Top 10 Most Interesting Facts about Antonio Vivaldi

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Many readers undoubtedly already know that Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, one of the most well-known Italian composers of his period, is well recognized for his ... read more...

  1. Antonio was taught everything he knew about music by his musician father. Antonio has always been interested in music, according to Giovanni. Through his father, Vivaldi was introduced to and trained by some of the most talented composers and musicians in Venice at the time.


    His father, Giovanni Battista, was a barber before becoming a professional violinist, and one of the founders of the Sovvegno Dei Musicisti Di Santa Cecilia, an association of musicians. He taught Antonio how to play the violin and then took him on a tour in Venice and played the violin with his young son. Vivaldi was introduced to and taught by some of the best musicians and composers in Venice at the time through his father and the tours. While his violin technique improved, he was unable to learn wind instruments due to persistent shortness of breath. The father of Vivaldi may be a composer. Giovanni Battista Rossi wrote the opera La Fedeltà suckynata in 1689, under which Vivaldi's father joined Sovvegno di Santa Cecilia.


    Therefore, Antonio Vivaldi is mentored by his father. He was probably educated as a child by evaluating the extensive musical knowledge he acquired at the age of 24 when he started working at Ospedale Della Pietà.

    Antonio Vivaldi's father, Giovanni Battista Rossi - Photo: alchetron.com
    Antonio Vivaldi's father, Giovanni Battista Rossi - Photo: alchetron.com
    Antonio Vivaldi - Photo: artstation.com
    Antonio Vivaldi - Photo: artstation.com

  2. The building in Venice that is today known as the Metropole has a long history. It had been constructed as a type of Crusader hostel by the time Vivaldi lived there, and it had been used as an orphanage, monastery, hospital, and concert hall before being converted into the Ospedale Della Pietá. Not the first or the last priest to serve as its director of music, Vivaldi was perhaps the most well-known. Here, Antonio Vivaldi worked as a resident musician in a Catholic orphanage for the most of his career, he oversaw the women's choir, which had sixty members and performed admirably even though it was hidden from the audience since the concept of women performing in public in any visible capacity was considered inappropriately sexual by the lurid and patriarchal standards of the day.


    From 1703 (the year he released his first piece) through 1740, Antonio Vivaldi worked infrequently and in a variety of positions (the year before his death). Many of his works were created specifically for the all-female music group at the Ospedale Della Pietà, a shelter for orphans. From 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740, Vivaldi served as a Catholic priest for 18 months. He saw all of Europe, but the Ospedale Della Pietá served as his home just as much as it did for the nuns and orphans who resided there.

    Ospedale Della Pietá - Photo: visitvenezia.eu
    Ospedale Della Pietá - Photo: visitvenezia.eu
    The Metropole building today - Photo: cmuse.org
    The Metropole building today - Photo: cmuse.org
  3. Vivaldi moved to the Ospedale Della Pietà, an orphanage in Venice, after quitting the priesthood, and there he became the master of the violin.


    In addition to being a well-known composer, he is regarded as a technically superb violinist. At the age of 24, he began working at the orphanage, where he remained for more than three decades, writing most of his significant works.


    Although Vivaldi is most recognized for his compositions, he was also a very skilled musician. Vivaldi was referred to as "the famous composer and violinist" by the German architect Johann Friedrich Armand von Offenbach, who also praised his playing, saying, "Vivaldi played a solo track excellently and at the end, he added a piece of free-form fantasy [an improvised cadenza] that completely amazed me, because it is unlikely that anyone has ever played, or played, like that." At the age of 24, Vivaldi accepted the position of maestro di Violino at the Pio Ospedale Della Pietà orphanage in Venice and he officially became a master of the violin. However, he quickly established himself as a prominent music instructor there. Children who were abandoned, orphaned, or from low-income families might find housing and education in orphanages. Vivaldi tutored and instructed young people who were starting to gain recognition and admiration abroad.


    Vivaldi’s Internationally Renowned Orphanage Orchestra - Photo: interlude.hk
    Vivaldi’s Internationally Renowned Orphanage Orchestra - Photo: interlude.hk
    Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in B minor for Anna Maria dal Violin - Video: John Portman
  4. His relationship with the Ospedale's board of directors was frequently strained despite his extraordinary effort and great teaching techniques, which helped the majority of the kids advance their musical abilities and even join the orchestra and choir of the famed Ospedale. And that is the reason why Antonio Vivaldi was once expelled from the orphanage.


