Product Description
In this dynamic picture-book biography, told as if by Vivaldi himself, the famous musician's energetic personality and steadfast dedication to music come alive.

Despite his mother's vow for him to become a priest, young Vivaldi is only interested in music. He soon grows from a feisty boy who wants to play the violin into a stubborn young man who puts his musical training ahead of his studies for priesthood.

Beautiful, ornate artwork portrays the spirit and splendor of Vivaldi's hometown, Venice. A historical note, musical score, and glossary will help readers more fully appreciate Vivaldi's life and musical genius. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Viva Vivaldi!
I am always pleased to see new books about Vivaldi, especially when they are geared toward children and young readers. "I, Vivaldi" is a captivating picture book and story, appropriate for elementary age and up. I've used this book in music classes for this age, in conjunction with a unit on Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," and the children love relating the music to the composer's feelings, as the book's author does.

"I, Vivaldi" is beautifully illustrated, and the author is careful to separate fact from fiction in her endnotes. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to parents and teachers who want to introduce their young students to Vivaldi and his music.

Sarah Bruce Kelly
Author of THE RED PRIEST'S ANNINA

One of the only children's books on Vivaldi, and it's great!
This book was very well done. We learn about Vivaldi from Vivaldi. He tells us about his life from his birth on. It was engaging and the illustrations truly added to the story.

At the end of the book there is a 'what is fact, what is fiction' section. The author stayed very close to the fact and the kids were interested in finding out what was different.

This book held their attention and taught us a lot. It's a book I'd buy for our home library.

*taken from my review at goodreads

Vivaldi's Dilemma
On the day that Antonio Vivaldi was born he nearly died. To save him, his mother vowed he would become a priest. That vow would cause trouble, because Antonio wanted to be a musician like his father. But how? You will find out in this lively picture book biography which uses the known facts of his life and is true to Venice in glorious detail. A book for all ages.

Why I collect Children's Illustrated Books
This book takes my breath away.I became a collector of children's books
around 10 years ago when I took up a part time job in a bookstore.Today, I have around 2000 overflowing my home.Some, purchases were mistakes, others are very enjoyable still and some just make my day.This is one of them.

There is a "biography" of a wonderful artist, and as someone else stated
you don't write a paper around the information given in the book, but I
think it could easily pique the interest of a child who is reading the
book.

Also there are wonderful illustrations of glorious Venice.I love to
travel so I am always on the lookoneout for books that depict foreign
places.Venice, along with Paris, seems to be one of the top favorite places for illustrators as well as travelers.Each illustration was instantly recognizable as a place in the heart of Venice which brought back wonderful memories.

This book had me wanting to go pack my bags but that isn't possible right
now so I instead am enjoying Vivaldi on the stereo.I am also buying
a copy of the book for the nearly 8 year old granddaughter.

Cute, but so much fiction
I mistakenly purchased this book as a reference for a college paper on Vivaldi. The amount of fiction involved in the story made it unusable, but I'll admit it was a very nicely spun tale and is suitable for young children as an introduction to Vivaldi, although it gives his life more of a fable quality than he actually lived.

As for his mother promising to make him a priest if God spared his life at birth, well that may be true, but frankly his career choices in Venice at that time were limited to priest, sailor, or shopkeeper. Not much variety, and priest was the one career path that offered a decent education and salary, plus allowed him the freedom to pursue his passion for music. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Lively and informative
Landon's lively biography is by far the most entertaining and readable of the scholarly works on Vivaldi. Filled with colorful anecdotal stories about Vivaldi's fascinating, and in some ways enigmatic life, this book is fun to read as well as informative. There are also excellent translations of many of Vivaldi's letters and an extremely helpful list of appendices, including a schedule of Vivaldi's opera productions.

Perhaps best of all are the many sparkling descriptions of Vivaldi's music. Except for the operas, which are not covered in much depth, Landon brings to life the full spectrum of Vivaldi's brilliant and prolific musical output. Landon's book is a joy to read, rich with absorbing details about Vivaldi's life and music, and should be on the bookshelf of every serious Vivaldi enthusiast.

