LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Antonio Vivaldi: Red Priest
built 633 days ago
Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March fourth, 1678. His first job was as a priest – he was ordained in 1703, at 25. However, due to various physical complaints (he talked about tightness in his chest), he left the church after only a year. He had become a priest against his own will, because his family was poor and the training was free.
Source:
Antonio Vivaldi was trained in the priesthood in 1693 and was ordained in 1703. During these years Antonio Vivaldi was taught to play violin by his father. His earliest known performance was in 1696. After Antonio’s ordination, he put an end to saying Mass. Antonio Vivaldi claimed “his chest was too tight” (the asthma), while others believed he quit because he was forced to become a priest. Often, lower class families would send their children into the priesthood because the schooling was free.
Source:
Antonio’s father, Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, was a barber who had become a violinist. He taught his son to play the violin early, and the younger Vivaldi’s later compositions are an expression of this love of stringed instruments. Both father and son toured together in Venice, but Antonio began study for the priesthood when he was 15.
Source:
Vivaldi was taught how to play violin at a young age by his father. Together, they toured Venice playing the violin; similar to Mozart and his father. In 1693, Vivaldi entered into priesthood at the local churches of S Geminiano and S Giovanni in Oleo, while living with his parents in the parish of S Martino. In late 1706, Vivaldi withdrew from the priesthood, claiming that it was because of his asthma. Others suspect that his musical aspirations and interests lead him to withdrawal.
Source:
Nicknamed the "Red Priest" because of his red hair, Vivaldi was trained for music and the priesthood by his father. He left the priesthood in 1703 because of ill health, but continued to pursue a musical career. He became head of the Conservatory of the Ospedale della Pieta which housed over 6000 orphaned girls. Music was an integral part of their training at the Conservatory and Vivaldi wrote over 400 concertos for his students.
Source:
At the age of 15, Vivaldi was trained for the priesthood and ordained in 1703, at the same time he developed his own skills on the violin. He ... became the Maesto di Violino at the Pio Ospedale della Pita, an orphanage for girls in Venice, where music played an integral part in the curriculum. The regular concerts given by the orchestra of the hospice were extremely popular.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Red Priest