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Antonio vivaldi short biography for children. Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio vivaldi short biography for children. Antonio Vivaldi

12.06.2019

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi(March 4, 1678, Venice - July 28, 1741, Vienna) - Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, conductor, Catholic priest. Vivaldi is considered one of the largest representatives of the Italian violin art of the 18th century, during his lifetime he received wide recognition throughout Europe. Master of the ensemble and orchestral concert - concerto grosso, author of about 40 operas. Vivaldi is mainly known for his instrumental concertos, especially for the violin. His most famous work is the cycle of four violin concertos "The Seasons".

early years

Antonio Vivaldi was born in the Venetian Republic, it happened on March 4, 1678. The child was born prematurely and was very weak. Later it became clear that the boy had asthma, he suffered from asthma attacks, it was difficult for the child to walk, and climbing stairs was equated to torture. But no physical flaws affected the amazing inner world of Vivaldi. His fantasy knew no barriers, and life abounded in colors, it only happened in the world of music. An important stage in Antonio's life began when his father, the barber Giovanni Batista, received an invitation to the chapel of the Cathedral of San Marco. At that time it was the largest orchestra in all of Italy. Four organs, an orchestra and a large choir provided a majestic sound. This struck the imagination of seven-year-old Antonio so much that he never missed rehearsals and eagerly listened to the music of outstanding masters. Such selfless self-immersion in art could not go unnoticed. Soon the famous violinist and teacher Giovanni Legrenzi became interested in the boy. In addition to musical knowledge, he instilled in Antonio a desire to experiment. In order to more accurately and vividly express his thoughts, Vivaldi began to create works and look for new forms. By the way, the works of the composer, created by him at the age of 13, have survived to this day. But at this age, young Antonio was in for major changes.

red priest

Considering the poor health of his son, Giovanni Batista decided that it would be better if Antonio became a priest. Vivaldi did not disobey his father. Over time, he received a tonsure and the title of "goalkeeper" - he opened the gates of the temple. Later, he took several more degrees of initiation in order to receive the title of priest and be eligible to celebrate Mass. For several years, young Vivaldi comprehended church knowledge, although his heart was constantly drawn to creativity. Fate had mercy on Antonio, and one day he got the opportunity to do what he loved. It was rumored that during one of the services, the “red-haired priest” (as he was nicknamed for the characteristic color of his hair) constantly left the altar in order to quickly record the melody that visited his head. After such liberties, Vivaldi was removed from the services, and music again became his main occupation.

A witty young man with expressive eyes and long hair masterfully owned the violin and other instruments, he always showed compassion to those around him and was a welcome conversationalist. Thanks to the received spiritual dignity, he was able to become a teacher in one of the women's conservatories of the city-republic. The future seemed to Antonio very promising. He was not even disturbed by disagreements with the clergy. Vivaldi plunged into the world of creativity and became a universal favorite in Venice.

He enthusiastically worked at the Pieta Conservatory. Conservatories were then called shelters at monasteries, which provided a good education, including music. Antonio was first officially called the head of the choir, and later became the conductor. Vivaldi also taught the pupils of "Pieta" to play various instruments, taught vocals and constantly wrote music. This conservatory was well known to Venetian connoisseurs of music, and now, under the leadership of Antonio Vivaldi, it has become the best in the whole republic. Wealthy citizens hurried to send their daughters there.

The beginning of composing

In 1710, fame gradually began to come to the musician. In the Guide to Venice, he is called a virtuoso violinist. All those who were lucky enough to hear the works of the genius live talk about him outside of Italy. Vivaldi was introduced to the Danish king Frederick IV, he subsequently dedicated twelve sonatas to the ruler.

After some time, Antonio decides to raise the bar by writing operas. In 1713, his works "Roland pretending to be mad" and "Otto at the Villa" were published. They brought him fame and recognition; over the next five years, eight more operas saw the light of day. The Italian composer Bendetto Marcello was one of the critics of Vivaldi's work. He published a pamphlet that ridiculed the musician's operas. Because of this, Antonio stopped working on major works for a while.

In 1717, the governor of Mantua offered the virtuoso to take the post of Kapellmeister at court. It was in this magnificent town that Vivaldi came up with the idea of a cycle of concerts, originally called “The Four Seasons”. Little is known about this period of life, in total the composer spent three years in Mantua, then he returned to Venice.

While working in Mantua, Antonio met the opera singer Anna Giraud. She had a sister Paolina, the girls accompanied the composer everywhere. Various rumors circulated around the city, but Vivaldi assured that they were just his students. Paolina and Anna lived in the same house with the musician, helping him in every possible way to fight asthma. Because of this, in 1738, Vivaldi was banned from entering Florence, as he was accused of the fall. But the composer denied these gossip to the last. In 1723, Antonio first came to Rome, where he was engaged in staging the opera Hercules on Thermodon. His work makes an impression on the inhabitants of the city. Johann Quantz, a music theorist, reported that the Romans could not perceive other music for half a year after listening to an opera.

Wandering years

After a series of victories, Vivaldi decides to take an extended vacation, travels around Italy and Europe. There was a period of time when he was in the service of the governor of Mantua, Philipp von Hesse-Homburg. While there, Antonio met the singer Anna Giraud, who later performed as a soprano in his operas. Their relationship was quite close, Anna and her sister were often companions of the composer on his trips.

Living in Rome in 1723-1724, the composer had the opportunity to present his music to the Pope, where he made a good impression on him.

In Amsterdam, he continues to publish concerts. The culmination of creativity was a set of 8 concertos, published in 1725. Titled Il cimento dell' armonia e dell' inventione, the collection included internationally acclaimed concertos called The Four Seasons. They were accompanied by short verses describing seasonal sketches, which Vivaldi tried to repeat in his music. Other works in this collection, such as the violin concertos Storm on the Sea and The Hunt, were no less picturesque.

The next, last published, cycle of concerts "La Cetra" was published in 1727. This collection was dedicated to the Austrian Emperor Charles VI, whom Vivaldi met in Vienna in the early 1920s. The emperor, being an amateur composer, was impressed by the works of Antonio.

This is confirmed in the report of their meeting in 1728: "The Emperor talked with Vivaldi about music for a long time, they say that in 15 days he spoke in private with him more than he spoke with his ministers in two years."

Homecoming and period of decline

From the beginning of the 30s, the fame of Antonio Vivaldi passed into a period of long decline. New composers and new styles of music captured the attention of the public. His long absence from Venice took its toll, and he was no longer able to return to his former activities in the Pieta. During the carnival of 1734, the audience of the theater "Sant'Angelo" saw a new opera by Vivaldi on the libretto of "Olympias" by Metastasio - one of the most famous creations of the poet-playwright. Such a multifaceted plot in terms of dramatic collisions undoubtedly inspired the composer to create a highly artistic work. Such an authoritative connoisseur of Vivaldi's opera as A. Casella wrote that Olympias stands out among other operas of the Italian composer with the incomparable beauty of music.

Despite the approach of the composer to old age, his creative productivity remained amazing. In Verona, his "Tamerlane" and "Adelaide" (1735) are performed, and in Florence "Ginevra, Princess of Scots" (1736). However, the following year, in the midst of preparations for the carnival in Ferrara, Vivaldi suffered a severe blow of fate. On November 16, 1737, the Apostolic Nuncio in Venice forbade him, on behalf of Cardinal Ruffo, from entering Ferrara, which at that time belonged to the Papal States, and “this is because,” wrote the composer, “that, being a clergyman, I do not serve Mass and take advantage of the location of the singer Giraud. At that time, this ban was an unheard-of shame and meant for Vivaldi, who once played in front of the Pope, a complete discredit of him as a clergyman. No less significant was the material damage.

