Though it has made Vivaldi famous for at least the last century or so, The Four Seasons has paradoxically led us to underestimate the Venetian’s true greatness.
By one estimate it is the most played piece of classical music in world history. Inevitably, when one hears the name of Antonio Vivaldi, one thinks of his famous set of four violin concertos, The Four Seasons. Then, several events occurred to re-awaken interest in the music of “The Red Priest.” Once renowned across Europe, by the early twentieth century Vivaldi was considered a minor composer. Here is a performance of Vivaldi's "Gloria" in the Pietà, by women who are performing the same way the women performed in Vivaldi's time.The popularity of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” has paradoxically led us to underestimate the Venetian’s true greatness. Because most of the music they performed was in Church, the girls stood behind a curtain so that they wouldn't distract the people who were praying. Over the years the orchestra and singers of La Pietà became famous and people would come from all over to hear them sing and play. Vivaldi taught the girls but also wrote music for them to play. Antonio had red hair (under the wig that you see in the picture) and he became known as "II Prete Rosso", "The Red Priest".Īntonio only worked as a priest for a year when he decided to become a music teacher in an orphanage school for girls called Ospedale della Pietà. The training to be a priest takes a long time but when he was 25, Antonio became a priest. When he was 15, Antonio began training to become a priest. Antonio showed a lot of talent and he and his father performed together all over Venice.
Antonio's father was a violinist and taught him how to play the violin at a young age. He was the oldest of seven children born to his parents Giovanni and Camilla. Vivaldi is one of the most famous Baroque Period composers. Antonio Vivaldi was born on Main Venice, Italy.
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