The Four Seasons is a set of four
violin concertoA violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin and instrumental ensemble, customarily orchestra. Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day...
s by
Antonio VivaldiAntonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
. Composed in 1723,
The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of
Baroque musicBaroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
. The
textureIn music, texture is the way the melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are combined in a composition , thus determining the overall quality of sound of a piece...
of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season. For example, "Winter" is peppered with silvery
pizzicatoPizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of stringed instrument....
notes from the high strings, calling to mind icy rain, whereas "Summer" evokes a thunderstorm in its final movement, which is why the movement is often dubbed "Storm."
The concertos were first published in 1725 as part of a set of twelve concerti, Vivaldi's
Op.An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
8, entitled
Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventioneIl cimento dell'armonia e dell'invenzione is a set of twelve concerti written by Antonio Vivaldi between 1723 and 1725 and published in 1725 as Op. 8. All are for violin solo, strings, and basso continuo. The first four concertos are usually known as The Four Seasons .-List of concerti:*Concerto No...
(The Contest between Harmony and Invention). The first four concertos were designated
Le quattro stagioni, each being named after a
seasonA season is a division of the year, marked by changes in weather, ecology, and hours of daylight.Seasons result from the yearly revolution of the Earth around the Sun and the tilt of the Earth's axis relative to the plane of revolution...
. Each one is in three movements, with a slow movement between two faster ones. At the time of writing The Four Seasons, the modern solo form of the
concertoA concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
had not yet been defined (typically a solo instrument and accompanying orchestra). Vivaldi's original arrangement for solo violin with
string quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
and basso continuo helped to define the form.
List of concertos and movements
- Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV
The Ryom-Verzeichnis or Répertoire des oeuvres d'Antonio Vivaldi is a catalog of the music of Antonio Vivaldi created by Peter Ryom...
269, "La primavera" (Spring)
- Allegro
- Largo
- Allegro Pastorale
- Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer)
- Allegro non molto
- Adagio e piano – Presto e forte
- Presto
- Concerto No. 3 in F major, Op. 8, RV 293, "L'autunno" also known as the "Danza Pastorale"(Autumn)
- Allegro
- Adagio molto
- Allegro
- Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, "L'inverno" (Winter)
- Allegro non molto
- Largo
- Allegro
Sonnets and allusions
The four concertos were written to accompany four sonnets. Though it is not known who wrote these sonnets, there is a theory that Vivaldi wrote them himself, given that each sonnet is broken down into three sections, neatly corresponding to a movement in the concerto. If Vivaldi in fact wrote the sonnets, The Four Seasons may be classified as
program musicProgram music or programme music is a type of art music that attempts to musically render an extra-musical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience in the form of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music...
, music that intends to evoke something extra-musical.
In addition to these sonnets, Vivaldi provided instructions such as "The barking dog" (in the second movement of "Spring"), "Languor caused by the heat" (in the first movement of "Summer"), and "the drunkards have fallen asleep" (in the second movement of "Autumn").
The Four Seasons is used in the 1981 film
The Four SeasonsThe Four Seasons is a 1981 romantic comedy film starring Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, Rita Moreno, Jack Weston and Bess Armstrong.-Plot summary:...
along with other Vivaldi concertos for flute.
Media
Recordings
The first recording of
The Four Seasons is a matter of some dispute. There is a
compact discThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of one made by the violinist
Alfredo CampoliAlfredo Campoli was an Italian-born British violinist, often known simply as Campoli. He was noted for the beauty of the tone he produced from the violin.-Biography:...
which is taken from
acetatesAn acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
of a French radio broadcast; these are thought to date from early in 1939. The first proper electrical recording was made in 1942 by
Bernardino MolinariBernardino Molinari was an Italian conductor.Molinari studied under Renzi and Falchi at the Accademia of Santa Cecilia in his home town of Rome....
, and though his adaptation is somewhat different from what we have come to expect from modern performances, it is clearly recognisable. This first recording by Molinari was made for Cetra, issued in
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and subsequently in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on six double-sided 78s in the 1940s. It was then reissued on
long-playing albumThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
in 1950, was once again reissued on compact disc.
Not surprisingly, further recordings followed. The next was in 1948 by the violinist
Louis KaufmanLouis Kaufman was an American violinist and possibly the most recorded musical artist of the 20th century. He played the soundtrack on as many as 500 movies and over 100 musical recordings...
, mistakenly credited as the 'first' recording, made during the night in New York using 'dead' studio time and under pressure from a forthcoming musicians strike. The performers were The Concert Hall Chamber Orchestra under
Henry SwobodaHenry Swoboda was a Czech conductor and musicologist. He made many recordings for the Westminster label, including the first commercially available record of Bruckner's Sixth Symphony. He worked from 1927 to 1931 for Electrola, Berlin and later as conductor for Radio-Prag...