Sarah Bruce Kelly
Author of THE RED PRIEST'S ANNINA

Excellent book by a famous musicologist.
Unfortunatly this book received a very bad italian translation. In French the book is no more published.So the english original version is very precious.

A splendid palimpsest of Vivaldi's life
Antonio Vivaldi's life is hardly well documented: certainly not as well as Mozart's or Beethoven's. Even Bach's biographical details, scarcely thorough, are significantly greater than the "Red Priest's". Vivaldi's music and reputation nearly disappeared following his death, along with a substantial number of his manuscripts and the day-to-day details of his sui generis career. His resurrection as a composer and the dogged efforts of musicologists have provided at least the rough outlines of a biography. H. C. Robbins Landon, whom some consider Joseph Haydn's alter ego, has written an excellent biography of Vivaldi, managing to provide the details of his life in only 170 pages (including illustrations). Hardly a voluminous tome, there just isn't much day-to-day knowledge available, and what is known must often be teased out of official documents that are still coming to light.

What Robbins Landon reveals about Vivaldi, especially in his few surviving letters to the nobility or the inevitable dedications to his various noble patrons, is painful. Cringing obsequiousness, fawning servility, even an occasional whining sycophancy when things go wrong and Vivaldi pleads to a patron for assistance, are all prominently displayed. This was coin of the realm for the era: the artist as flotsam in a hierarchical world. It is painful to witness, nevertheless. What is also revealed is a certain wolfishness on Vivaldi's part. His strange and lengthy menage with the attractive and moderately talented Giraud sisters, slightly unusual for a Priest. His peculiar working habits and relationships with other artists. His somewhat craven demeanor throughout his compositional career, finally inducing him to abandon Italy for Vienna at the end. This portrait of Vivaldi seems more enigmatic and his biography more of a palimpsest than the usual life story. Given the data, Robbins Landon does a superb job of at least revealing Vivaldi's milieu, picturing beautiful Venice during that era and outlining the splendid music this peculiar man created. For it is ultimately the music, and only the music, that contains the blood and heart and sinew of this marvelous composer.

Mike Birman

Viva Vivaldi!
There are not many biographies about Vivaldi because, unfortunately, only a scetch of his life is known.This biography is probably the best contemporary book on him.It is not only a good synopsis of his life but it also has very good insights on his life and music.Landon's insights are especially good when he comments on specific works of Vivaldi. Vivaldi is rightly known as a master concerto composor.However, his voluminous output also included other genre, notably many beautiful operas and sacred works.Landon does a fine job in his book of commenting on these works also and proposing that, epsecially the sacred works, need to be better appreciated and popularized.As a Vivaldi buff (and there are very few of us) I highly recommend this book.

A Baroque favourite!!
If you love baroque music and are a fan of Vivaldi you will enjoy this book! H.C. Robbins Landon has really shown alot of research in this book and gives you details about Vivaldi's work and place in society. When I read the book I was amazed at the documents and letters written by Vivaldi. The illustrations provided in this text gave me a clearer insight as to how things were like in 18th century Italy.
Also when I was read this book I now have more respect for Vivaldi's work. The amount of work he did when he was alive was amazing.(Basically, he was a workaholic!). I am glad that his works have not been neglected and are now preserved.

Bravo Landon for showing us that there is more to Vivaldi than just the 4 seasons! ... Read more

Product Description
Antonio Vivaldi's rediscovery after World War II quickly led him from obscurity to his present renown as one of the most popular 18th-century composers. Heller's biography presents the important facets of his life, his works, and his influence on music history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Must read for Vivaldi lovers
Heller's book is the most accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive, and unbiased biography of Vivaldi yet written. While thoroughly scholarly, the book is also highly readable and absolutely packed with fascinating and enlightening information about the famous Red Priest.

This is nearly always the book I go to when I want to be sure about a certain aspect of Vivaldi's life or music. I teach a university course on Vivaldi and do not hesitate to recommend Heller's excellent biography to my students.