Ch. de Brosse, who met Vivaldi in 1739, wrote from Venice: “To my great amazement, I found that he is not valued here as highly as he deserves - here, where everything depends on fashion, where too listened to his stuff for a long time and where last year's music no longer collects.

At the end of 1740, Vivaldi parted forever with Pieta, which for so many years owed him its musical fame. The last mention of his name in the documents of the conservatory is associated with the sale on August 29, 1740 of many concerts for one ducat apiece. Such a low cost is undoubtedly due to the financial difficulties of Vivaldi, who was forced to prepare for a long journey. At the age of 62, he made a courageous decision to leave his ungrateful homeland forever and seek recognition in a foreign land.

Last years

In mid-May 1740, the composer leaves Venice and goes to Emperor Charles VI. At that time, the war began in Vienna, the emperor died shortly after the arrival of Vivaldi, the heirs entered into a lively struggle. Because of this, Antonio had to leave the Austrian city, moving to Dresden. Most likely, it was there that the disease overtook him. The musician had practically no money, close people, and health problems became more and more serious every day. He returned to Vienna. It was there that Vivaldi died on July 28, 1741. According to doctors, death was due to internal inflammation. He was buried in a cemetery for the poor. A month later, the sisters Margherita and Zanetta received a notice of the death of the composer, and the bailiffs described all his property to pay off the debt.

Amazingly, the work of a talented musician was unfairly forgotten for almost 200 years. It was not until the 1920s that the Italian musicologist Gentili came across the composer's recordings. Nineteen operas, more than 300 violin concertos and other compositions have been found in the manuscripts. Vivaldi's authorship is officially confirmed only for 40 operas, although it is known that during his life he wrote more than 90 major works.

The importance of Vivaldi in the history of music

A brilliant composer of the Baroque era, Vivaldi made an invaluable contribution to the development of musical art. His amazing insights were ahead of their time in many ways. Vivaldi experienced the painful contradictions of time - those high ideals of humanism, the harmony of man and the world, and that harsh, sometimes gloomy reality that he had to face both as a person and as a musician.

The duality of man - one of the leitmotifs of the Baroque - was acutely experienced by Vivaldi - a sick man and a passionate creative person, a priest - and a deeply secular artist, for whom the full-fledged sensual side of life was by no means closed, a day laborer in the conservatory and the opera house, obliged to continuously compose - and a musician who looks into the soul of music. The samples he left behind, the pre-classical form of the violin concerto he created, the early symphony, program music - all this had a profound effect on Bach and Handel, Tartini, Geminiani, Locatelli and many other composers and violinists. Haydn used, for example, the theme of his cello concerto in his concerto for this instrument, not to mention The Four Seasons.

Vivaldi gave impetus to new musical and artistic concepts, a new level of musical instrumental thinking. With his work, he showed that music has enormous possibilities of expression, building an ideal model of the world and man. His richest melodic and harmonic gift, innovative musical language, where the violin was the main means of expression, allowed him to embody in sounds the most tremulous movements of the soul, the most ardent and subtle human thoughts about the world and about himself.

Notable writings

Antonio Vivaldi is a prolific composer. He is the author of 90 operas, including Roland the Furious, Nero Who Became Caesar, The Coronation of Darius, Deception Triumphant in Love, Farnak, Cunegonde, Olympias, Griselda, "Aristides", "Tamerlane", "Oracle in Messenia", "Ferasp". Oratorios - "Moses, God of the Pharaoh", "Triumphant Judith", "Adoration of the Magi" and others.

Some interesting facts

Vivaldi was born seven months old, very weak, but as red as his father, whom even in the orchestra of St. The brand's name was Rosso, which means "red".
Antonio's first and main teacher was Giovanni Battista, who by that time had already become a famous virtuoso.
In a 1713 guidebook for visitors to Venice, Giovanni Vivaldi and his priest son Antonio are mentioned as the best violinists in the city.
Vivaldi first introduced the type of concerto for violin and orchestra, as well as for two and four violins. He created about twenty such concertos, including the only concert for two mandolins in the history of music.
Johann Sebastian Bach was interested in his works, especially the violin concertos, which he created transcriptions for other instruments. He arranged six Vivaldi concertos for piano or organ and orchestra. These works were considered works of Bach for more than a century and a half.

Video

Sources

http://diletant.media/articles/28123145/ http://blagaya.ru/skripka/history-books/isi/vivaldi2/ http://propianino.ru/antonio-vivaldi The Red Priest by Antonio Vivaldi

At all times, people of art sought to fill the world with beauty and harmony, they sought consolation and the meaning of life in them. The era accepted everything, but, having a changeable disposition, it either exalted the creator, or subverted it.

She made no exception for Antonio Vivaldi. In 1770, only 30 years after his death, Vivaldi's name is not even mentioned in the list of Italian composers. In the 19th century, they spoke of him only as a composer whose notes were rewritten by the great Bach. And at the beginning of the 20th century, a miracle happened: from 1912 to 1926, most of his works were found, and in a short time his music spread around the world, touched the souls of many, many. She seemed to be waiting for the right moment to sound again. Maybe our time is something akin to that difficult era?

After almost 200 years of oblivion, Antonio Vivaldi has returned to the world! Now a rare orchestra does not have the famous "Seasons" in its repertoire. Any musicologist will tell you that these are pictures of nature, understandable to everyone: the singing of spring birds, a summer thunderstorm ... But in the hands of a genius, everything takes on a different meaning: familiar images evoke associations with something more subtle and deep - not just with pictures of nature, but with her laws. Vladimir Spivakov once called this work "a fresco of human life", because a person goes through the same path as nature - from birth to death.

What is it - a fresco of the life of Antonio Vivaldi himself?

F. M. La Cave. Portrait of a Venetian musician (presumably Vivaldi). 1723

The beginning of the way

On March 4, 1678, in Venice, the first-born Antonio was born in the family of a hairdresser and musician Giovanni Battista Vivaldi.

“We create our cities, and they create us,” said Aristotle. Venice - countless islands connected by canals, magnificent palaces and cathedrals, a clear rhythm of colonnades, harmony of proportions ... Venice is a free republic that has withstood both the conquerors and the Vatican. In the space reclaimed from the sea, life was in full swing. “Instead of streets there are canals, instead of weekdays there are carnivals,” was sung in a folk song. If in Florence the carnival was held once a year, then in Venice it was interrupted only during Lent, almost no tragedies were played in the theaters, the city was filled with music - songs of gondoliers, opera arias ...

It was here that the first public opera house in Italy was opened in 1637. The opera was a national favorite: the theaters were bursting with thirsty new spectacles. Of course, something else was hidden behind the magnificent facades: huge debts, palaces coexisted with dirty shacks, the Inquisition was not going to give up, flooding the city with spies ... But life did not stop boiling, giving birth to new talents.

Giovanni Antonio Canale (Canaletto). View of the Ducal Palace in Venice. 1755

The stormy character of the city was passed on to young Antonio, but he just couldn’t show it: from birth he had a serious illness - a constricted chest, he was tormented by asthma all his life, and he suffocated when walking. But on the other hand, along with the fiery hair color and equally fiery temperament, the boy inherited musical abilities from his father. Music often sounded in the Vivaldi house: the father played the violin, the children learned to play musical instruments (at that time it was common), and they also started fun games, sometimes fights.

