STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY

ANTONIO VIVALDI
His work at the Ospedale Della Pieta and how
his music affects us today.
Van Blerk, M, Mej <17182883@sun.ac.za>
5/12/2014
INTRODUCTION

Antonio Vivaldi is one of the most widely known violin composers and virtuoso
violinists today. His music forms an integral part of any classical teacher’s repertoire,
as it is considered extremely idiomatic for the violin. Although Vivaldi did compose
music for many instruments, this essay will be focusing purely on his compositions
for strings. It will also discuss his prolific work at the Pieta, the highest ranking school
of music in the eighteenth century, as Meastro di Violino and later as Meastro de
Concerti, his Op.3 L’estro Armonico concerti and how his works for violin influence
the average violin teacher and student today.

BACKGROUND TO TOPIC

Vivaldi’s father, Giovanni Battista, played an important role in making Vivaldi the
legacy that he is. Battista was born as the son of a tailor and spent many years as a
barber before deciding to pursue a career as a violinist. As a highly respected
violinist, he was hired by the chapel of San Marco and was one of the founders of
the Sovvegno dei musicisti di Santa Cecilia, an association of musicians in Venice
(Talbot, 2007). Giovanni Vivaldi soon met and married a woman by the name of
Camilla Calicchio and they had nine children, of whom Antonio was the eldest. It is
thought that he learnt to play the violin from his father. They often travelled together
during Antonio’s adult years, to perform at church festivals. It is believed that
Giovanni was Antonio’s principal copyist for about thirty years (Talbot, 2007).

Vivaldi was born in Venice, Italy in 1678. He began learning to play the violin at an
early age and soon acquired an extensive musical knowledge. At the age of fifteen,
Vivaldi began studying to become a priest and was ordained in 1703 at the age of
twenty-five. Because of his red hair, he was soon nicknamed “il Prete Rosso” (The
Red Priest). Only a year after his ordination, he was relieved from giving mass due to
his ill health (a form of asthma), but he remained a priest for the rest of his life.

Although Vivaldi was so well known a composer and virtuoso, he was not personally
well liked by his contemporaries. He was notorious for being very vain and constantly
boasted about his fame and fluency in composition. He was also seemingly
obsessed with money and was very sensitive to criticism. It is apparent that he was
better liked as a violinist than as a composer (Talbot, 2007).

LITERATURE STUDY

Venice was abuzz with music in the 1700’s. It was a well-frequented port city that
had a constant flow of merchants, sailors, and anyone else who could afford to travel.
Venice was also home to many courtesans whose daily trade was sexual encounters
with sailors passing through. This, of course, led to countless illegitimate
pregnancies, which were dealt with by throwing new born babies into the canal. The
only other option was to leave the new-borns on the steps of a church or in the
scaffetta of the Ospedale, a small opening at the entrance large enough for only a
new born infant (Kendall, 1978).

The Ospedale consisted of four institutions that housed orphaned, abandoned, or

illegitimate children of Venice. The children were cared for and educated, specifically
in music for those who showed aptitude. It is said that the children who lived in the
Ospedale were often better off than the children who were raised by their own
families, as no expense was spared to take care of them. These institutions were
funded mostly by the government, or by hosting fundraising concerts and provided
these children with an education. The boys learned a trade and had to leave the
Ospedale at the age of fifteen, while the girls were musically trained and many
stayed on until adulthood (Kendall, 1978).

At one stage, the Ospedale were thought to have housed about 6000 children. The
most famous one, Ospedale della Pieta (for girls only) is where Vivaldi was
appointed as a teacher. The Pieta produced many virtuosos and a few composers. It
boasted an orchestra of about sixty, while the orchestras of the three other Ospedale
numbered only thirty (Kendall, 1978).
These institutions would compete by hiring only the best musicians to teach their
children and boasting their talents at high quality concerts. This provided them with
opportunities to commission violin and other instrument makers to provide them with
enough instruments, as well as any instrument repairs and parts that were needed.
The girls who studied music at the Pieta were distinguished from the rest of the girls.
They were able to enjoy great prestige and popularity due to their well-attended
concerts. These girls were known as privileggiate di coro (Stevens, 2000). Since
many of these girls were orphaned or abandoned, they had no last names. And as
music formed such a big part of their lives, they became known by their Christian
name, followed by their instruments. For example, Michieletta, who played the violin,
was known as Michieletta del Violin (Kendall, 1978).

Vivaldi was appointed to the Pieta as maestro di violino in 1703 at the age of only 25.
He worked there until 1740. He was required to teach the girls both music theory and
how to play various instruments, and was also in charge of maintaining and acquiring
new string instruments (Talbot, 2007). Most of Vivaldi’s major works were composed
for his students while he was employed at the Pieta. He composed concertos,
sonatas, cantatas and sacred vocal music for his students.

