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Venice
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Venice was founded in CE 421 on April
25th, St.Mark's day (the patron saint
of Venice)
The original Basilica St. Mark's was
begun in CE 834 but burned down
Marco Polo traveled from Venice to
China
Giacomo Casanova was born in 1725
in Venice
Venice
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Why is Venice famous?
Exotic mix of natural beauty, architecture,
pageant, and self-importance
– Opera
– Film festivals
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No individual could be more important than
the city
– Doge - chief magistrate - elected for life -Sebastiano
Mocenigo (reigned 1722–1732) - Le quattro stagioni was
composed in 1725
Venice
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The nobility made the decisions
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Clothing
Who could leave the city
No one must discredit the place
No individual could become more important than the city
They looted and hoarded items to “dress up” the city
Smuggled in the remains of St. Mark
Beggars were expelled unless licensed
The shipbuilding area became one of the first “industrial” areas
with 16,000 fixed wage workers in on-site housing, locked there
for life
VIVA
VIVALDI
The most remarkable
violinist-composer was
Antonio Vivaldi
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–Composed more than
450 concertos
–40 operas
–solo, chamber, and
vocal works
Timeline of Vivaldi's Life
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•1678 -- born March 4, Venice (day of an earthquake which may have contributed to
his aesthmatic condition)•1685-1703 -- Vivaldi studies to become a priest•1703 -ordained a priest, accepted a position as maestro di violino and chaplain at the
Ospedale della Pietà in Venice•1705-1709 -- published works at the Pietà while
teaching•1709 -- lost his position as maestro di violino because position was
discontinued; continued to compose•1711-1716 -- retained his former position at the
Pietà; 1715 -- given special recognition for his composition of vocal works for the
Pietà•1716 -- appointed to the position of maestro de' concerti and received a pay
increase•1718-1720 -- took his opera to Mantua and stayed•1723 -- asked to
compose and direct two new concertos every month for the Pietà, teaching position
there is a memory, he travels too much•1724 -- Anna Giraud's debut in Venice•17251729 -- works published including six flute concertos, twelve concertos, a serenata,
and his opus 9 La cetra•1729-1730 -- in Germany•1731 -- back to Italy•1732-1739 -travels to Verona, Amsterdam, and Ferrara, where he was forbidden entry by the
Cardinal into the city to direct his opera Cantone in Utica•1739 -- opera Feraspe last
opera written by Vivaldi; his vocal and instrumental compositions purchased by the
Pietà•1740 -- moves to Vienna and tries to make a living unsuccessfully by selling his
concertos•1741 -- dies from an internal inflammation and is buried in a pauper's
grave
Antonio Vivaldi 1678 - 1741
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Born Venice, March 4, 1678
Father was barber turned violinist who played in
St. Mark’s orchestra
Antonio also became an outstanding violinist
He began religious studies age 15, ordained in 1703
– Why?
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He was excused from liturgical duties
– failed to finish saying Mass
» Why?
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Retired from clerical duties 1705
Antonio Vivaldi 1678 - 1741
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Known as “the red priest”
– Why?
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His first known musical activity was in 1696 as an extra
violinist at St. Mark’s
Ospedali (hospitals)
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Four ospedali were created to gather up all the
abandoned or terminally ill children
– A contributing factor being the 20,000 active prostitutes
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One of the four Ospedali, the Pieta, for orphaned girls,
served the entire city. The remaining three served the
shipbuilding (Arsenal) workers
This Ospedale was in fact a home for the female
children of noblemen and their mistresses
It was well endowed by the "anonymous" fathers; its
furnishings were opulent, the young ladies were well
looked-after, and the musical standards among the
highest in Venice
The Pieta
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The girls in the Pieta (up to 6,000) lived in closed
communities and were used for lace-making, textile
manufacturing, hat production, silk laundry work and
domestic work
Staffed by nuns and priests, the school also employed
distinguished musicians
The school hoped to find husbands for the girls but
many never married and stayed at the school to
develop their musical skills
They were provided a superior education
The most talented students received training similar to
conservatory studies and many became virtuoso
performers
Antonio Vivaldi 1678-1741
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In 1703 Vivaldi was appointed to the faculty
of the Ospedale della Pieta and became its
music director and conductor in 1716
Concerts were among the premier music
events in Venice
Antonio Vivaldi 1678 - 1741
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Vivaldi began at the Pieta as a violin instructor
– active as a composer
– began to cultivate the concerto
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The impression he made with his music, his students,
and the concerts resulted in his promotion to the post
of maestro dei concerti
He achieved international reputation with the
publication of L’estro armonico “The Inspiration of
Harmony” (a set of 12 concertos)
Vivaldi’s music became very popular and was even
arranged by Bach
Antonio Vivaldi 1678 - 1741
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His operas were very popular at the time
Vivaldi enjoyed life and money, expensive clothing,
luxurious accommodations, and was the source of
scandalous rumors
– He became friends with the singer Anna Giraud and she moved in
him
– Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni described Vivaldi and Giraud:
» "This priest, an excellent violinist but a mediocre composer, has
trained Miss Giraud to be a singer. She was young, born in
Venice, but the daughter of a French wigmaker. She was not
beautiful, though she was elegant, small in stature, with beautiful
eyes and a fascinating mouth. She had a small voice, but many
languages in which to harangue."
