97
describes musically in the first
movement of the “Spring” concerto,
where the opening ritornello is a
dance representing the celebratory
joy of returning spring, succeeded
by three solo violins conveying
birdsong and other characteristics
of the season.High praise
In Italy, Vivaldi’s popularity
had waned by the end of his life
due to rising interest in a new
Neapolitan style of opera. North
of the Alps, however, Vivaldi’s
concertos, and Le quattro stagioni
in particular, made him one of the
most famous composers of the
day. Vivaldi’s patrons included the
Bohemian nobleman Count Wenzel
von Morzin, to whom Vivaldi
dedicated Il cimento dell’armonia
e dell’inventione, the collection
that contained Le quattro stagioni.
“I beg you not to be surprised,”
he wrote, “if among these few and
feeble concertos Your Illustrious
Grace should find the Four Seasons
which, with your noble bounty,
Your Illustrious Grace has so long
regarded with indulgence.”
Another illustrious endorsement
came from King Louis XV of
France, who in November 1730BAROQUE 1600 –1750
commanded a performance of
the “Spring” concerto, played by
an orchestra assembled entirely
of musically gifted nobles and
courtiers. Another lover of the
“Spring” concerto was philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who
in 1775 arranged the piece for
unaccompanied flute.Influence on composers
Most remarkable, however, was
the legacy of Vivaldi’s concertos
to his fellow musicians. One
notable devotee was J.S. Bach.
His patron, the Duke of Saxe-
Weimar, returned from a trip to the
Netherlands with a copy of Vivaldi’s
first concerto collection, the L’ e s t r o
armonico (“Harmonic Inspiration”),
published in Amsterdam. Bach
transcribed six of the concertos
for solo harpsichord, and accordingPainting pictures with music
Spring
Three solo violins mimic chirruping
birds and babbling brooks. An upbeat
third movement suggests a spring
festival with dancing.Autumn
The fast first movement captures
the drama of a harvest festival. The
orchestra is interrupted by a solo violin
representing a “swaying drunkard.”Summer
Tranquil sounds speak of summer heat,
with buzzing insects, a cuckoo, and
a lark. Minor chords and dramatic
undertones convey a summer storm.Winter
Fast violins convey chattering
teeth and stamping feet, and rapid
scales and dissonance suggest
winter chills and gales.to his earliest biographer, Johann
Nikolaus Forkel, it was this
experience that taught him the
importance of “order, coherence,
and proportion” in music.
According to modern scholars,
Forkel’s assessment may be
an exaggeration, but Vivaldi’s
influence on Bach is clearly evident
in, for example, Bach’s use of the
ritornello form. Equally evident is
the fact that Vivaldi gave the three-
movement (fast-slow-fast) concerto
a place among the most important
music forms, inspiring countless
future composers from Bach,
Haydn, and Mozart to Beethoven
onward. Moreover, the concerto
was a major influence on another
emerging form, one that soon
became the supreme form of
instrumental expression for
composers—the symphony. ■Vivaldi played a splendid
solo ... Such playing has not
been heard before and can
never be equalled.
J.F.A. von Uffenbach
German traveler
(1687–1769)US_092-097_Vivaldi.indd 97 26/03/18 1:00 PM