Antonio would have gladly shared their adventurous life with the brothers, but he could not, and he transferred all his energy, all his dreams to music. The violin set him free. A physical handicap could not affect the inner world of the boy: his imagination truly knew no barriers, his life was no less bright and colorful than others, he just lived in music.

A new life for Antonio began when his father was invited to the chapel of the Cathedral of San Marco, the largest orchestra of the then Italy. Four organs, a large choir, an orchestra - the majestic sound of the music was amazing. Seven-year-old Antonio did not miss a single rehearsal, eagerly absorbed the music of the masters, including Monteverdi, "the father of Italian opera."

Soon Giovanni Legrenzi - the famous violinist, composer and teacher - became interested in a talented boy. In addition to musical knowledge, Legrenzi instilled in him a desire to experiment, to look for new forms in order to express his ideas more vividly and more accurately. Antonio began to write music (the works that he wrote at the age of 13 have been preserved) ... But life took a sharp turn.

virtuoso priest

Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, perhaps because of his son's poor health, decided to make him a priest, because dignity will always ensure a position in society. And so Antonio began to climb the church stairs: already at the age of 15, Vivaldi received a tonsure and the title of "goalkeeper" - the lowest degree of priesthood, which granted the right to open the gates of the temple. In subsequent years, he took three more lower and two higher degrees of initiation, necessary for obtaining the title of priest and the right to celebrate mass. All these years, the young man regularly comprehended church sciences, but his heart was drawn to creativity, and finally he could decide for himself what to do. He soon stopped serving Mass, citing severe asthma attacks. True, it was rumored that at the height of the service, the “red-haired priest” often retired behind the altar to record the melody that came to mind ... But, be that as it may, Vivaldi was eventually relieved of this duty.

Francois Morellon de la Cave. Antonio Vivaldi

Music again became his main occupation! 25-year-old Antonio Vivaldi was quite attractive: with large expressive eyes, long red hair, witty, friendly and therefore always a welcome companion, he masterfully played the violin and other instruments. And the clergy opened the way for him to one of the women's conservatories in Venice, where he became a teacher. The future looked very bright. Even disagreements with the clergy did not bother Antonio, because they did not affect his work in any way. It won't always be like this. However, while liberal Venice forgave everything to her favorite, Antonio plunged headlong into the world of music - with the energy and enthusiasm of a man who finally came out of a dark narrow street to the carnival square.

He worked with passion at the "Ospedale della Pietà" conservatory. Conservatories - shelters at monasteries - gave a good education, including music. Vivaldi was at first officially listed as Maestro de Coro, the head of the choir, then he also became Maestro de Concerti, the head of the orchestra - conductor. In addition, he taught playing various instruments and vocals and, of course, wrote music. "Pieta" was already in good standing with Venetian music lovers, but under the leadership of Vivaldi it became the best in Venice, so that even wealthy citizens began to send their daughters there.

With short breaks, Vivaldi worked there all his life and wrote all his spiritual works: cantatas, oratorios, masses, hymns, motets for Pieta. The spiritual music of Vivaldi usually remains in the shadow of his own concerts, which is a pity. Let us recall at least the famous cantata Gloria: when you listen to it, delight seizes the soul - this is truly praise to heaven for the unchanging triumph of Life, and the piercing music of the second part "Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis" ("And on earth peace to people of good will" ) is a real prayer for our earthly path, coming from the very depths of the heart. The spiritual music of Vivaldi is evidence of sincere love for God, regardless of relations with the church.

At the conservatory, Antonio perfectly combined studies of sacred and secular music. He had an excellent orchestra and could immediately hear his new works being played, and everything new in Pieta was always welcome. Vivaldi wrote more than 450 concertos for her orchestra and often soloed on the violin himself. Few people at that time could compete with him in virtuosity: in the guidebook for guests of Venice for 1713, Giovanni Vivaldi and his priest son are mentioned as the city's best violinists. And a little earlier, in 1706, the first collection of concertos "L'estro armonico" ("Harmonic inspiration") was published. In it, Vivaldi developed a new form of concerto - a three-part concerto, proposed by his predecessor Arcangelo Corelli from Bologna. For the fiery temperament of Vivaldi, the usual four parts at that time lasted, probably, too long - his experiences and vivid images required immediate embodiment in music. No one had such a violin - singing with a human voice, with a human heart, only the other great Italian Niccolo Paganini was said the same way.

All this was already quite enough to be considered an outstanding musician and composer. But our hero did not want to stop - he was attracted to the enchanting and unpredictable world of opera.

In 1723-1724, Vivaldi during the three carnival seasons had great success in Rome, a performance in which was considered a serious test for any composer.

Theatrical concert in Rome in the 18th century.

Opera Odyssey by Vivaldi

“In order to understand the history of opera using modern concepts, we must equate the Italian opera of the eighteenth century with today's opera and add cinema, television and ... football to it,” wrote R. Strom. The audience demanded new impressions all the time, so new operas were written extremely quickly and after two or three rehearsals they were played on stage, and after several performances they were safely forgotten. Plots - the more exciting, the better, no one thought about the artistic level of the libretto. Spectacular numbers led the audience into ecstasy, and the fame of fashionable opera composers was huge, though not constant. Composers worked tirelessly. So, from 1700 to 1740, Francesco Gasparini and Vivaldi wrote 50 operas each, and Alessandro Scarlatti - 115!

Performance at the Italian Opera House

Everything in the opera existed for the pleasure of the audience. Carlo Goldoni wrote that the opera is subject to "special rules and customs, which, it is true, are devoid of common sense, but which must be followed unquestioningly." For example, at first minor characters were brought on stage so that the audience had time to sit down ...

And here are the impressions recorded by eyewitness Joachim Nemeitz in 1721: “There are many opera houses in Venice ... Operas go on every day, starting at seven in the evening and continuing until eleven at night, after which most people go to the masquerade, dressing in fancy clothes. Foreigners should not be ashamed to take seats near the orchestra in the opera... But don't do anything wrong, because people in boxes, especially the upper ones, are sometimes so impudent that they can do something - even spit - especially when they see that someone is using a small candle to read the libretto. The most impudent of all are the barcaruoli (gondoliers) who are allowed in for free, and the other common people who stand below the boxes... They clap, whistle and yell so loudly that they drown out the singers. They don't pay any attention to anyone and they call it Venetian freedom."

Antonio Vivaldi threw himself into this whirlpool - like a true Venetian. At the age of 35, he worked in the theater "for three": he wrote operas (three or four a year), staged them himself, and even solved all financial issues himself - he became a co-owner of the Sant'Angelo Theater. In addition, he continued to teach and write music for Pieta, taking vacations there to stage his operas in other cities. Few healthy people can afford such a rhythm of life, and yet Vivaldi could hardly overcome even the distance from the door to the carriage without outside help, he was so tormented by shortness of breath. But he did not seem to notice this, because his plans could not wait, he did himself the only indulgence: the theater "Sant'Angelo" is the closest to his house.

Generally speaking, participation in such amusements is a strange occupation for the holy father, but he considered the opera his vocation, the main business of life, gave her maximum strength. Because of this passion of his, he ruined relations with both the Pieta leadership and the church authorities. And most importantly, he began to pay less attention to instrumental music. You can recall the "two birds with one stone", but do we have the right to judge a genius? Perhaps the theater gave him that feeling of fullness and brilliance of life, which he was deprived of in his youth due to illness and a long stay in the seminary. But time put everything in its place: it was the concerts that immortalized the name of the composer, perhaps because in them he was real, sincere, not constrained by any conventions, while the opera brought him short-term fame and big problems.

