VIVALDI

Born on March 4th, in 1678, in Venice, Antonio Vivaldi was a 17th and 18th century composer who’s become one of the most renowned figures in European classical music. At the age of 25, Vivaldi was named master of violin. Vivaldi’s crop of curly red hair, inherited from his father, prompted friends to nickname the composer ‘il Prete Rosso’ – the red priest. Vivaldi wrote fragments of poetry on the manuscript for his ‘The Four Seasons’, and no one’s sure who wrote them. They may have been written by Vivaldi himself, who also provided instructions such as “The barking dog” in Spring, “Languor caused by the heat” in Summer, and “the drunkards have fallen asleep” in Autumn. He composed most of his major works in this position over three decades. Vivaldi was very productive in vocal and instrumental music, sacred and secular. Vivaldi’s work composed over seven hundred pieces ranging from sonatas operas to concertos.