Antonio Vivaldi: biography, interesting facts, creativity. Vivaldi: list of works, the most famous compositions and the history of their creation Famous works of Vivaldi list

MAIN DATES IN THE LIFE AND WORK OF ANTONIO VIVALDI 1678, March 4 - in Venice, a seven-month-old boy was born in the family of the barber and violinist Giovan Battista Vivaldi, who received the name Antonio Lucio at baptism. 1679, July 18 - the birth of his sister Margherita. 1683, January 12 - the birth of his sister

3. An extraordinary catalog The development of commercial gardening was going so well that Burbank increasingly felt the irreconcilability of the two sides of his activity: the income of the industrial nursery, however, increased funds and made it possible to conduct more extensive experiments, but

Chapter Thirteen Brothel Directory for G.I. September 1980. SaigonIn the labyrinth of alleys between Tran Hung Dao Avenue and Nguyen Cong Chu Street I discover “Saigon Book Paradise”. Already on my next visit to Saigon in the summer of 1983, these alleys became deserted and

On July 28, 1741, composer Antonio Vivaldi died. In the history of music, he is a recognized genius, and, of course, there are hardly anyone who has never heard his works. However, not much is known about Vivaldi himself and his life. Let's restore justice - remember the biography of the great composer.

Antonio was born on March 4, 1678 in the Venetian Republic, in the family of barber Giovanni Battista and Camilla Calicchiu. The child was born two months premature and was very weak, as a result of which he was baptized immediately after birth. Doctors later diagnosed him with “tightness in the chest,” that is, asthma. This closed the possibility for Vivaldi to play wind instruments in the future.

Vivaldi could write a full-length opera in 5 days

The father of the future musician was fond of music in his youth and learned to play the violin; later he was offered the position of chief violinist in the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral. Little Antonio's father himself gave him his first lessons in playing the instrument. The boy was such a capable student that from 1689 he replaced his father in the chapel. There the young genius was surrounded by clergy, which determined the choice of his future profession: Vivaldi decided to become a clergyman. However, this did not prevent him from continuing his music studies and combining two things.

Vivaldi House in Venice

However, his church career did not go smoothly due to Vivaldi’s poor health. He celebrated only a few masses as a priest, and after that he ceased to perform his duties, remaining, however, a clergyman. Antonio, who has proven himself to be an excellent musician, receives an offer to become a teacher at the Venetian Conservatory. He taught his students both sacred and secular music. During these years, Vivaldi wrote many works for students - concertos, cantatas, sonatas, oratorios. In 1704, in addition to the position of violin teacher, he received the duties of viola teacher. In 1716 he became the head of the conservatory, responsible for all musical activities.

Vivaldi was one of the composer Bach's inspirations

In the 1710s, Vivaldi began to gain fame as a composer. His name was included in the “Guide to Venice”, where he was called a virtuoso violinist. Travelers visiting the famous Italian city spread the fame of Vivaldi beyond Italy. Thus, Vivaldi was introduced to the Danish king Frederick IV, to whom he subsequently dedicated 12 violin sonatas. Since 1713, Vivaldi has been trying himself as an opera composer. He wrote “Ottone at the Villa” and “Roland Pretending to be Mad” - these works ensured Vivaldi’s fame, and over the next 5 years, 8 more operas by the composer were staged. Despite the frantic workload, Vivaldi did not shirk his responsibilities as head of the conservatory, managing to combine them with his compositional activities.

Vanessa Mae performs Vivaldi

Not everyone, however, was enthusiastic about Vivaldi's operas - for example, composer Bendetto Marcello published a pamphlet where he ridiculed Vivaldi's work. This forced Antonio to stop working on operas for several years.

A crater on the planet Mercury is named after Vivaldi

In 1717, Vivaldi accepted an offer to take the place of bandmaster at the court of Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt, governor of Mantua. It was under the impression of the surroundings of this town that the famous cycle of violin concerts, known in Russia as “The Seasons” (correctly called “The Four Seasons”), was born. In addition, in Mantua, Vivaldi meets the opera singer Anna Giraud, whom he subsequently introduces to everyone as his student. Giraud's sister, Paolina, accompanied the composer everywhere, taking care of his health - asthma attacks plagued Vivaldi. Both girls lived with Vivaldi in his house in Venice, which caused indignation on the part of the clergy, since he was still a clergyman. In 1738 he was prohibited from celebrating Mass on the grounds of the composer's "fall from grace". However, Vivaldi himself denied all sorts of gossip and speculation regarding his relationship with the Giraud sisters, who were only his pupils.

