Antonio Vivaldi

About this course:

Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian violinist and composer from the Baroque era. While Vivaldi is best remembered for his four violin concertos entitled The Four Seasons, he is the composer of hundreds of instrumental concerti, many of which were written explicitly for the ensemble he led at the "Ospedale della Pietà." As a Baroque composer, Vivaldi not only played a pivotal role in the changing tastes of music in the early 18th century, but he also had a significant resurgence in popularity in the 20th century, where his music played an important part in defining the modern early music movement and the use of period instruments in performance. In this course, we explore the most important publications of his concertos, including L’estro Armonico, La Stravaganza, and Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione, the latter of which includes The Four Seasons. But we will also explore some of his chamber music, religious works, and most notably, his role as an important Venetian opera composer, with works as diverse as Orlando Furioso, Ercole su'l Termodonte, and Motezuma. As we explore this music, we assess Vivaldi’s legacy in music history and as an enduringly popular composer in present-day performance traditions. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.