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A Tale of Two Antonio's: Vivaldi, Stradivari and the evolution of classical music
A Tale of Two Antonio's: Vivaldi, Stradivari and the evolution of classical music
POSTED SEP 26, 2019
Choral music. particularly in its religious form, was the dominant form of Western music until the end of the Renaissance, circa 1600. The first operas were written about this time, and these operas incorporated a section - the overture - that was purely instrumental. Then along came violinist, composer, and priest Antonio Vivaldi, who "merged religious melodies, opera and a new level of violin playing to launch a new era of music," an era in which instrumental music would become the dominant form. Today, when most of us think of classical music, it is instrumental music - the fugue and the concerto, the quartet and quintet, the sonata and the symphony.
Choral music. particularly in its religious form, was the dominant form of Western music until the end of the Renaissance, circa 1600. The first operas were written about this time, and these operas incorporated a section - the overture - that was purely instrumental. Then along came violinist, composer, and priest Antonio Vivaldi, who "merged religious melodies, opera and a new level of violin playing to launch a new era of music," an era in which instrumental music would become the dominant form. Today, when most of us think of classical music, it is instrumental music - the fugue and the concerto, the quartet and quintet, the sonata and the symphony.
Vivaldi found the violin uniquely capable of expressing emotions without words, and he influenced generations of composers either directly (Bach and others of the Baroque era) or indirectly (nearly everyone after Bach until the 20th century). His Italian contemporary, Antonio Stradivari, was distilling the lessons of five generations of violin makers in Cremona and improving the violin by an order of magnitude. Much in the way improvements in computer hardware drive computer software development, the quality of Stradivari's violins inspired Vivaldi to create instrumental music featuring the violin. Once the violin was capable of producing the sounds he wanted, Vivaldi put it to use. Thanks to Vivaldi and Stradivari, the violin would become the leading instrument of classical music.
Vivaldi found the violin uniquely capable of expressing emotions without words, and he influenced generations of composers either directly (Bach and others of the Baroque era) or indirectly (nearly everyone after Bach until the 20th century). His Italian contemporary, Antonio Stradivari, was distilling the lessons of five generations of violin makers in Cremona and improving the violin by an order of magnitude. Much in the way improvements in computer hardware drive computer software development, the quality of Stradivari's violins inspired Vivaldi to create instrumental music featuring the violin. Once the violin was capable of producing the sounds he wanted, Vivaldi put it to use. Thanks to Vivaldi and Stradivari, the violin would become the leading instrument of classical music.
Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" [link below right] is among the best known, most performed and most recorded musical works. Based on four sonnets (possibly written by the composer himself), "The Four Seasons" is a group of violin concerti. The music mimics the sounds of the Italian country side as the year progresses through its cycle of seasons - birds, a shepherd's dog, a cuckoo, thunder, snow and wind, etc.
Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" [link below right] is among the best known, most performed and most recorded musical works. Based on four sonnets (possibly written by the composer himself), "The Four Seasons" is a group of violin concerti. The music mimics the sounds of the Italian country side as the year progresses through its cycle of seasons - birds, a shepherd's dog, a cuckoo, thunder, snow and wind, etc.
But one hundred years ago, Vivaldi was all but forgotten because most of his compositions had been lost. Then in 1926 a priest brought a box that had been donated to his church to a library in Turin. It was the greatest musical discovery of the 20th century, containing over 90% of Vivaldi's work - including 40 of his operas with melodies similar to those of his concerti.
But one hundred years ago, Vivaldi was all but forgotten because most of his compositions had been lost. Then in 1926 a priest brought a box that had been donated to his church to a library in Turin. It was the greatest musical discovery of the 20th century, containing over 90% of Vivaldi's work - including 40 of his operas with melodies similar to those of his concerti.
PBS' Great Performances has an amazing episode in which violinist Scott Yoo travels to Italy to discover the story behind "The Four Seasons," which Yoo describes as "a sacred instrumental opera with the violin as the star". [link below left] The sidebar has links to performances of L'Amoroso and the aria from Farnace- two of the works mentioned in the episode - and to the lyrics of the Four Season sonnets (from baroquemusic.com).
PBS' Great Performances has an amazing episode in which violinist Scott Yoo travels to Italy to discover the story behind "The Four Seasons," which Yoo describes as "a sacred instrumental opera with the violin as the star". [link below left] The sidebar has links to performances of L'Amoroso and the aria from Farnace- two of the works mentioned in the episode - and to the lyrics of the Four Season sonnets (from baroquemusic.com).
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