Mantua

One of the connoisseurs of Vivaldi’s music was the philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau; he performed some of the composer’s works on the flute. Among the admirers of his talent was Emperor Charles VI, and in the 1730s Vivaldi decided to move to Vienna and take the place of composer at the imperial court. In order to raise money for the trip, he had to sell his manuscripts at a penny price. Vivaldi's fame faded; he was no longer so popular in Venice. Failures began to haunt the musician: shortly after arriving in Vienna, Charles VI dies, and the War of the Austrian Succession begins. Vivaldi leaves for Dresden in search of a new job, but falls ill. He returned to Vienna already deeply ill, poor and forgotten by everyone. Vivaldi died on July 28, 1741, and was buried in a cemetery for the poor in a simple grave.

For almost 200 years, Vivaldi's work was forgotten

Vivaldi's musical heritage was forgotten for almost 200 years: only in the 20s. In the 20th century, Italian musicologist Gentili discovered unique manuscripts of the composer: nineteen operas, more than 300 concerts, many sacred and secular vocal works. It is believed that Vivaldi wrote more than 90 operas throughout his life, but only 40 have proven authorship.

Antonio Luciano Vivaldi is an Italian composer, conductor, teacher, virtuoso violinist, author of 500 concerts for solo instruments and orchestra, 90 operas, a genius whose works were forgotten for 200 years.

Antonio was born on March 4, 1678 in Venice in the family of barber and musician Giovanni Battista Vivaldi and his wife Camilla. Giovanni was originally from Brescia, and at the age of 10 he settled in Venice with his mother. In those days, barbers shaved, cut, curled and anointed their clients, and also entertained them by playing music.

Vivaldi Sr. combined hairdressing with playing the violin. Giovanni became a violinist in the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral, and his name appears on the list of founders of the musical society and even on the title page of one opera dated 1689.

The director of the mentioned society was the composer and author of operas Giovanni Legrenzi. Based on these facts, the compilers of Vivaldi’s biography came to the conclusion that the composer owes his talent and first steps in the musical field to his father, who instilled in his son a love for the violin and passed on his own skills, perfect pitch and mastery of the game. There is also a version that young Antonio studied with Giovanni Legrenzi.

The circumstances of the birth of Vivaldi Jr. made it possible to find out the exact date of his birth. The fact is that the boy was born premature, in the seventh month. The midwife who delivered the baby advised the child to be baptized immediately in case of sudden death. A couple of hours after the birth, the baby was already baptized, as evidenced by the entry in the church book.

According to legend, on that day there was an earthquake in Venice, and the child was born prematurely. Camilla allegedly vowed to give her son to the clergy if he survived. Surprisingly, Antonio survived, although he had poor health and a slight build.

Due to asthma, it was difficult for the boy to move, and wind instruments were also banned. But the violin, beloved since infancy, was at the complete disposal of the future maestro, and from the age of 10 Antonio replaced his father, playing in the Chapel of St. Mark.

From the age of 13, Vivaldi Jr. served as the “goalkeeper” at the cathedral, opening the gates of the temple. Then several more initiations of the young church minister to higher positions took place. Antonio served Mass only once; he was given an exemption due to poor health, and the young man was given the opportunity to devote himself to music.

In those days, Venetian priests combined writing concerts and sacred music with serving God. This was considered as natural as the presence of musical instruments in every barber shop. In the 17th century, the Republic of Venice was one of the most enlightened and cultural countries in the world, and in the field of opera, secular and sacred music, it set the tone for the rest of Europe.

Music

At the age of 25, Vivaldi began teaching the art of violin playing at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice. Conservatories were then called shelter schools at monasteries, where orphans and children whose parents were unable to provide for them were educated. These schools were financed from the republic's funds.

The girls' shelters specialized in the humanities, with special attention paid to singing, music, and the performance of spiritual melodies, psalms and chants. The boys, who were trained as traders and artisans, were taught exact sciences.

Antonio Vivaldi became a violin master for the young pupils of the orphanage, and then a viola teacher. His duties included monthly writing of concerts, cantatas, vocal works for soloists and choir, as well as the creation of new oratorios and concerts for each church holiday. In addition, the teacher personally taught the orphans music, playing instruments and vocals, rehearsed and honed the girls’ skills.

Vivaldi worked at Pietà from 1703 to 1740, not counting an eight-year break from 1715 to 1723, and from 1713 became director of the conservatory. All these years, the composer worked tirelessly; he wrote more than 60 works for the shelter alone, including cantatas, concerts for solo, choral, and orchestral performances.

