerto. His presence was never required. He also
remained dictator of the Teatro Sant Angelo, as he did in
the 1726, 7 and 8 seasons.
Between 1725 and 1728 eight opera were made by
Vavaldi. In three months Vavaldi composed three operas,
two for Venice and one for florence. During these years
Vavaldi also extremely active in the field of Concertos. In
1725 the publication of Il Cimento dell?Armenia e
dell?invenzione and opus 8, appeared in Amsterdam. this
consisted of twelve concertos, seven of which were
descriptive: The Four Seasons, Storm at Sea, Pleasure and
The Hunt. Vivaldi transformed the tradition of descriptive
music into a typically Italian musical style with its
unmistakable timbre in which the strings play a big role.
These concetos were enormously successful,
particulary in france. In the second half of the 18th century
there were changes in the Spring concerto. King Louis was
mad about the change and ordered it to be performed at the
most unexpected moments. Moreover, Vivaldi received
various commisions for compsitions from the court at
Versailles.
In 1730 Vivaldi, his father, and Anna Giraud traveled
to to Prague. In this city were Mozart celebrated his first
operatic triumphs just a half century before. Vivaldi met a
half Venetian opera company which between 1724 and
1734 staged some sixty operas in the theater of Count
Franz Anton von Sporck. In 1730 to 1731 season, two new
operas by Vavaldi were premiered there after the previous
season had been closed with his opera Farnace, a work the
composer often used as his showpiece.
After his stay in Prague, Vivaldi concertrated mainly
on operas. No further collections of instimental music
were published. However Vivaldi continued to write
instrimental music, although it only to sell manuscripts to
private persons or to the Ospedale della Pieta. In 1735 they
paid him a fixed honoraium of 100 ducats a year. In 1733
he met the English trveler Edward Holdsworth, who had
been commioned to purchase a few of Vavaldi?s pieces for
the mans letters .
In 1783 Vivaldi was in Amsterdam were he conducted
a festive opening concert for the 100th Anniversary of the
Schouwburg theater. Returning to venice, which was at the
time of suffering a severe economic downturn. Vivaldi
resigned from the Ospedale in 1740, planning to move to
Vienna under the patronage of his admiror Charles VI. His
stay in Vienna was to be a shortlived however, for Vavaldi
died on July 28th 1741 of internal fire and like Mozart fifty
years later, recieved a modest burial. Anna Giraud stayed
with him until he died. She stayed in venice untill her
death in 1750.