His first opus was a collection of 12 sonatas for two violins and basso continuo. He
later composed a second collection of sonatas for one violin and basso continuo, his
opus two. Both collections of sonatas are fairly conservative in form and style when
compared with his concerti. His trio sonatas are very similar to Corelli in that they are
purely in chamber style, while his solo sonatas are a mixture of church and chamber
style. Overall, Vivaldi composed about ninety sonatas and over five hundred concerti
(Talbot, 2007).

Vivaldi was a pivotal figure in Baroque composition. It is said that he may have
invented ritornello form. Whether or not that statement is true, he was certainly the
first composer who made it a staple part of every fast movement in a concerto. Many
composers later copied Vivaldi’s style and added ritornello to their compositions.
Vivaldi was also one of the first to make provision for a cadenza. In all of Vivaldi’s
instrumental music, he often re-used sections and even whole movements of his
compositions in other works. He also never ceased to modify his existing works
when they were needed for different occasions (Talbot, 2007).

Vivaldi revolutionised the language of the concerto, not only by his use of ritornello,
but also by his use of orchestral unison, something that was previously only seen in
the composition of opera. His fast movements included solo parts that were
unusually virtuosic and some that were lyrical. All of Vivaldi’s concerti were
adaptable to many different occasions, both sacred and secular, and this is what led
to their great popularity (Hutchings et al, 2007).

OWN CONRTIBUTION

One of his greatest works, though, is his opus 3, L’Estro Armonico, published in
1711, a collection of twelve concerti written for 1, 2 and 4 violins. The concertos are
grouped in threes, with each group containing a concerto for 1, 2, and 4 violins and
each concerto in a major key being followed by one in the minor. Michael Talbot
describes these works as being “perhaps the most influential collection of
instrumental music to appear during the whole of the eighteenth century” (Talbot,
2007). These compositions are specifically idiomatic to the violin, as the keys Vivaldi
used are mainly “open string” keys and fall easily under any violinists’ fingers. The
note values themselves are also very violinistic, as they are all straight forward
crotchets, quavers and semi-quavers. With this composition, Vivaldi turned his girls’
orchestra into one of the best in the world.

This collection of concerti consists of both fast and slow movement, showing off
Vivaldi’s talent as a composer and also his students’ talent as musicians and
violinists. His Allegro movements are lively and quick, while his slow movements
boast a beautiful melancholy. One can plainly see that each concerto was composed
specifically for the needs of his students. Each concerto focuses on certain
techniques that are needed to fulfil a student’s violin education. These works are a
vital part of any violin teacher’s repertoire today. They are rewarding to teach and
perform, and can be taught to any violinist.
To say the least, Vivaldi’s music was innovative. The way he arranged his opus 3
was not in chronological order, but in an order that would show the most variety and
have the most impressive effect on an audience when performed in its entirety. It
was this collection of concerti that made Vivaldi’s reputation in Europe. Bach enjoyed
his concerti so much that he even transcribed six of the opus 3 concerti for keyboard.
Critics of Vivaldi’s day remarked on the fact that he could show such contrapuntal
skill when he had such a volatile personality (Hogwood, 2013). After Vivaldi’s death
in 1741, his music was somewhat forgotten and only regained popularity and
appreciation in the early twentieth century.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it is plain to see that Antonio Vivaldi is a revolutionary figure in music

history. His compositions, both instrumental and vocal, have influenced music
educators from his time up until now. His great foundation in music can be attributed
to his father who was greatly respected as a violinist in Venice and across Europe. If
it were not for Vivaldi’s post at the Ospedale dell Pieta, there would surely be a great
hole in the repertoire for all string instruments, as he would not have had the
necessity to compose music that was attuned to the specific needs of his students.
REFERENCE LIST

Arthur Hutchings, et al. 2007. "Concerto." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music
Online. Oxford University Press [Electronic]. Available:
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40737. [April 09,
2014].

Hogwood, C. 2013. Vivaldi: L’estro Armonico, Op.3. [Web log Post]. Available:
http://www.hoasm.org/VIIIA/VivaldiLEstroArmonico.html. [2014, April 09].

Kendall, A. 1978. Vivaldi. London: Chappell & Company Limited.

Marble, M. Pincherle, M. 1938. “Vivaldi and the Ospitali of Venice”, The Musical
Quarterly. 24(3) 300-312.

Talbot, M. 1978. Vivaldi’s Venice, in The Musical Times. 119(1622) 314-317+319.

Talbot, M. 2007. "Vivaldi, Antonio." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
Oxford University Press [Electronic]. Available:
http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/40120pg1.
[April 10, 2014].

Stevens, D. 2000. Orphans and Musicians in Venice, in History Today. 50(5)22.

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