In 1705 and 1709, Venetian publishing houses published two Vivaldi opuses of 12 sonatas, and in 1711 - 12 concertos under the title “Harmonic Inspiration”. In those same years, the young and talented composer was heard for the first time outside of Italy. In 1706, Vivaldi performed at the French embassy, ​​and three years later his oratorio was heard by the Danish king Frederick IV, to whom Antonio subsequently dedicated 12 sonatas.

In 1712, the musician met the German composer Gottfried Stölzel, and five years later Vivaldi moved to Mantua for three years at the invitation of Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt.

Since 1713, the composer became interested in a new form of musical art - secular opera. The first opera written by Vivaldi was Ottone at the Villa. The talented young man was noticed by impresarios and patrons of the arts, and soon Antonio received an order from the owner of the San Angelo Theater for a new opera.

According to the composer, in the period from 1713 to 1737 he wrote 94 operas, but only 50 scores with confirmed authorship of the great Vivaldi have survived to this day. The author of the operas enjoyed stunning success, but Vivaldi's secular fame was short-lived. The musically sophisticated Venetian public soon found new idols, and Antonio's operas went out of fashion.

In 1721, the maestro visited Milan, where he presented the drama Sylvia, and the next year he returned with an oratorio on a biblical theme. From 1722 to 1725, Vivaldi lived in Rome, where he wrote new operas and performed before the pope at a personal invitation. For the musician-clergyman this event was a great honor.

In 1723-1724, Vivaldi wrote the famous concertos, erroneously called “The Seasons” in the CIS (the correct name is “The Four Seasons”). Each of the violin concertos is dedicated to spring, winter, summer and autumn. According to most critics and researchers, these concerts are the pinnacle of the maestro’s creativity.

The revolutionary nature of works of genius lies in the fact that the human ear clearly catches in music the reflection of processes and phenomena characteristic of a particular season. So, in the song of the violin you can hear the noise of a storm and the barking of dogs, the squeaking of mosquitoes and the bubbling of streams, children's voices, the trills of birds of recognizable breeds, and even the fall of a skater on the ice.

Tours and travels led the maestro to meet the Austrian Emperor Charles VI. The king was a big fan of Vivaldi's work, and friendly relations began between them. Surprisingly, as the popularity of the composer’s music declined in his homeland, Venice, his fame grew in Europe, at the courts of the French and Austrian kings.

At the end of his life, luck abandoned the brilliant composer, and he was forced to sell his sonatas for pennies, just so as not to vegetate in poverty. Disillusioned with the Venetians, who stopped loving his creations, Antonio Vivaldi decided to move to Vienna, “under the wing” of the royal admirer of his talent, Charles VI.

Unfortunately, soon after the composer moved to Vienna, the emperor died, then the war began, and the maestro was forgotten.

Personal life

As a clergyman, Antonio Vivaldi took a vow of celibacy, which he observed throughout his life. And yet, ill-wishers were able to discern a violation of decency in his close relationship with one of the pupils of the Pietà Conservatory, Anna Giraud and her sister Paolina.

Vivaldi was the teacher and mentor of Anna, who, according to the recollections of contemporaries, attracted the attention of the public not with the strength and range of her voice, but with her acting talent. For this girl, the composer wrote the best operas, composed arias and spent time together at home and on the road.

Anna's sister, Paolina, idolized the maestro and became a volunteer nurse and caregiver with him, helping to cope with congenital ailments and bodily weakness. For a long time, the higher clergy turned a blind eye to the maestro’s passion for secular music and operas, but they could not forgive him for constantly being around two young girls.

In 1738, the Cardinal Archbishop of Ferrara, where the next carnival with the same operas was supposed to take place, did not allow Vivaldi and his companions into the city, and also ordered a mass to be celebrated in view of the composer’s fall from grace.

Death

The brilliant composer died in poverty and loneliness in a foreign land, in Vienna. Antonio Vivaldi's life was cut short on July 28, 1741. His property was described and sold for debts, and his body was buried in a cemetery for the city's poor. Only a month after Antonio's death, his younger sisters received sad news.

After his death, the name of Vivaldi was undeservedly forgotten. Perhaps he only sincerely and deeply loved the Italian’s music, remaining for a long time his only faithful admirer. Bach transcribed ten Vivaldi concertos for various instruments and orchestra, and the legacy of the Venetian composer had a tangible influence on the work of the virtuoso organist.

• Much credit for the research and discovery of Vivaldi's masterpieces for posterity belongs to the Italian musicologist Alberto Gentili, who discovered 14 volumes of the composer's works at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Antonio Vivaldi is the first composer to create concertos for violin and orchestra, two, four violins and two mandolins.
• The only color portrait of Vivaldi, which is familiar to everyone from photographs in textbooks, may well be the image of a completely different person (the initials are not indicated in the picture, and the portrait itself is not similar to other portraits of the composer).