, Edith Weiss-Mann (
harpsichordA harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
) and Edouard Nies-Berger (
organThe organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
). This recording helped the re-popularisation of Vivaldi's music in the mainstream repertoire of Europe and America following on the work done by Molinari and others in Italy. It won the French
Grand Prix du DisqueThe Grand Prix du Disque is the premier French award for musical recordings. The award was inaugurated by l'Académie Charles Cros in 1948 and offers prizes in various categories. The categories vary from year to year, and multiple awards are often made in any one category in the same year...
in 1950, was elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2003 was selected for the
National Recording RegistryThe National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
in the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. Kaufman, intrigued to learn that the four concertos were in fact part of a set of twelve, set about finding a full score and eventually recorded the other eight concertos in
ZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
in 1950, making his the first recording of Vivaldi's complete Op. 8.
I MusiciI Musici is an Italian chamber orchestra from Rome formed in 1952. They are well known for their interpretations of Baroque and other works, particularly Antonio Vivaldi and Tomaso Albinoni....
followed in 1955 with the first of several recordings of
The Four Seasons with different soloists. The 1955 set with
Felix AyoFelix Ayo, , is an internationally renowned violinist, who is often a soloist, and is a performer of chamber music, a teacher and recording artist with a career that has spanned more than fifty years.-Early career:...
was that ensemble's first recording of any music; subsequent
I MusiciI Musici is an Italian chamber orchestra from Rome formed in 1952. They are well known for their interpretations of Baroque and other works, particularly Antonio Vivaldi and Tomaso Albinoni....
recordings feature
Felix AyoFelix Ayo, , is an internationally renowned violinist, who is often a soloist, and is a performer of chamber music, a teacher and recording artist with a career that has spanned more than fifty years.-Early career:...
again in 1959, Roberto Michelucci in 1969,
Pina CarmirelliPina Carmirelli was an Italian violinist.She started studying music and playing in public when she was very young. She was a pupil of Michelangelo Abbado, and graduated from the Milan Conservatory in violin and composition . She won the Premio Stradivari in 1937 and the Premio Paganini in 1940...
in 1982, Federico Agostini in 1990, and
Mariana Sîrbu- Biography :Mariana Sîrbu started playing the violin under the supervision of her parents. She then studied with Ştefan Gheorghiu at the "Ciprian Porumbescu" National University of Music Bucharest in Bucharest....
in 1995. The 1969 recording by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by
Neville MarrinerSir Neville Marriner is an English conductor and violinist.-Biography:Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the...
, featuring soloist Alan Loveday, reputedly moved the piece from the realm of esoterica to that of program and popular staple.
Nigel Kennedy'sNigel Kennedy is a British born violinist and violist. He made his early career in the classical field, and he has performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti...
1989 recording of
The Four Seasons with the
English Chamber OrchestraThe English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall...
sold over copies, becoming one of the best-selling classical works ever.
Gil Shaham-Biography:Gil Shaham was born in Urbana, Illinois, while his parents, Israeli scientists, were on an academic fellowship at the University of Illinois. His father Jacob was an astrophysicist, and his mother, Meira Diskin, was a cytogeneticist. His sister is the pianist Orli Shaham. He is a...
and the
Orpheus Chamber OrchestraThe Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a Grammy Award-winning classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. It is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, interpret the score....
recorded
The Four Seasons as well as a
music videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the first movement of "Winter" that was featured regularly on
The Weather ChannelThe Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
in the mid-1990s.
The World's Encyclopedia of Recorded Music in 1952 cites only two recordings of
The Four Seasons – by Molinari and Kaufman. By 2011 approximately 1,000 different recorded versions have been made since Campoli's in 1939.
Derivative works
In 1765 the French composer
Michel CorretteMichel Corrette was a French organist, composer and author of musical method books.-Life:Corrette was born in Rouen, Normandy. His father, Gaspard Corrette, was an organist and composer. Corrette served as organist at the Jesuit College in Paris from about 1737 to 1780. It is also known that he...
composed and published a choral motet,
Laudate DominumLaudate Dominum are the opening words of Psalm 116 or 117 in Latin. As with the other Psalms, "Laudate Dominum" is concluded with a trinitarian doxology when used in Roman rite...
de Coelis, subtitled
"Motet à Grand Chœur arrangé dans le Concerto de Printemps de Vivaldi". The work, for choir and orchestra, consists of the words of
Psalm 116The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
set to the music from Vivaldi's Spring movement with vocal soloists singing the solo concerto parts.
External links
http://angelqueen.org/articles/08_05_vivaldi_four_seasons.shtml