Trouble began in 1720. At the very height of the season, an anonymous pamphlet appeared, ridiculing the then opera in general and Vivaldi's operas in particular. The pamphlet was caustic, witty, the author very aptly noticed all the theatrical clichés, of which there were many. Much later it turned out that its author was Benedetto Marcello, a successful composer and publicist who failed in the operatic genre.

For Vivaldi, this was a strong blow - both moral and financial (the audience openly laughed at the performances, recognizing another stamp). But he got out of this situation with dignity: he did not start squabbles, for almost four years he did not stage new operas, he revised a lot in his operatic work (for example, the level of the libretto). The new operas were a great success, the most famous of them - written in 1734 "Olympias" to the libretto of the outstanding playwright Pietro Metastasio - is staged in our time.

Joys and sorrows

The opera brought Vivaldi an unexpected gift. Anna Giraud, a pupil of Pieta, was invited to the main role in his new opera. Vivaldi spent an unacceptable amount of time with her for the holy father, and, of course, rumors immediately spread. Antonio defended Anna's honor in every possible way, arguing that he needed help and Anna and her sister only looked after him, but few believed him, and relations with the clergy completely deteriorated.

These vicissitudes are of little importance now, something else is much more important: this is not an easy, but beautiful time, when his life was lit up with love, gave us the most beautiful music. It was then that the cycle "The Seasons", the concert "Night", many wonderful concerts and spiritual works ("Gloria", "Magnificat") were born.

The last period of Antonio Vivaldi's life is similar to his concerts: joy and sadness succeed each other. On the threshold of his 50th birthday, our hero was full of energy and ideas. Operas rained down like a cornucopia (for the carnival season of 1727, he composed as many as eight operas), many of the roles in them were written specifically for Anna Giraud. In 1728, the Austrian king Charles VI, a great connoisseur of music, invited Vivaldi to Vienna. For two years he traveled and gained European fame (thanks to European admirers, most of his legacy has been preserved).

The trouble came unexpectedly. In 1737, Vivaldi was going to stage new operas in Ferrara, everything was going well, when suddenly the bishop of Ferrara, which, unlike Venice, belonged to the papal region, forbade the composer to enter the city. After many years, the church remembered everything about Vivaldi: the refusal to lead the mass, his personal life, successes in the musical field. When the operas were still allowed to be staged, they failed: the city was opposed to the failed priest. Vivaldi was in despair, he blamed only himself and his operas for the failure. Venice, too, no longer felt the same enthusiasm for them - either the fashion for it had passed, or its innovations turned out to be difficult for the public. Only in instrumental music did Vivaldi still have no equal. On March 21, 1740, in Pieta, he gave his farewell concert, at which his newly created works were played, the last ones ... Among them, the Echo concert is music filled with light, life, telling about the ideal harmony of nature and man.

At the end of 1740, Vivaldi parted forever with Pieta, which for so many years owed him his musical fame. The last mention of his name in the documents of the "conservatory" is connected with the sale of many concerts by him on August 29, 1740 at one ducat apiece. Such a low cost is undoubtedly due to the financial difficulties of Vivaldi, who was forced to prepare for a long journey. At the age of 62, he made a courageous decision to leave his ungrateful homeland forever and seek recognition in a foreign land.

He went to Vienna to Charles VI, but here, too, failure awaited him: the king died, the war began, and no one needed music. Soon the life of Vivaldi himself was cut short.

Forgotten and abandoned by everyone, Antonio Vivaldi died in Vienna on July 28, 1741 "from internal soaring", as was recorded in the funeral protocol.

Concertos for violin and flute

Concertos for mandolin

Flute Concertos

Oboe Concertos

ANTONIO VIVALDI - ITALIAN BACH

It took humanity almost two centuries to recognize, understand and appreciate the music of the great one again, because soon after his death he was unfairly forgotten. In the 19th century, he was mentioned only as a person whose notes he copied. And only at the beginning of the 20th century a miracle happened - many of his works were found, and Vivaldi's music swept the world, touching the souls of people and becoming the basis of the repertoire of eminent orchestras.

In the power of sound

After the discovery of such a treasury, Antonio Vivaldi took the place of honor of a recognized genius in the history of music. His works are familiar to everyone and loved by many, although not everyone can tell about the life of the composer. What was in it?

He was born in the Venetian Republic, it happened in 1678. The child was born prematurely and was very weak. Later it became clear that the boy had asthma, he suffered from asthma attacks, it was difficult for the child to walk, and climbing stairs was equated to torture. But no physical flaws affected the amazing inner world of Vivaldi. His fantasy knew no barriers, and life abounded in colors, it only happened in the world of music.

A new stage in Antonio's life began when his father, the barber Giovanni Batista, received an invitation to the chapel of the Cathedral of San Marco. At that time it was the largest orchestra in all of Italy. Four organs, an orchestra and a large choir provided a majestic sound. This struck the imagination of seven-year-old Antonio so much that he never missed rehearsals and eagerly listened to the music of outstanding masters. Such selfless self-immersion in art could not go unnoticed. Soon the famous violinist and teacher Giovanni Legrenzi became interested in the boy. In addition to musical knowledge, he instilled in Antonio a desire to experiment. In order to more accurately and vividly express his thoughts, Vivaldi began to create works and look for new forms. By the way, the works of the composer, created by him at the age of 13, have survived to this day. But at this age, young Antonio was in for major changes.

red priest

Considering the poor health of his son, Giovanni Batista decided that it would be better if Antonio became a priest. Vivaldi did not disobey his father. Over time he got tonsure and the title of "goalkeeper" - he opened the gates of the temple. Later, he took several more degrees of initiation in order to receive the title of priest and be eligible to celebrate Mass. For several years, young Vivaldi comprehended church knowledge, although his heart was constantly drawn to creativity. Fate had mercy on Antonio, and one day he got the opportunity to do what he loved. It was rumored that during one of the services, the “red-haired priest” (as he was nicknamed for the characteristic color of his hair) constantly left the altar in order to quickly record the melody that visited his head. After such liberties, Vivaldi was removed from the services, and music again became his main occupation.

Head of the Conservatory

He enthusiastically worked at the Pieta Conservatory. Conservatories were then called shelters at monasteries, which provided a good education, including music. Antonio was first officially called the head of the choir, and later became the conductor. Vivaldi also taught the pupils of "Pieta" to play various instruments, taught vocals and constantly wrote music. This conservatory was well known to Venetian connoisseurs of music, and now, under the leadership, it has become the best in the whole republic. Wealthy citizens hurried to send their daughters there.

Inimitable virtuoso

Antonio worked at Pieta almost all his life with minor interruptions, and most of Vivaldi's spiritual works were written for his native conservatory. He created cantatas, hymns, masses and oratorios. Although now his sacred music remains in the shadow of concerts. At the conservatory, he managed to harmoniously combine studies of secular and sacred music. Since he had a wonderful orchestra, Antonio could immediately hear the sound of his new works. The composer created over 450 concertos for the Pieta Orchestra, often playing the violin himself. At that time, few could compete with him in virtuosity. For these achievements, his name was published in 1713 in a guide to Venice.

A few years earlier, the first collection of concertos "Harmonic Inspiration" was published. Then they said that only he has a violin that sings with a human voice and speaks with a living heart. Only the great was later awarded such compliments. This was quite enough to be considered an outstanding composer and musician, but Vivaldi was not going to stop. The world of opera attracted him with its unpredictability and enchantment.

In the maelstrom of the opera

At the age of 35, he threw himself into another whirlpool, becoming a co-owner of the Sant'Angelo Theater. He had to work hard - write 3-4 operas a year, stage them and solve financial issues. At the same time, he continued teaching at Pieta. Artworks Antonio had great success at the carnivals in Rome. It is worth noting that even the very performance in the Eternal City was considered the most serious test for any composer.

Such a rhythm of life was beyond the power of even healthy people, and even more so for Vivaldi. It was not easy for him with such shortness of breath to overcome the distance from the door of the house to the carriage, so he needed outside help. But the composer never showed his torment, he hurried to meet his beloved music, great ideas did not tolerate delay.

The passion for opera cost Vivaldi good relations with the leadership of the conservatory and the church elite, because the priest does not like participating in such entertainment. In addition, he began to write less instrumental music. Most likely, in the theater he felt the fullness and brilliance of life, which he lacked due to illness. And only the past centuries have put everything in its place. The name of the composer became immortal thanks to concert works, while the opera made him famous only for a short period of time, bringing big troubles in addition to fame.

Reboot

The problems began in 1720. At the peak of the theatrical season, an anonymous pamphlet appeared in the press, which ridiculed the then operatic art and works in particular. The author of this pamphlet noticed and showed many theatrical clichés that abounded in the operas of that time. For Vivaldi, this publication had sad consequences - both moral and financial, because since then the audience began to openly laugh at performances when they recognized another stamp. Dignity did not fail Vivaldi in this situation. He simply stopped creating operas for four years, seriously analyzed his work and began to thoroughly approach the libretto. His new works were well received by the public. The most famous opera was the Olympiad, which is staged in our time.

Inspired by Anna

The opera to some extent influenced the personal life of the composer. The main role in one of his new works was to be played by Anna Giraud, a pupil of the Pieta Conservatory. Antonio spent a lot of time with the girl, about which they began to gossip, giving the holy father disapproving looks. Antonio defended Anna's honor in every way. Few believed that the girl and her sister only looked after the unhealthy composer. This situation is finally ruined Vivaldi's relationship with the clergy.

But all these twists and turns now do not matter, because it was during that period that Antonio created his most beautiful creations - the famous spiritual works "Magnificat" and "Gloria", the concert "Night" and the immortal cycle.

On the threshold of the 50th anniversary, he was full of creative ideas and energy. Operas were born one after another, and the roles in them were created especially for Anna. A great connoisseur of art - King Charles VI of Austria invited Antonio in 1728 to Vienna. The composer traveled for two years, and all-European fame came to him. By the way, it is his European admirers who are to be thanked for the preservation of a large part of Vivaldi's heritage.

Rejected and forgotten

Antonio wanted to stage new operas in Ferrara, but suddenly the bishop forbade him to enter the city in 1737. The church remembered everything to the failed priest: both the refusal to lead the service, and personal life, and obvious successes in music. And when they nevertheless gave to the production of operas well, they failed. Antonio was in despair, the city clearly did not accept him. Did not experience the same delight from his work and native Venice. Now it is difficult to say what was the reason for this, perhaps he became unfashionable, or perhaps Vivaldi's innovations turned out to be difficult for the public to perceive. And only in instrumental music did he remain king.

In the spring of 1740 he gave a farewell concert at the Pieta. The Conservatory, which owed its musical fame to him, mentioned his name for the last time in their documents in connection with the sale of the sheet music of many concertos at the price of 1 ducat each. This suggests that the composer was clearly experiencing financial difficulties. In his seventies, he decided to leave his ungrateful homeland forever in order to seek joy in a foreign land.

He arrived in Vienna, but Charles VI died, then the war began, and the public was not up to music. The forgotten genius died in the Austrian capital in 1741. He was buried in an ordinary grave in a cemetery for the poor.

DATA

One of the most active seekers of Vivaldi's works was the Italian musicologist Alberto Gentili. When he heard about the sale of musical manuscripts of the monastic college in San Martino, he immediately hurried there. It was there that he discovered 14 volumes completely unknown compositions. It is believed that during his life the composer created more than 90 operas, but only 40 of them have proven authorship.

He became a music innovator. He created the first concerto for violin and orchestra, as well as for two and four violins. The composer wrote about 20 such works, among which the concerto for two mandolins is the only one in the history of music.

Updated: April 7, 2019 by: Elena

Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678 in Venice, Italy. Italian composer and violinist who left a decisive mark in the form of the concerto and the style of late baroque instrumental music.

Vivaldi's main teacher was probably his father Giovanni Battista, who in 1685 was training for the priesthood. His distinctive reddish hair later earned him the nickname Il Prete Rosso ("The Red Priest"). He made his first known public performance playing alongside his father in the basilica as a "supernumerary" violinist in 1696. He became an excellent violinist, and in 1703 he was appointed violin master at the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for foundlings. Pieta, specializing in the musical training of their female wards, and those with musical ability, were referred to their fine choir and orchestra, whose repeated performances helped the organization's search for donations and legacies.

Shortly after his ordination as a priest, Vivaldi withdrew from celebrating Mass due to a chronic ailment believed to be bronchial asthma. Despite this circumstance, he took his secular priest seriously and even earned a reputation as a religious fanatic.

Vivaldi's earliest musical compositions date from his early years at Pietà. Printed collections of his trio sonatas and violin sonatas appeared in 1705 and 1709, respectively, and in 1711 his first and most influential set of concertos for violin and string orchestra (Opus 3, L "estro armonico) was published by the Amsterdam publishing firm Estein Roger In the years before 1719, Roger published three more collections of his concerti and one collection of sonatas.

Vivaldi achieved great success with his sacred vocal music, for which he later received commissions from other institutions. Another new area of his activity opened in 1713, when his first opera Ottone in the Villa was released in Vicenza. Returning to Venice, Vivaldi immediately plunged into operatic activities as the twin of the composer and impresario. From 1718 to 1720 he worked in Mantua as director of secular music for the governor of that city.

The 1720s were the zenith of Vivaldi's career. Based once more in Venice, but traveling frequently elsewhere, he served instrumental music to patrons and clients throughout Europe. During this decade, he also received numerous commissions for operas and resumed his activities as an impresario in Venice and other Italian cities.

In the 1730s, Vivaldi's career gradually declined. The French traveler Charles de Broces reported in 1739 with regret that his music was no longer fashionable. Vivaldi's impresariotic forays became increasingly marked by failure. In 1740, he went to Vienna, but he fell ill and did not live to attend his opera L "oracolo there in Messinia in 1742. The simplicity of his funeral on July 28, 1741 indicates that he died in considerable poverty.

After Vivaldi's death, his huge collection of musical manuscripts, consisting mainly of autograph scores of his own works, was associated with 27 large volumes. They were acquired first by the Venetian bibliophile Jacopo Soranzo and then by Count Giacomo Durazzo, patron of Christoph Willibald Gluck. Discovered in the 1920s, these manuscripts are today part of the Foa and Giordano collections of the National Library of Turin.

About Vivaldi

The genius of Italian music Antonio Luciano Vivaldi wrote a huge number of works. Author of about 90 opera works, more than 500 solo concerts accompanied by an orchestra.

The musician was born in the family of a barber in Venice on March 4, 1678. The father of the future composer Giovanni masterfully played the violin. Growing up surrounded by violin music, Antonio replaced his father, who played in the St. Mark's Chapel, from the age of 10.

From the age of 25, Vivaldi began teaching at the orphanage school at the monastery. His duties included teaching the orphanage girls music. Teaching activities involved writing works for students. During this period of his life, the composer wrote more than 60 works of various kinds: concertos, oratorios, vocal music.