• The maestro had the nickname “red priest” because of his copper hair color, rare among Venetians.
• Vivaldi also became famous for the fact that he could write a three-act opera and dozens of musical variations on one theme in five days.
• The notorious "Tango of Death", attributed to Vivaldi, is actually a composition called Palladio by modern composer Karl Jenkins, and "Elven Night (Song)" is a song by Secret Garden.
• The composition “Summer Thunderstorm (Storm)” from the cycle “Seasons” performed is one of the most popular melodies in the world.

Discography

Operas:

• "Ottone in the Country", 1713;
• "Roland, the imaginary madman", 1714;
• "Arsilda, Queen of Pontus", 1716;
• "Coronation of Darius", 1717;
• "Artaban", 1718;
• "Teuzone", 1719
• "Titus Manlius", 1719;
• "Farnace", 1727 and others.

Choral and vocal music:

• Sacrum (mass);
• Laudate Dominum omnes gentes;
• Stabat Mater and others.
• Psalms:
• Beatus vir;
• Confitebor tibi Domine;
• Dixit Dominus;
• Lauda Jerusalem and others.

Oratorios:

• “Judith Triumphant”, 1716;
• “The Adoration of the Three Magi to the Child Jesus,” 1722;
• “Great cantata “Gloria and Hymen”, 1721.
• Cantatas for voice with accompaniment:
• “Under the canopy of a beautiful beech tree”;
• “My gaze is directed towards him”;
• “Cupid, you won”;
• “You have disappeared, golden days”;
• “So cry, sources of tears” and others.

Instrumental concerts and sonatas, including:

• "Storm at Sea";
• "Pleasure";
• "Hunting";
• "Seasons";
• "Night";
• "Goldfinch";
• "Prelude".

(some called him a virtuoso), helped him try a musical career and enrolled him in the orchestra of St. Mark's Chapel, where he was a featured cellist.

• 44 concertos for string orchestra and basso continuo;
• 49 contours Gross;
• 352 concertos for one instrument with string orchestra and/or basso continuo accompaniment (253 for violin, 26 for cello, 6 for viola d'amour, 13 for transverse, 3 for longitudinal flutes, 12 for oboe, 38 for bassoon, 1 for mandolin )
• 38 concertos for 2 instruments with string orchestra and/or basso continuo accompaniment (25 for violin, 2 for cello, 3 for violin and cello, 2 for horns, 1 for mandolins)
• 32 concertos for 3 or more instruments with string orchestra and/or basso continuo accompaniment.
• Author of more than 100 sonatas for various instruments with basso continuo accompaniment; secular cantatas, serenades, symphonies, Stabat Mater and other church works.

One of the most famous works is the first 4 concerts 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 the first to use oboes, horns, bassoons and other instruments as independent instruments, rather than backup ones.

3.1. List of works

• 27 operas, in particular
  • Roland - imaginary madman (Orlando fiato pozzo, 1714, Teatro Sant'Angelo, Venice),
  • Nero who became Caesar (Nerone fatto Cesare, 1715, ibid.),
  • Coronation of Darius (L"incoronazione di and Daria, 1716, ibid.),
  • Deception triumphant in love (L"inganno trionfante in amore, 1725, ibid.),
  • Farnace (1727, ibid., later also called Farnace, ruler of Pontus),
  • Cunegonde (1727, ibid.),
  • Olympics (1734, ibid.),
  • Griselda (1735, Teatro San Samuel, Venice),
  • Aristide (1735, ibid.),
  • Oracle in Messenia (1738, Teatro Sant'Angelo, Venice),
  • Theraspes (1739, ibid.)

• oratorios -
  • Moses, god of Pharaoh (Moyses Deus Pharaonis, 1714),
  • Triumphant Judith (Juditha Triumphans devicta Holofernis barbarie, 1716),
  • Adoration of the Magi (L"Adorazione delli tre Re Magi, 1722);

• 56 secular cantatas, including
  • 37 for voice with basso continuo,
  • 14 cantatas for voice and string orchestra
  • large cantata Gloria and Hymen (1725);

• serenades for 1-4 voices-
  • including Sena, who is celebrating (La Senna festeg-giante, 1729);

• sacred music (about 55 works), including Stabat Mater, motets, psalms and others;

4. Multimedia

• Spring. Part 1 Allegro file description
• Spring. Part 2 Largo file description
• Spring. Part 3 Allegro file description
• Summer. Part 1 Allegro non molto file description
• Summer. Part 2 Adagio file description
• Summer. Part 3 Presto file description
• Autumn. Part 1 Allegro