Amazing Facts About Vivaldi
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On the day of his birth, March 4, 1678, a large earthquake occurred in Venice.
2. Young Antonio was taught to play the violin by his father, a professional violinist who was also a barber. Father and son toured Venice playing violin together.
3. At age 15, he began studies to become a priest and was nicknamed Il prêt Rosso, or The Red Priest. It is speculated that this was due to his red hair, which was a family trait.
4. Vivaldi suffered from a form of asthma which limited his duties administering Mass but gave him more time to spend writing music.
5. He produced many of his major works while employed for approximately 30
years as a master violinist at the Ospedale della Pieta, a home for abandoned children. The boys were taught a trade. The female orphans received expert musical instruction and became members of the choir and orchestra. Their performances were well respected all around the region.
6. His famous set of 4 violin concertos, The Four Seasons, (1723) is considered to be an outstanding example of program music. Each concerto depicts a scene appropriate for each season and is accompanied by a written description.
7. J.S. Bach was a huge fan of Vivaldi’s music. He transcribed several of Vivaldi’s concerti for keyboard, strings, organ and harpsichord.
9. Famous during his lifetime, at the end of his years, Antonio Vivaldi was forgotten by the public. He died a lonely and impoverished man, and only after about 200 years the well-deserved fame returned to him.
10. Interestingly, the young composer Joseph Haydn, employed at the cathedral, had nothing to do with this burial since no music was performed.
8. Antonio Vivaldi became the creator of the instrumental concerto and the founder of orchestral program music. He became famous throughout Europe as a virtuoso violinist and wrote many concertos for various instruments and orchestra, but the most famous and beloved by music lovers are four concertos for violin and orchestra called the Four Seasons.