In 1705, Antonio's first 12 sonatas were published, which were called opus 1. In 1706, the composer's first public performance took place in the palace of the French ambassador. During a performance in 1709 at the Pieta Conservatory, Vivaldi was introduced to the King of Denmark, Frederick IV, who was subsequently dedicated to 12 composers for violin sonatas.

Since 1713, Vivaldi discovered a new path in his work - the creation of operatic works. According to the composer himself, he wrote more than 90 works in this genre, but about 50 have survived to this day. Initially, operas were successful in secular society, but it was fleeting. In 1721, Antonio visits Milan, where he presents the musical drama Silvia to the public, after which the composer returns to writing works on biblical themes for the church.

The next three years of the composer's life can be called the Roman period of life. Moving to the capital of Italy became very symbolic for Vivaldi. He wrote operas, performed before the Pope. During this period, his famous concertos from the Four Seasons cycle were written. The uniqueness of the work was in the sound, when the plot themes of the work were reflected in thin lines of music (falling on ice, the voice of children, the barking of a dog, the murmur of a stream).

As fame faded in his homeland, the composer's popularity in Europe grew. The Austrian Emperor Charles VI, with whom Vivaldi had a personal acquaintance, highly appreciated his creations. At the invitation of the emperor, the musician moves to permanent residence in Vienna. The patronage of the emperor did not last long, his death and the war in Austria led to the oblivion of Antonio.

The composer died in 1741 in poverty and loneliness. Even in his youth, having given a dinner of celibacy, Vivaldi had no family, no children. He was buried in the Vienna Cemetery of the Poor. The world for 200 years forgot about the work of the great genius. Only J.S. Bach sincerely admired the music of the Italian. The revival of the name Vivaldi took place in the middle of the 20th century. Now Antonio's works are heard at many concerts of classical music.

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Moscow State University of Culture and Arts

Antonio Vivaldi. Life and art

Completed:

Shilova Sofia

Group 435-z

Moscow 2014

VIVALDI ANTONIO (1678-1741)

Italian composer, violinist, conductor and teacher of the Baroque era

Antomnio Lumchio Vivamldi (Italian Antonio Lucio Vivaldi; March 4, 1678, Venice - July 28, 1741, Vienna) is an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, conductor, Catholic priest. Vivaldi is considered one of the largest representatives of the Italian violin art of the 18th century, during his lifetime he received wide recognition throughout Europe. Master of the ensemble and orchestral concert - concerto grosso, author of ninety operas. Vivaldi is mainly known for his instrumental concertos, especially for the violin. His most famous work is the cycle of four violin concertos "The Seasons".

The Birth and Childhood of Vivaldi Baroque Sonata Concerto

Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678 in Venice, which at that time was the capital of the Republic of Venice. Until the middle of the 20th century, researchers of Vivaldi's biography assumed various dates of the composer's birth, there were statements that he was born in 1675, and other dates were given. Discovered in January 1963 by the English scholar Eric Paul, the records of the church parish of St. John in Bragora (a suburb of Venice) made it possible to finally establish the date of the composer's birth. According to these records, Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678, and on the same day he was baptized in this cathedral. Baptism was urgently performed by a midwife, as the boy was born frail and was in danger of death.

Antonio's distant ancestors were respected people in Brescia, where the composer's father, Giovanni Battista (1655-1736), was also born in 1655. At the age of ten, Giovanni moved with his mother to Venice, where he studied hairdressing. At that time, in Italian barbershops, as a rule, various musical instruments were kept to occupy clients' free time. Giovanni played the violin from time to time and subsequently devoted himself entirely to music.

In 1677, Giovanni marries Camille Calicchio (1655-1728) and a year later they have a son, Antonio. According to church records, Antonio had three sisters - Margherita Gabriela, Cecilia Maria and Zanetta Anna, and two brothers - Bonaventura Tomaso and Francesco Gaetano, who continued their father's work and later became barbers.

In 1685, the name of Giovanni Battista was included in the list of founders of the musical community "Sovvegno dei musicisti de Santa Secilia", whose director was the famous composer, author of a number of operas, Giovanni Legrenzi. Subsequently, Giovanni became the chief violinist in the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral. It is noteworthy that in those years his full name was listed as Giovanni Battista Rossi. For the unusual red hair color for the Venetians, which Antonio inherited from his father, he was subsequently called the "red priest" (Italian: il prette rosso). There is little information about the youthful years of the composer and his musical education. Most likely, it was his father who became Antonio's first musical mentor, teaching him to play the violin.

From the age of ten, Antonio began to play the violin, in 1689-1692 he replaced his father in the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral due to his frequent absences from Venice. According to some sources, Antonio studied music theory and composition with Giovanni Legrenzi, but given that Legrenzi died in 1690, many researchers question the fact that Legrenzi mentored the young Antonio. Violin virtuosity and echoes in Antonio's early works of the musical style of the famous Roman violinist Arcangelo Corelli have led to speculation that Antonio may have studied violin with this master. However, to date there is no clear evidence to confirm this, and the time chronology of the dates of Antonio's church service does not coincide with the date of his alleged training in 1703 in Rome.

The father's service in the church cathedral and contacts with the clergy influenced the choice of young Antonio's future career. He decided to become a clergyman, and this is quite understandable, since in Italy of those times it was common to combine spiritual and musical careers. Vivaldi is ordained a priest. The next day he celebrated the first independent mass in the church of San Giovanni in Oleo. On September 1, 1703, he entered the service of a violin teacher (maestro di violino) at the conservatory of the Pieta church shelter, which was famous as one of the best music schools for girls. Later he became the conductor of the orchestra and director of concerts (maestro de concerti), Vivaldi's duties included composing music for numerous secular and spiritual concerts of this conservatory. He combined the profession of a musician with the spiritual dignity of an abbot-minorite, but then he was dismissed from the priesthood for "unlawful" behavior during a church service - Antonio himself explained his dismissal by the fact that, due to asthma attacks that tormented him, he was often forced to interrupt the service However, a lot of rumors and gossip were born around this renunciation - Grigory Orlov, for example, wrote on this occasion that Vivaldi allowed himself to suddenly run away to the sacristy in the middle of the service in order to immediately record the melody of a new fugue that came into his head.

In 1703, Vivaldi received an order from Countess Lucrezia Trevisan to serve 90 votive matins in the church of St. John. On August 17, 1704, he received an additional reward for teaching the game on the viola d "amore. After serving half of the votive matins, Vivaldi refused the order of Lucrezia Trevisan for health reasons. In 1705, Giuseppe Sala's publishing house in Venice published his 12 sonatas, indicated by opus 1. In subsequent years Vivaldi repeatedly turned to the genre of sonatas for one and several instruments.Vivaldi's second opus, published in Venice by Bortoli in 1709, included 12 sonatas for violin accompanied by cembalo (the Italian name for harpsichord).In 1706, Vivaldi's first public performance took place in the palace of the French embassies.The names of virtuoso violinists, father and son of Vivaldi, are also mentioned in the edition of the Guide to Venice, prepared by the Italian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli.During this period, Vivaldi moved from Bragora Square to a new, more spacious house in the neighboring parish of San Provolo.In 1711 12 concerts "L" estro armonico "(" Harmonic inspiration ") were published in the year. In the same year, he received a solid annual salary and became the main director of the concerts of the pupils, from 1713 the director of the women's conservatory "Pieta" ("Ospedale della Pieta"). During these years, the young Vivaldi worked hard, combining teaching and composing. His name becomes famous in his native Venice, and given that Venice was visited by a large number of travelers at that time, Vivaldi's popularity spread beyond Venice. So, in 1709, during the presentation of the oratorio in Pieta, Vivaldi was introduced to the Danish king Frederick IV, to whom he later dedicated 12 violin sonatas. In 1712, during his stay in Venice, the German composer, bandmaster from Breslau Gottfried Stölzel met with Antonio. Thus, Stölzel was the first German musician to have personal contact with Vivaldi.

