Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Somewhat like Rip Van Winkle, the music of Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) lay dormant until the 1950's. Vivaldi, who lived in Venice, Italy, was both a violin virtuoso and a master composer of the concerto form. He was a weakly boy, with severe asthma, and, as a teenager, he studied for the priesthood. He became known as the "Red Priest" because of the color of his hair. In the end, however, his passion for music directed him to be the Master of the Violin at the girl's orphanage, Pio Ospedale della Pieta. There he wrote some of his greatest works for these young students. While studying Antonio Vivald's compositions, we will focus on his "Four Seasons" (1725). For each season, he wrote not only music, but a poem of great eloquence. Learn more about Vivaldi and his music by visiting the following web sites: