Preliminary Musicology Essay

How does Vivaldi evoke a sense of winter in Concerto No. 4 of The Four Seasons?
The Four Seasons, composed by Antonio Vivaldi in 1723, was arguably his most famous composition.
Consisting of four concertos, each is named after the four seasons and evokes the characteristics of
its respective season and name. In particular, Concerto No. 4 Winter, induces a sense of distance
and chilliness.
The first movement begins with steady, consistent quavers (bars 1-11). The duration of the note
values is extremely short, especially with the added effect of the staccato.This uniform rhythm helps
invoke a sense of pattering rain, while the short duration of notes gives it the quiet chill; each note
lasts for barely a second despite the slow initial tempo of the piece. In terms of pitch, there is also
auniform melody in each half-bar; this repetition again highlights the steady pattering of
rain.Another observable effect is the piece commencing in F minor. While there is no avoiding the
sense of cold rain if the piece began in a major key, the piece would instead be conveying a sense of
joy and celebration, rather than the detached, dismal sensation. There is much dissonance
throughout this 11-bar opening, with a few seventh chords sprinkled throughout (bars 1-4, bar 8).
Throughout this section, the dynamics are gradually increasing, showing a sharp growth in intensity,
culminating in bar 12.There is a sudden change in texture at bar 12, dropping all other accompanying
parts and leaving only the solo violin to play the demisemiquaver melody.This melody consists of
scale runs and broken chords; both are also in minor. It has uses a much larger range of notes and is
in forte, much louder than the introductions mezzo piano dynamics. This suggests it being stormy
and unpredictable;a harsh wind interrupted only by the occasional chattering of teeth as a response
the storms call.Most of the piece continues like so, although the repeated notes have a gradually
shortened duration (bar 20 begins with semiquavers, bar 33 begins with consistent
demisemiquavers). Combined with an increase in volume, this creates a sense of urgency and is
seemingly resolved with a tonic chord.
A much lighter melody is present in the second movement, with little to no dissonance accompanied
by a major key. It is also relatively much slower(largo) and consists of pizzicato arpeggio progressions
in the high strings for Violin I and Violin II. This movement contrasts vastly with the previous one,
suggesting crowding around a warm fireplace rather than struggling against the bitterly harsh wind.
There are also various sequences in the solo violin part (bars 3, 12-13); this serene progression can
likewise be contrasted to the previous movement, with no build-up of dynamics or tension and no
shortening of note durations. This movement is quite solid texturally; consisting of harmonising
chords and the lack of solo parts. The final note is an E flat major chord, in the tonic key of this
movement.
The final movement of this piece also begins at a fast tempo (allegro), with F minor being the central
key again. This movement begins quite loud, and remains louder than the first movement for most
of the piece. However, this, especially at the beginning of the piece, does not suggest boldness.
Rather, it suggests hesitancy, as shown by the repeated patterns before moving on to the next
one.The note at the end of the bar is slightly higher than the one before it also suggests that this
movement begins by conveying a sense of hesitancy and question. Furthermore, the first four bars
do not resolve themselves before moving on to the next idea. This reminds of a sense of caution, as
though someone were walking along the ice on a frozen lake. The limited range of notes used in
each motif (bars 1-4, 6-9), shows that the person walking across the lake is most likely doing so
Preliminary Musicology Essay
slowly. The cello pedal note continues up to bar 47; in bar 42, the main violin and first violin have
their parts written as a quickly descending melody, moving in oblique motion above four stationary
parts. These notes have a shorter duration than before, again suggesting urgency, as though there
was something great that was being foreshadowed. This foreshadowing occurs once again in bars 62
to 71, with a sequence that consists primarily of descending semiquavers. This suggests the harsh,
unrelenting nature of the winter wind. In bar 120, the fast and unstoppable demisemiquaver runs
start again. Similar to the first movement, there is a call and response between the leading violin and
the other instruments. This sequence, concluding in bar 136, leads up to the finale of the piece
which, with increasing dynamics and a much fuller texture, builds up the urgency, with the piece
completing with a tonic chord.
Vivaldi has successfully captured the characteristics of winter through his fourth concerto of The
Four Seasons; he shows the winter wind is harsh and unrelenting.Seizing these attributes, Vivaldi has
placed them into a piece, which portrays these characteristics extraordinarily well.