The beginning of composing activity. Venice (1713--1718)

In 1713, Vivaldi wrote his first work, the three-act opera Ottone in villa (Ottone in the Villa), the premiere of which took place on May 17 of the same year at the Venice Teatro delle Grazie (Teatro delle Grazie). This opera is a typical example of an opera seria with its protracted action and intricate plot intrigue. Written to a libretto by Domenico Lalli, with whom Vivaldi subsequently collaborated on several occasions, she recreates one of the episodes of Roman history. In accordance with custom, castrato singers performed as soloists, performing both male and female parts. Their performance combined the strength and brilliance of male voices with the lightness and mobility of female ones. Apparently, the production was a significant success, as it attracted the attention of the Venetian impresario. Soon Vivaldi received a commission (scrittura) for a new opera from Modotto, owner of the San Angelo theater, with whom he maintained contact until his last opera, Feraspe (1739). A year later, in 1714, he wrote his second opera Orlando finto pazzo (Roland, the pretended madman), written to a libretto by Grazio Braccioli, a loose adaptation of the well-known poem Roland Furious by the Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto. Soon the composer wrote two oratorios in Latin texts, "Moses, God of the Pharaohs" in 1714 and "Judith Triumphant" in 1716. The score of his first oratorio, Moses, God of the Pharaohs, was subsequently lost. In the Roman conservatory of Saint Sessilia, only the text of the oratorio with the names of the performers has been preserved, from which it is clear that all parts, including male characters, were performed by girls - pupils. The oratorio "Judith Triumphant", distinguished by the freshness of melodic inspiration and the subtlety of orchestral color, belonged to the best creations of Vivaldi. With the wide recognition of the talent of the composer and teacher, the number of Vivaldi's students also increased, but neither new students nor the abundance of composer work at the Pieta Conservatory could distract Vivaldi from intensive work in the theater. In 1715 he received a commission from the theater of San Angelo - 12 main arias in the opera "Nerone fatto Cesare" ("Nero who became Caesar"). In 1716, Vivaldi, commissioned by the San Angelo Theater, wrote another opera, L "incoronazione di Dario" ("The Coronation of Darius"). In the same year, he wrote the opera "La costanza trionfante degl" amori e de gl "odii" ( Permanence Triumphing Over Love and Hate) for the second most important Venetian theater of San Mosé, with which the composer was also closely associated in later years. These operas premiered at the Carnival of 1716. The fact that Vivaldi becomes famous not only in Venice, but also abroad, is also evidenced by the fact that in 1718 his opera "Scanderbegh" ("Skanderbeg") is staged on the stage of the Florentine theater.

In general, the period from 1713 to 1718 is considered by many researchers to be the most productive stage in the composer's work: during these five years he wrote a total of eight operas.

Life in Mantua (1719--1722)

Little is known about the period of the composer's life from 1719 to 1722. Judging by the composer's letter of 1737 and his annotations to operas, it becomes clear that Vivaldi spent these years in the city of Mantua and partly in Germany. On the title page of the libretto for the opera "La Verita in Cimento" he calls himself Maestro di Capella di Camera il Principe Filippo Langravio d "Assia Darmstadt, from which it follows that from 1720, presumably to 1723, Vivaldi served as omargrave Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt , who at that time led the troops of the Austrian Emperor Charles VI in Mantua and Naples. In Mantua, Vivaldi met the opera singer Anna Giraud (Anna Giraud), the daughter of a French hairdresser. This acquaintance had a great influence on the subsequent fate of Vivaldi. In his messages to the playwright Carlo Goldoni Vivaldi introduces Anna Giraud to him as his "diligent student". According to researchers, it is Vivaldi who has a great merit in the development of Anna Giraud as an opera singer. This is quite likely, since Italian opera composers usually knew the secrets of vocal technique perfectly. Contemporaries spoke about Anna as a skillful and soulful singer with a pleasant, albeit modest in range, voice. Carlo Goldoni wrote that “she was ugly, but very graceful, had a thin waist, beautiful eyes, beautiful hair, a lovely mouth. She had a small voice, but an undoubted acting talent. Anna Giraud's sister, Paolina, became a constant companion of Vivaldi, who became a kind of nurse of the composer and took care of the health of the composer, who suffered from bronchial asthma. After a three-year service in Mantua, Vivaldi, together with Anna and Paolina, returned to Venice, where the Venetians called Anna sharp-tongued "the girlfriend of the red-haired priest." In Venice, both of them constantly lived in the house of Vivaldi and accompanied him on numerous journeys associated at that time with dangers and hardships. These relationships, which are too close for a clergyman, with the Giraud sisters have repeatedly caused criticism from the clergy. This was facilitated by the emergence of a huge number of popular rumors and speculation around the person of Vivaldi. So, according to one of the rumors, Vivaldi was a eunuch. Violation of the norms of the behavior of the priest led to serious consequences for Vivaldi and the aggravation of his relations with the church nobility of the Papal States. It is known that in 1738 the Cardinal-Archbishop of the city of Ferrara forbade Vivaldi to enter the city and celebrate Mass due to the composer's fall into sin. Despite all this, he always defended the honor and human dignity of his life companions with great spiritual firmness, invariably speaking of them with deep respect.

Roman period (1723--1724)

After a three-year service in Mantua, Vivaldi returned to Venice. In 1723 he made his first trip to Rome and staged a new opera, Ercole sul Termodonte (Hercules on Thermodon). This opera made a greater impression on the Romans. The famous flutist, composer and musical theorist Johann Joachim Quantz, who arrived in Rome six months after the premiere of the opera, noted that "the public liked Vivaldi's 'Lombard style' so much that since then they did not want to listen to other music." In February 1724, Vivaldi again visited Rome to participate in the premiere of the opera Giustino (Giustino). The third opera, "La virtш trionfante dell" amore, e dell "odio, overo Il Tirane" ("Virtue triumphing over love and hate"), written in 1724 and presented in the same year at the Roman carnival, completed the triumphal success of the works composer in Rome, a performance in which was considered a serious test for any composer. On the same visit, he had an audience with Pope Benedict XIII, to whom the composer performed excerpts from two of his works. Although many researchers believe that Vivaldi was received by Pope Benedict XIII, according to the German researcher Karl Heller, this could have been an audience with his predecessor, Innocent XIII. If we assume that Vivaldi was received by Benedict XIII, then this means that he stayed in Rome longer than during his first visit, since Benedict XIII was elected pope only on May 29, 1724. In 1725, a cycle of 12 concerts "Il Cimento dell" Armonia e dell "Invenzione" ("The Art of Harmony and Invention" or "The Dispute of Harmony with Invention"), written by him around 1720, was published in Amsterdam. The world-famous, inaccurately referred to in Russia as "The Seasons", the first four concerts of this cycle already then made an indelible impression on the listeners with their frantic passion and innovation. The correct name is "The Four Seasons" (Le quattro stagione), which directly refers to the many-valued symbolism of the cycle. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who worked at that time in the French embassy in Venice, highly appreciated the music of Vivaldi and liked to perform some of this cycle himself on his favorite flute. Vivaldi's concertos are also widely known - "La notte" (night), "Il cardellino" (finchfinch), for flute and orchestra, concerto for two mandolins RV532, distinguished by artistic depiction and harmonic generosity inherent in his works, as well as spiritual works: Gloria, Magnificat, Stabat Mater, Dixit Dominus.

