Vivaldi found himself constantly in disputes with the school’s directors, and he never had more than a one-year contract, which was continually under review.ĭespite those disputes, the school gained an enviable reputation for the music that its students produced, and that reputation was due mainly to Vivaldi. He stayed with the school for most of his career, but it was never an easy relationship. Vivaldi held several positions with the Pietà: violin master, director of instrumental music), and paid external supplier of compositions. He was the violin master there, and his teaching duties offered him the perfect opportunity to explore musical forms, teach his young and talented students, and create his many compositions. He became what was known then as a “secular priest,” and joined Ospedale della Pietà, a home for orphaned and abandoned girls, one of several such institutions in Venice. For some reason - possibly an asthma condition that historians have speculated about - he left the active priesthood after only about a year.
Despite his talent, he trained for the priesthood and was eventually ordained. Vivaldi, who was to become one of the most celebrated violinist of his day, made his first public appearance with the instrument in 1696. Vivaldi’s first music teacher was likely his father, a well-known violinist in Venice where Antonio was born in 1687. Anyone serious about music today knows the work of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741) because of his wide mastery of musical forms, his creativity and innovation, and the sheer energy that his music imparts. He was known as the “red priest” because of his red hair and his preference for crimson vestments. Bach’s admiration is not the only measure that we have of Antonio Vivaldi’s musical greatness, but it is a pretty good indicator. When a guy like Johann Sebastian Bach transcribes your concerti into keyboard compositions because he admires their form, you ought to know that you have accomplished something. This is post is part a short series that will introduce baroque music composers, both male and female.
But not every composer in that genre or era (1600-1750) was male. The names that dominate Baroque music (readers will know that this is one of my favorite genres) are all male: Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Phillipp Telemann, etc.
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