Essay on Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was one of the major composers during the Baroque period. He was Italian, born in Venice. He is recognized as one of the most influential composers of the time, and his influence was widespread across Europe. Throughout his childhood he had health problems related to breathing. This kept him from playing wind instruments, however he learned how to play the violin. As a result of this, most of his compositions were made for string instruments. At the age of 15, Vivaldi began studying to become a priest, and he was known as il Prete Rosso or “The Red Priest” due to his red hair. After he was officially sworn into priesthood he was only able to carry out Mass a few times due to his poor health. At 25 years old Vivaldi started working at an orphanage, where he was recognized as the master of violin. He wrote concertos and sacred vocal music for them, and helped to greaten their appreciation of musical study. After he worked at the orphanage his music became more popular and he began to travel Europe composing opera. At first his compositions were not accepted as some of them were controversial but eventually the public approved and he was a major success. In 1718 Vivaldi was offered a position to work for the governor of Mantua as “Maestro di Capella.” This position was prestigious, and during this time he wrote his four violin concertos called the Four Seasons. This piece is his most popular and renowned piece. Each concerto represents a different season, and they each depict different images that represent the seasons. During this time he befriended a woman named Anna Giro who was his favorite student. It is believed that they may have had romantic relations even though Vivaldi claims that they had nothing more than friendship. Despite this, they still remained lifelong friends and she accompanied him on his travels with her older sister.
At the climax of his career Vivaldi was receiving commissions from European nobility and