In 1735, he was again a bandmaster for a short time.

last years of life

The exact date of departure from Venice is unknown, but presumably in mid-May 1740, the musician finally leaves Venice and goes to his patron, Emperor Charles VI. He arrived in Vienna at an unfortunate time, a few months after his arrival, Charles VI died, and the War of the Austrian Succession began. Vienna was not up to Vivaldi, and the composer briefly left to look for a new job in Dresden, Saxony, where he most likely fell ill. Forgotten by everyone, sick and without a livelihood, he returned to Vienna, where he died on July 28, 1741. The quarterly doctor recorded the death of "the Reverend Don Antonio Vivaldi from internal inflammation." He was buried in a cemetery for the poor for a modest fee of 19 florins 45 kreuzers. A month later, the sisters Margherita and Zanetta received notice of Antonio's death. On August 26, the bailiff described his property in payment of debts.

The importance of Vivaldi in the history of music

Vivaldi is the largest representative of the Italian violin art of the 18th century, who approved a new dramatized, so-called "Lombard" style of performance. He created the genre of solo instrumental concerto, influenced the development of virtuoso violin technique. Master of the ensemble and orchestral concert - concerto grosso (concerto grosso). Vivaldi established a 3-part cyclic form for the concerto grosso, singled out the virtuoso part of the soloist.

Even during his lifetime, he became known as a composer, capable of creating a three-act opera in five days and composing many variations on one theme. He became famous throughout Europe as a virtuoso violinist. Vivaldi wrote all his operas on the plots of the same playwright - Carlo Goldoni. Although Goldoni, treated kindly by him after the death of the red-haired priest, spoke of him in his memoirs as a rather mediocre composer. The musical heritage of Antonio Vivaldi was little known in the 18th-19th centuries, was in oblivion for almost 200 years, and only in the 20s of the 20th century were the collections of the composer's manuscripts discovered by an Italian musicologist. For a long time, Vivaldi was remembered only because J.S. Bach made a number of transcriptions of the works of his predecessor, and only in the 20th century was the publication of a complete collection of Vivaldi's instrumental opuses undertaken. Vivaldi's instrumental concertos were a stage on the way to the formation of a classical symphony. Contemporaries often criticized him for his excessive enthusiasm for the opera stage and the haste and illegibility shown at the same time. It is curious that after the production of his opera "Furious Roland", friends called Vivaldi, none other than Dirus (lat. Furious). The operatic heritage of the composer has not yet become the property of the world opera scene. Approximately 94 operas are attributed to him, although only about 40 of them have been accurately identified. It wasn't until the 1990s that Furious Roland was successfully staged in San Francisco.

The work of Vivaldi had a huge impact not only on contemporary Italian composers, but also on musicians of other nationalities, primarily German. Here it is especially interesting to trace the influence of Vivaldi's music on J.S. Bach. In the first biography of Bach, published in 1802, its author, Johann Nikolaus Forkel, singled out the name of Vivaldi among the masters who became the subject of study for the young Johann Sebastian. The strengthening of the instrumental-virtuosic nature of Bach's thematicism in the Köthen period of his work (1717-1723) is directly related to the study of Vivaldi's music. But its impact was manifested not only in the assimilation and processing of individual expressive techniques - it was much broader and deeper. Bach took Vivaldi's style so organically that it became his own musical language. The inner affinity with the music of Vivaldi is palpable in the most diverse works of Bach, right up to his famous “High” Mass in B minor. The influence exerted by Vivaldi's music on the German composer was undoubtedly enormous. According to A. Casella, "Bach is his greatest admirer and probably the only one who at that time could understand all the greatness of the genius of this musician."

A significant contribution to the study of Vivaldi's work was made by the French musicologist Mark Pincherle and the German musicologist Walter Kolneder.

Antonio Vivaldi is a prolific composer. He is the author of 90 operas, including "Roland the Furious" (Orlando furioso), "Nero, who became Caesar" (Nerone fatto Cesare, 1715, ibid), "The Coronation of Darius" (L "incoronazione di Dario, 1716, ibid. ), “Deception triumphant in love” (L "inganno trionfante in amore, 1725, ibid.), "Farnak" (1727, ibid., later also called "Farnak, ruler of Pontus"), "Cunegonda" (1727, ibid.), Olympias (1734, ibid.), Griselda (1735, San Samuele Theatre, Venice), Aristides (1735, ibid.), Tamerlane (1735, Philharmonic Theatre, Verona ), "Oracle in Messenia" (1738, theater "Sant'Angelo", Venice), "Ferasp" (1739, ibid.); oratorios - “Moses, God of the Pharaoh” (Moyses Deus Pharaonis, 1714), “Triumphant Judith” (Juditha Triumphans devicta Holo-fernis barbarie, 1716), “Adoration of the Magi” (L "Adorazione delli tre Re Magi, 1722), etc. .;

44 concertos for string orchestra and basso continuo;

49 concerti grossi;

352 concertos for one instrument accompanied by a string orchestra and / or basso continuo (253 for violin, 26 for cello, 6 for viol d "amour, 13 for transverse, 3 for longitudinal flutes, 12 for oboe, 38 for bassoon, 1 for mandolin );

38 concertos for 2 instruments accompanied by string orchestra and/or basso continuo (25 for violin, 2 for cello, 3 for violin and cello, 2 for horns, 1 for mandolins);

32 concertos for 3 or more instruments accompanied by string orchestra and/or basso continuo.

One of the most famous works - the first 4 concertos from the 8th opus, a cycle of 12 violin concertos - "The Four Seasons" - an early example of program symphonic music. Vivaldi made a significant contribution to the development of instrumentation, he was one of the first to use oboes, horns, bassoons and other instruments as independent, and not duplicating.

Vivaldi in art

Several works of art have survived that depict Vivaldi. So, in 1723 and 1725, the portraits of the composer were painted by the French artist Francois Morelon de la Cave, however, the most famous color portrait is only an alleged portrait of Vivaldi, since there is no signature of his last name on it, and the assumption that it depicts the greatest composer , done only because the portrait was discovered in Venice and depicts a violinist (and Vivaldi was a virtuoso violinist). The external dissimilarity of this portrait from the rest and the absence of the composer's initials on it give reason to doubt that the color portrait really depicts Vivaldi. One of the paintings is kept in the International Museum of Music (Italian: Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica) in Bologna. In 1723, the Italian artist Pier Leone Ghezzi drew a caricature of the composer - "The Red Priest".

Named after Antonio Vivaldi:

crater on the planet Mercury.

Italian Institute in Siena, (headed by Francesco Malipiero).

Literature[edit | edit wiki text]

Barbier P. Venice Vivaldi: Music and holidays of the Baroque era = La Venise de Vivaldi: Musique et fktes baroques. - St. Petersburg: Ivan Limbakh Publishing House, 2009. - P. 280. - ISBN 978-5-89059-140-1.

Virgilio Boccardi. Vivaldi. -- Life of Remarkable People (Volume 1085). - M.: Young guard, 2007. - S. 272. - ISBN 978-5-235-03014-5.

Eleanor Selfridge-Field A new chronology of Venetian opera and related genres, 1660-1760. The calendar of Venetian opera. -- Stanford University Press, 2007. -- P. 778. -- ISBN 978-0-80474-4379.

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