    Every year, the board had to decide whether to retain him as a teacher. Vivaldi's votes were rarely unanimous, and in 1709 they were seven to six against him. He was reconvened by Ospedale with a unanimous vote of five after working as a freelance musician for a year. Evidently, the board of directors became aware of the significance of his position during the year he was away, which was 1711. When he was elevated to the position of maestro de concerti (music director) in 1716, he took on all responsibility for the organization's musical endeavors.


    Ospedale paid Antonio Vivaldi 2 sequins to write two performances a month for the orchestra even though he has been on regular business since 1718 and rehearsed with them at least five times while in Venice. Antonio Vivaldi received payment for 140 concerts between 1723 and 1733, according to orphanage records.

    Ospedale Della Pietá - Photo: visitvenezia.eu
    Ospedale Della Pietá - Photo: visitvenezia.eu
    Commemorative plaque beside the Ospedale della Pietà - Photo: en.wikipedia.org
    Commemorative plaque beside the Ospedale della Pietà - Photo: en.wikipedia.org
  5. Antonio Vivaldi undertakes jobs other than teaching. In particular, after serving as a priest for a while, Vivaldi gained notoriety as a teacher for his work in the orphanage. He maintained this position for thirty years, as we already said. But in addition to instructing the young children, he had other responsibilities.


    Vivaldi accepted a variety of temporary jobs paid for by patrons in Mantua and Rome in addition to his regular job. One of his most well-known short-term works is "The Four Seasons," which he authored in Mantua between 1717 and 1721. This work was accompanied by four sonnets that are thought to have been composed by Antonio.


    Particularly, a prominent new job as Maestro di Cappella of the court of prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt, governor of Mantua in northwest Italy, was given to Vivaldi in 1717 or 1718. He resided there for three years, producing a number of operas, including Tito Manlio (RV 738). He performed the pastoral play La Silvia (RV 734) in Milan in 1721. The next year, he returned to Milan to perform the oratorio L'adorazione delli tri re magi al bambino Gesù (RV 645, now lost). He relocated to Rome in 1722, when he unveiled the new aesthetic of his operas. Vivaldi was invited to perform for Benedict XIII, the next pope. Vivaldi went back to Venice in 1725 and wrote four operas there at the same time.


    Vivaldi composed Four Seasons at this time, a collection of four violin groups that depicts the four seasons of the year via music. One of his most well-known talents is composition. Despite the fact that the first concert, "Spring," draws a motif from Sinfonia in the opening act of Vivaldi Il Giustino's modern opera, only three of the concerts are entirely original. The surroundings of Mantua are likely the inspiration for the concerts. The family of Vivaldi depicts flowing streams, birdsong (of several kinds, each with distinctive features), barking dogs, buzzing mosquitoes, shepherds, and songbirds. Weeping sheep, raging storms, inebriated dancers, silent evenings, views of hunters' hunting parties and prey, frozen vistas, young skaters, and roaring winter fires are all common sights.

    Antonio Vivaldi: "Tito Manlio" RV 738 - Video: Dramma per musica
    Four Seasons - Video: Evan Bennet
  6. Antonio Vivaldi's Secret Love stemmed from Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt sending an invitation to Vivaldi at Mantua. He gave Vivaldi a prestigious new job as Maestro di Cappella in 1717 or 1718 and the composer accepted. During his years there, he created a lot of operas including Tito Manlio (RV 738) and L'adorazione delli tri re nari al bambino Gesù (RV 734) (RV 645, currently lost).


    Vivaldi met the ambitious young soprano Anna Tessieri Gir or Anna Maddalena Tessieri during his time in Mantua. The stage name of Italian mezzo-soprano Anna Maddalena Tessieri (born c. 1710) was Anna Gir, also known as Anna Giraud La Mantovana. She is most recognized for her work with the operatic parts that composer Antonio Vivaldi penned for her. She also became his nanny, beloved prima donna, and apprentice. Anna moved in with Vivaldi and frequently accompanied him on several travels, along with her half-sister Paolina. Although there have been rumors regarding Vivaldi and Gir's romance, there is only evidence to support their friendship and collaborative work.


    Whether the two are engaged in a love connection in addition to their friendship is the subject of considerable rumor. In reality, in a letter written to his patron Bentivoglio on November 16, 1737, Vivaldi vehemently denied having a loving involvement with Gir. This is certainly one of the Most Interesting Facts about Antonio Vivaldi that the reader may not be aware of.

    The first two pages of the aria
    The first two pages of the aria "La figlia, lo sposo 'Antonio Vivaldi wrote exclusively for Anna Maddalena Tessieri - Photo: en.wikipedia.org
    Anna Maddalena Tessieri - Photo: en.wikipedia.org
    Anna Maddalena Tessieri - Photo: en.wikipedia.org
  7. A large portion of Vivaldi's achievement had a little financial impact. Rich patrons like Emperor Charles VI, who supported the composer throughout the leader's life, provided the composer with a comfortable lifestyle. Vivaldi was overshadowed as he aged by more contemporary composers and musicians. Antonio Vivaldi's fame dwindled despite the fact that he produced almost 500 concertos and was cited as a key influence by other well-known composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach.


    Antonio Vivaldi was in financial trouble in his final years, much like many other composers of the era. His works weren't as well regarded as they formerly were in Venice due to the city's rapidly evolving musical preferences. In reaction, Vivaldi made the decision to sell off a large portion of his manuscripts for pitiful sums of money in order to pay for his move to Vienna. Vivaldi left Venice for unknown reasons, but it is possible that he wanted to accept a post as a composer in the imperial court following the success of his encounter with Emperor Charles VI.


    To be closer to the Emperor, who was his most notable patron, Vivaldi relocated to Vienna. Sadly, the Emperor passed away soon after. Vivaldi had fallen into poverty by the time he passed away on July 28 of the following year. The young composer Joseph Haydn would provide the music for the funeral rituals during his humble burial in Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral. Since the departed composer had no one to pay for music, he did not provide any musical service at Vivaldi's burial.

    Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral - Photo: t24hs.com
    Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral - Photo: t24hs.com
    Site of Vivaldi’s Cemetery - Photo: classicfm.com
    Site of Vivaldi’s Cemetery - Photo: classicfm.com
  8. A well-known church, the Church of Santa Maria Della Pietà or Della Visitation, is situated on the "Riva Degli Schiavoni" in the Castello neighborhood of Venice, not far from the Doge's Palace and the San Zaccaria waterbus stop. It is known as "Vivaldi's church" in Venetian.


    Its forerunner was affiliated with a public charity hospital for orphan girls established in 1346 by a Franciscan friar, but it evolved into something more secular as it came under the Doge's patronage in 1353 and was maintained by affluent families. In 1388, the structure was expanded, and in 1493 and 1515, it was modernized. Vivaldi, who served as the school's chorus master and violin instructor from 1704 to 1738 and wrote some of his best concertos for its students, helped the institution grow over the years into one of Europe's top conservatories. The Mendicanti, Incurabili, and Ospedaletto were the other Ospedali.


    Santa Maria Della Pietà was first rebuilt in 1727 using money from a three-year lottery approved by the Council of Ten, and then again in 1733 after the first effort fell short of its goal. Giorgio Massari, an architect, was chosen in a competitive offer in 1735 to design and construct a new complex with two hospital wings. The new church intended to serve as both an auditorium and a place of worship. By 1738, land clearing had started, and supplies had been bought.


    The inside is circular in shape, much like a concert hall, and is acoustically built, especially for choral performances. La Pietà's lavish cream and gold decorations give some the idea that it is housed inside a Fabergé Easter egg. The pulpit, confessionals, gallery grills, and organ case are only a few examples of the rococo furniture that Massari designed. By 1751, the roof was installed, and in 1754, Tiepolo was hired to begin work on the ceiling ornamentation. The ceiling of the nave's "The Coronation of the Virgin," the largest of his three murals, also includes female musicians playing twelve various instruments. The smaller oval "Triumph of Faith" is painted on the chancel ceiling and shows Faith triumphing over Hope and Charity, the Virgin's virtues. A grisaille tondo depicting the Old Testament scene of David and the Angel is located on the end wall of the chancel. The frescoes, Tiepolo's final significant cycle of religious paintings, were displayed.


