However, by now jealous factions were emerging from behind the scenes, determined to get rid of him. Given that Vivaldi was never the most healthy or robust of people, and that his rather cushy job at the Pietà suited his genius to a tee, he might well have decided to see out his days in this idyllic environment. One can safely assume that Vivaldi also had someone special in mind when he churned out an unprecedented 39 concertos for the bassoon, but sadly her name has been lost in the sands of time. This outstanding set so impressed Johann Sebastian Bach that he transcribed six of the works.ĭuring his time at the orphanage, Vivaldi composed over 200 solo violin concertos, 27 for solo cello, and around 20 apiece for the flute and oboe, the latter for an outstanding young player at the Pietà referred to simply as “Susanna” in surviving documents. Eight out of the 12 concertos in this set are constructed using his preferred fast-slow-fast format, with bold, assertive outer movements enclosing a more contemplative central one. His first publication appeared in 1705 (a set of 12 trio sonatas), but it was L’estro Armonico (“The Inspiration Of Harmony”), published in 1711, that fully declared Vivaldi’s exuberant inventive genius. It was largely for the highly gifted members of the Pietà that Vivaldi composed his remarkable series of instrumental concertos and sonatas. I swear there is nothing more charming than to see a young and pretty nun… leading the orchestra and beating time with all the grace and precision imaginable.” Their performances are completely unaided and each concert is composed of about 40 girls. The French classical scholar, historian and traveller Charles de Brosses wrote of the Pietà orchestra: “These are brought up at the State’s expense and trained exclusively in music. Remarkably, this was to remain his base for the greater part of his life from 1703 to 1740, including several prolonged leaves of absence. Within just a few weeks he had secured his first professional appointment as maestro di violino at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, one of four orphanages for girls in Venice. He was based largely at home during his training and thus managed to continue his musical studies during his spare time.įollowing his ordination Vivaldi appears to have turned his back on the church almost immediately: he gave up attending mass and went in search of “worldly” employment. He received Holy Orders in 1703, and thereby earned the nickname “Il Prete Rosso” (“The Red Priest”) on account of the distinctive colour of his hair. Vivaldi’s father, Giovanni Battista, was a violinist at St Mark’s Cathedral, and although he taught his prodigiously gifted son to play from early childhood, a musical career seemed unlikely, especially after the 15-year-old Vivaldi was shunted off to join the priesthood. In any case, Antonio was officially baptised on May 6. However, it is far more likely that the lifelong affliction that Vivaldi referred to as “strettezza di petto” (probably asthma) had made itself apparent from the start. One theory is that the earthquake that hit Venice on Mamay have induced general panic around the future composer’s bedside. The exact date of Vivaldi’s birth confounded scholars for many years, although it was known that a problem immediately following his delivery resulted in the midwife performing an emergency baptism.
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