LYCOS RETRIEVER Beta Retriever Home  |  What is Lycos Retriever?   
Antonio Vivaldi: Music
built 633 days ago
Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian priest and composer of Baroque music who lived from 1648 to 1741. He was nicknamed Il Prete Rosso, "The Red Priest", because of his red hair. He owned an orphanage for girls where he introduced them to music.
Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy, on March 4, 1678. His first music teacher was his father, Giovanni Battista Vivaldi. The elder Vivaldi was a well-respected violinist, employed at the church of St. Mark's. It is possible, though not proved, that as a boy Antonio ... studied with the composer Giovanni Legrenzi (1626–1690).
Antonio Vivaldi was employed in Venice for most of his working life by the Ospedale della Pietà. Often termed an "orphanage", this Ospedale was in fact a home for the female offspring of noblemen and their numerous dalliances with their mistresses. The Ospedale was well endowed by the "anonymous" fathers; its furnishings bordered on the opulent, the young ladies were well looked-after, and the musical standards among the highest in Venice. This accounts to a major extent for the enormous variety of instrumentation in Vivaldi's output - they were written as "exercises" which he would play with his many talented pupils.
Source:
Born in Venice on March 4th, 1678, Vivaldi was employed for most of his working life by the Ospedale della Pietà. Often termed an "orphanage", this Ospedale was in fact a home for the female offspring of noblemen and their numerous dalliances with their mistresses. The Ospedale was ... well endowed by the "anonymous" fathers; its furnishings bordered on the opulent, the young ladies were well looked-after, and the musical standards among the highest in Venice. Most of Vivaldi's concerti were intended for performance with his many talented pupils. He was also deeply involved with opera, both in composition and staging, mainly at Venice's Teatro Sant' Angelo.
Portrait of Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice, the capital of the Republic of Venice. He was baptized immediately at his home by the midwife. It is not known how the life of the infant was in danger, but the immediate baptism was most likely due to his poor health or to an earthquake that shook the city that day. Vivaldi's official church baptism (at least, the rites which remained other than the actual baptism itself) did not take place until two months later. His father, Giovanni Battista, a barber before becoming a professional violinist, taught him to play violin and then toured Venice playing the violin with his young son. Giovanni Battista was one of the founders of the Sovvegno dei musicisti di Santa Cecilia, a sort of trade union for musicians and composers. The president of the association was Giovanni Legrenzi, the maestro di cappella at St. Mark's Basilica and noted early Baroque composer.
Vivaldi Portrait Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4, 1678, the eldest child of a violinist who was ... by trade, a barber. At the age of 15, young Antonio began his training for the priesthood, despite—or perhaps because of—his extraordinary aptitude as a violinist. (Then, as now, it was difficult for professional musicians to get by without a day job!) In 1703, at the age of 25, Vivaldi was anointed as a priest and, later that same year, appointed violin master to the foundling girl musicians at the Ospedale della Pietà.
SEARCH
MORE ABOUT