    About the Vivaldi Museum, Santa Maria Della Pietà established the Piccolo Museo Antonio Vivaldi in 2004, which has a collection of Baroque instruments from the composer's era and records of the daily activities and regulations of the orphanage. The unique 34-year partnership between Father Antonio and his female musicians was chronicled in the BBC documentary Vivaldi's Women. Unfortunately, YouTube no longer has access to it.

    Santa Maria Della Pietà - Photo: oddviser.com
    Santa Maria Della Pietà - Photo: oddviser.com
    Photo: tripadvisor.com
    Photo: tripadvisor.com
  9. In the middle of the 20th century, Antonio Vivaldi's corpus of work was meticulously put back together. Nearly all of Vivaldi's compositions were lost by 1926. Alberto Gentili, a musicologist at Turin University, set out on a ten-year quest to find the missing pages and arrange them in the correct sequence after receiving a box of unfinished, unsorted pages from hundreds of Vivaldi's pieces. The fourteen volumes of Vivaldi's books that were previously believed to have been lost during the Napoleonic War were found in a Piedmont monastery in 1926 by scholars. More than 100 vocal works and the collection of Grand Duke Durazzo's descendants, who bought the abbey complex in the 18th century, contain some of the series' missing motifs. In the end, 319 complete Antonio Vivaldi pieces that had been misplaced for almost two centuries were discovered.


    Two psalm arrangements by Vivaldi, Nisi Dominus (RV 803, in eight movements), and Dixit Dominus, have recently been rediscovered (RV 807, in eleven movements). The Australian academic Janice Stockigt recognized these in 2003 and 2005, respectively. "Perhaps the greatest nonoperatic composition from Vivaldi's pen to come to light since the 1920s," said Vivaldi researcher Michael Talbot of RV 807. The harpsichordist and conductor Ondrej Macek uncovered the previously lost opera Argippo (RV 697) by Vivaldi in 2006. His Hofmusici orchestra gave the opera its first performance since 1730 at Prague Castle on May 3, 2008.


    Antonio Vivaldi, a relatively unknown composer whose impact had long since been recognized but whose music had all but vanished, made a new public premiere with the eruption of new material. It was as though Antonio Vivaldi had a very brief, extraordinarily fruitful career after having been born a second time. Antonio Vivaldi was regarded by academics as one of the finest and most important classical artists in history by the 1950s, but the hearing public still viewed him as a novel, enigmatic, and strange. His work had a special position in the canon. No other composer of comparable notoriety has gone through that type of rebirth, and it is improbable that any would in the future.

    Nisi Dominus - RV 803 (part 1/8) - Video: Blaue Laterne
    Argippo (RV 697) - Video: BEST OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
  10. One of the great composer's masterpieces is the opera Orlando Furioso from 1727, yet among Vivaldi's personal documents was a completely different score from 1714.


    A new version of Vivaldi's opera Orlando Furioso has been found, 270 years after his death, the library's archives held the long-lost masterwork by Antonio Vivaldi in a discovery dubbed by music experts as "a bombshell in the realm of Baroque opera."


    Thirteen years before Vivaldi created his famous masterwork, in 1714, the manuscript was discovered. The manuscript was discovered in Vivaldi's personal collection in the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin. A young Bolognese composer named Giovanni Alberto Ristori's composition had somehow been categorized as a reworking of an already-existing Orlando Furioso. It includes up to 20 previously unheard arias that were all written at the same time that Vivaldi was working on The Four Seasons, widely regarded as the most recorded piece of classical music in history. The discovery occurs as Max Irons is reportedly set to feature in a significant movie on the composer's early years. There are multiple Vivaldi biopics under development.


    Orlando said: "Vivaldi created two Orlando Furiosos, which is astounding in the realm of Baroque opera as well as for what it says about him as a composer to work on a libretto before returning to it and working on it once again. Nothing like this was anticipated."

    The "new" Orlando will have its global debut on July 20 at the Festival de Beaune before being recorded by the French label Nave for publication in November as part of their Vivaldi Edition series.

    Orlando Furioso (1714) - Video: mirinae0904
    Orlando Furioso (1727) - Video: Tout Est Musique




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