LIFE | antonio-vivaldi

1703 - 1717 MIDDLE LIFE

Vivaldi had, at this point in his life, accomplished a lot. After being ordained he went directly into the profession of Violinist and Composer (only presiding over mass a few times, in which he would occasionally leave to write down the music that came to mind while preaching. As a composer he wrote over 60 sonatas, and was regarded as the master of concertos (he boasted he could write one, in full length, in under five minutes). Vivaldi began his career in the Ospedale Della Pietà at the age of 25 as the maestro di violino. In obtaining this position he was paid a sizable amount more than his predecessors, pertaining to his already present reputation. The ospedale, which was famous for its fostering of many gifted musicians (typically orphaned girls) predominantly on violin, meant that Vivaldi's position as maestro di violino was an astounding accomplishment. He then encountered positions as teacher of viola all'inglese, and maestro di Coro. The later proved to be very demanding and attributed to his leave of absence. After spending a few years as the maestro di violin Vivaldi took a short leave of absence (the board voted to dismiss him because their relationship was strained), then returned to the Ospedale as the maestro di'concerti (because the board realized his necessity). Moving up in the ranks, Vivaldi was rewarded with more opportunity to compose; at this time he developed mastery for concertos, and began to have his pieces presented throughout Venice. His presence in the opera houses due to this and his teaching, led to his future involvement in the composition of Operas.

1693

1678 - 1703 EARLY LIFE

Born to the famous Venetian Violinist Giovanni Vivaldi, the eldest of several children, Antonio Vivaldi took up the violin at a very early age. Giovanni Battista Vivaldi was a renowned violinist whose fame and skill translated to Antonio, which led to his early mastery of the violin. He was an accomplished violinist by 15, but at that time entered the Roman Catholic Church largely for prestige. Upon ordination he gained recognition as the Red Priest (for his red hair) and was dually acknowledged as a budding composer, which attributed to his growing fame as a musician. After a brief time actually leading mass Vivaldi then entered the field of composition due to several accounts of a 'failure to perform his duties as deacon and priest, during which he was recording his compositional thoughts. Much of Vivaldi's early life is not known, as he is relatively recently rediscovered, much of it was lost along with his fleeting fame. As a result, most of his life is defined by a vague understanding.

11727 - 1741 LATER LIFE

After Vivaldi had finished his primary body of work, he spent the majority of his time traveling in promotion of his music. However, his 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. After meeting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna, hoping for preferment. However, the Emperor died soon after Vivaldi's arrival and Vivaldi himself died less than a year later. Upon his death Vivaldi's fame quickly fell, and by the end of the Baroque period most of his work was lost to the public.