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Vivaldi stayed together with her until his death.
Antonio Vivaldi 1678 - 1741
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Vivaldi traveled extensively, played violin for the
Pope, and produced operas at leading theaters
In the 1730’s his operas began to fail
In 1738 his contract with the Pieta was not renewed
In 1740 he resigned and left Venice for Vienna where
he planned to work under the patronage of Charles VI
By his death on July 28, 1741
Anna Giraud returned to Venice, where she died in
1750
His music fell into obscurity
As Vivaldi served no more purpose to the city of
Venice, he was “removed” from its history
Antonio Vivaldi 1678 - 1741
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In the 19th century a Bach scholar discovered 17 of
Bach’s compositions were actually composed by
Vivaldi
In 1926 - a Salesian friar from a small monastery
discovered 100 volumes of musical scores from the
early 18th century
Sold to the Turin Nat. Library to finance repairs
Most by Vivaldi
It was the composer’s personal autograph collection
Half of a larger collection - the remaining located in
Genoa
This restored Vivaldi to the world
Summary
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Three kinds of musical institutions with which Vivaldi
associated:
– The Church, especially St. Mark’s
– the “Pieta”
– the theater
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The Concerto
– more than 450 composed
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The Baroque period saw the birth of concert music
Advances in instrument making - the violin makers
and woodwind makers - gave rise to the orchestra
– Italian violin makers
» Nicolo Amati 1596 - 1684
» Antonio Stradivari 1644 - 1737
» Giuseppe Bartolomeo Guarneri 1698 - 1744
– oboe, bassoon, transverse flute
The Four Seasons
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The concertos
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fast - slow - fast
ritornello
virtuoso passages featuring his solo instrument
expressive arias for solo instrument
The concerto is the perfect form for technical display
Vivaldi published six major collections, four have
programmatic titles
“The Four Seasons” is the best-known set
– pub. 1725 as part of a collection of 12 concertos known as “The
Contest Between Harmony and Invention”
– “program” music
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Vivaldi also provided a detailed written program
 Vivaldi:
“The Four Seasons”
– Concerto No. 1 in E “La primavera”
– Concerto No. 2 in G minor “L’estate”
– Concerto No. 3 in F “L’autunno”
– Concerto No. 4 in F minor
“L’inverno”
La primavera (Spring)
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Concerto No. 1 in E “La primavera”
I. Spring has come and joyfully
the birds welcome it with cheerful song,
and the streams at the breath of zephyrs
flow swiftly with sweet murmurings.
But now the sky is cloaked in black
and thunder and lightning announce
themselves;
when they die away, the little birds
turn afresh to their sweet song.
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Kennedy
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Loussier
La primavera (Spring)
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II. Then on the pleasant flower-strewn meadow,
to the gentle rustle of the leaves and branches,
the goatherd rests, his faithful dog at his side
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Kennedy
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Loussier
La primavera (Spring)
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III. To the rustic bagpipe’s gay sound,
nymph and shepherd dance beneath
the fair spring sky in all its glory.
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Kennedy
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Loussier
The Baroque Concerto
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Jacques
Loussier Trio
– Telarc CD83417
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Nigel
Kennedy
– EMI CDC
549557
Criticism
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“Vivaldi played a solo accompaniment. . .
But I cannot say it pleased me, for it was not
so pleasant to listen to as it was skillfully
performed.”
– Johann von Uffenbach, 1715
Terminology
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Concerto
Opera
Chamber music
Conservatory
Transcription