top of page
Life Abroad 
Maestro di Cappella
In 1718, Vivaldi was offered a new and prestigious position by prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt (governor of Mantua); he became Maestro di Cappella in the prince's court. He moved there for three years and under that title produced several operas, including 'Tito Manlio'. This transition of occupation allowed Vivaldi to progress towards his touring, thus accounting for the spread of his own music.

After meeting and playing for the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna hoping for preferment, because he had already experienced the emporer's exuberance. However, the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival and Vivaldi himself died less than a year later. He died from 'internal infection' in the home of a widow of a saddle maker. Thus his later life ended, characterized by a quick rise and fall of fame; like most classical composers Vivaldi ended his life impoverished (he himself sold off many of his works just to fund his trip to Vienna). His later life was drastically different from his early and middle life in this respect.

At the height of his career, Vivaldi was receiving commissions from European nobility and royalty. The serenata 'Gloria e Imeneo' was commissioned by the French ambassador to Venice in celebration of the marriage of Louis XV in 1725. In 1726 another serenata entitled 'La Sena festeggiante' was written for and performed at the French embassy. It celebrated the birth of the French royal princesses, Henriette and Louise Élisabeth. In 1728, Vivaldi met the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI while the emperor was visiting Trieste to oversee the construction of a new port, and Vivaldi dedicated his 'La Cetra', his Opus 9, to the emperor. Charles liked Vivaldi's music so much that he gave Vivaldi the title of knight, a gold medal and an invitation to Vienna.

Vivaldi's Death
Popularity with Nobility

Antonio Vivaldi's Later Life

was greatly shifted by his growing fame outside of Venice. He had a newfound opportunity to spread his music throughout his growing European sphere, and the Baroque period in which he lived allowed for his swift movement because of his previously fostered religious ties. However, Vivaldi's fame was fleeting and his once famous music was quickly lost to the public, overshadowed by his predecessor Johann Sebastian Bach.

In the year 1721 Vivaldi traveled to Milan, there he presented his pastoral drama 'La Silvia'. He visited Milan again in 1722 with the oratorio 'L'adorazione delli tre re magi al bambino Gesù'. Later in 1722 he moved to Rome, where he displayed his new style of opera. As a result Pope Benedict XIII invited Vivaldi to play for him. In 1725, Vivaldi returned to Venice, and produced four operas in that same year.

bottom of page