ANTONIO VIVALDI

(1678 - 1741)

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born at home on 4 March 1678, the first child for Camilla Calicchio and Giovanni Baptiste Vivaldi. Their newborn was so weak at birth that the midwife feared for his life, and quickly had him baptised. He would be joined by at least five siblings. Young Antonio wasn’t a child prodigy. But he did work hard. His father, a barber, baker, and violinist, was his first music teacher. The two enjoyed playing alongside each other in a city where music was part of society’s rich fabric. We don’t know a huge amount about his early years, but Vivaldi probably came under the influence of Archangelo Corelli, and in turn influenced his contemporaries, amongst them his ‘distance-education’ student, Johann Sebastian Bach. The capital of the Republic of Venice at that time saw musical activity in the streets, churches, and private homes of its citizens. Tradesmen would often sing together in complex harmonies as they went about their day’s work. Concerts happened all the time and everywhere. And church was where you could hear the newest music from leading composers of the day.

There are a couple of theories around Vivaldi’s dedication to the priesthood. One version suggests that the trauma of his birth, amidst an earthquake in Venice, and his poor health from infancy led his mother to ‘promise’ him to the service of God. Another – perhaps more plausible – theory is that his father, wishing a career in music for his son, recognised the respect and protection a priesthood would offer his son, and the access he might gain from taking the cloth. Whichever parent’s version resonates for you, the happy outcome was that Vivaldi was ordained in 1703, at the age of 25, and soon after took up a position as Master of Violin at the Ospedale della Pietà. This was a public institution that took in orphans – mostly girls – and gave them an exceptional musical training and general education. Vivaldi would work at the Pieta for some 37 years, whipping his young charges into an orchestra considered one of the finest in all of Europe. His most famous work, The Four Seasons may well be his most famous piece, but Vivaldi wrote more than 500 other concertos for other instruments including mandolin, cello, flute, viola d'amore, recorder, and lute. He also wrote some sublimely complex vocal music, including oratorios and cantatas, for which the girls would sing every voice part: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.