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HE WAS BORN IN 1678
He was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe. -
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ANTONIO VIVALDI
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HE BECAME MAESTRO DI VIOLINO
In September 1703, Vivaldi became maestro di violino at an orphanage called the Pio Ospedale della Pietà (Devout Hospital of Mercy) in Venice. -
THE POSITION OF TEACHER OF VIOLA ALL'INGLESE WAS ADDED TO HIS DUTIES AS VIOLIN INSTRUCTOR.
In 1704, the position of teacher of viola all'inglese was added to his duties as violin instructor. The position of maestro di coro, which was at one time filled by Vivaldi, required a lot of time and work. He had to compose an oratorio or concerto at every feast and teach the orphans both music theory and how to play certain instruments. -
THE FIRST COLLECTION WAS PUBLISHED
In 1705, the first collection (Connor Cassara) of his works was published by Giuseppe Sala: his Opus 1 is a collection of 12 sonatas for two violins and basso continuo, in a conventional style. -
ANOTHER WORK PUBLISHED
Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor A real breakthrough as a composer came with his first collection of 12 concerti for one, two, and four violins with strings, L'estro armonico Opus 3, which was published in Amsterdam in 1711 by Estienne Roger, Dedicated to Grand Prince Ferdinand of Tuscany. -
HE BECAME MUSIC DIRECTOR
He became responsible for all of the musical activity of the institution when he was promoted to maestro di' concerti (music director) in 1716. -
HE PRODUCED TWO MORE OPERAS
Also in 1716, Vivaldi wrote and produced two more operas, L'incoronazione di Dario and La costanza trionfante. The latter was so popular that it performed two years later, re-edited and retitled Artabano re dei Parti. It was also performed in Prague in 1732. In the following years, Vivaldi wrote several operas that were performed all over Italy. -
HE WRITED TWO CONCERTI
Despite his frequent travels from 1718, the Pietà paid him 2 sequins to write two concerti a month for the orchestra and to rehearse with them at least five times when in Venice. -
THE FOUR SEASONS
The four seasonsLe quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons) of 1723 is his most famous work. It is part of Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione ("The Contest between Harmony and Invention"). It depicts moods and scenes from each of the four seasons. This work has been described as an outstanding instance of pre-19th Century program music -
HE TRAVELED TO VIENA
Accompanied by his father, Vivaldi travelled to Vienna and Prague in 1730, where his opera Farnace was presented. Some of his later operas were created in the collaboration with two of the principal writers of Italy of the time. -
ANTONIO VIVALDI DEAD
Like many composers of the time, the final years of Vivaldi's life found him in financial difficulties. Vivaldi died a pauper not long after the emperor, on the night between July 27 and 28, 1741 at the age of 63, in a house owned by the widow of a Viennese saddlemaker. On July 28 he was buried in a simple grave at the Hospital Burial Ground in Vienna. Vivaldi's funeral took place at St. Stephen's Cathedral, where the young Joseph Haydn was then a choir boy.