Sarah Bruce Kelly
Author of THE RED PRIEST'S ANNINA

Good source for info on Vivaldi
I recently saw the dramatic play about Vivaldi (which bears the same title as this book) and became interested in learning more hard facts about the composer. I started with this bio and found it to be interesting and well-translated from its original German. It also provides some great vintage photos and illustrations. For anyone interested in learning about Vivaldi's absolutely fascinating life, I would recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Antonio Vivaldi - The Red Priest of Baroque Music is the biography of Antonio Vivaldi. He was a Venetian priest and Baroque music composer, as well as a famous virtuoso violinist; he was born and raised in the Republic of Venice. The Four Seasons, a series of four violin concertos, is his best known work and a highly popular Baroque music piece. Vivaldi is considered one of the composers who brought Baroque music to evolve into a classical style. At the height of his career, Vivaldi received commissions from European nobles and royalty. Vivaldi's life, like those of many composers of the time, ended in financial difficulties. Antonio Vivaldi - The Red Priest of Baroque Music is highly recommended for those interested in reading more about this priest and talented musician. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Waste of Money
I spent $13.98 for this book (INCLUDING SHIPPING). Ithas very large print and not much information. It took me about 5 minutes to read. The entire contents of the book can be viewed on-line for free at Wikipedia. DON'T BUY THIS BOOK- IT IS A WASTE OF MONEY!!! ... Read more

Product Description
"Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' are amongst the most beautiful and widely-known Baroque master pieces. Each of the four violin concertos is preceded by a sonnet which characterises the season depicted in the concerto. The poems are thought to be by Vivaldi himself.

Concertos for violin, strings and basso continuo. In an easy arrangement for piano, op. 8/1-4

In an easy arrangement for piano. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Neat Little Package
This book, which is a combination of music/text/pictures, is an excellent way to experience Vivaldi's "Four Seasons."Many people are familiar with the music, but how many know that sonnets were printed along with it, to help give imagery to the concertos as they're heard?This book takes that idea one step further, adding prints of paintings from artists who were active during Vivaldi's lifetime.All of these prints depict scenes from the various seasons, and all can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The aforementioned sonnets appear alongside the prints, and are listed in both English and the original Italian verse.

A few notes:the music comes in the form of a CD, and it is encased in plastic on the inside back cover of the book.One should be careful when removing the plastic, because if you remove too much of it, you won't have a place to store the CD.I cut a slit a few inches down so that I can remove the CD but also return it there when finished.There is no "jewel case" for the CD.On a positive note, an extra concerto was included on the CD, which is not part of "The Four Seasons."Vivaldi's "Concerto for Mandolin" etc. (RV 425) can be found at the end of the CD, an unexpected bonus!

Four stars.A nice little combination to be experiecned together - listen to the music, read the sonnets, and view the paitings.This makes an excellent inexpensive gift for a music lover (or even for yourself)!

Very Colourful!
This book from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is so cute!
It took awhile to get to me but well worth the wait!Aside from the rich pictures of 18th century scenery and people, this book can also be used as a picture book for children.
With the sonnets for each season, the pictures lets your imagination go back in time. The 4 seasons are wonderful concerti and the pictures helped imagine the music on another level.
The only thing that was lacking was the CD that went with it. I did not find it to be the best recording, but good nonetheless.

th 4 seasons
This is truely a beautiful piece of music, is a pleasure to play ... Read more

Product Description
A portrait of Antonio Vivaldi captures the life of the eighteenth-century Venetian composer, providing information on the influences that shaped both his life and work as well as the great revival that occurred in 1926 with the discovery of his manuscripts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A real Vivaldi gem!
What a treasure trove of beautiful full-color pictures, fascinating information about Vivaldi, Venetian history, art, literature, etc.Although by no means an indepth study, this lovely book is the ideal introduction to Vivaldi and the history and culture of his time.

It's a real treat just to leaf through and look at the illustrations, which are quite an education in themselves. And the text, while accessible for young readers, is equally fascinating for adults. Anyone interested in classical music and composers, especially the Baroque period, should have this exquisite volume on their bookshelf or coffee table.

Sarah Bruce Kelly
Author of THE RED PRIEST'S ANNINA

The life and times of famous composer Antonio Vivaldi
In reading some of the books in this Famous Composers Series it is surprising how many great composer were not considered great in their own lifetime.Antonio Vivaldi was a brilliant violinist and a gifted teacher, but apparently audiences grew bored with his concertos, church music, and opera during his lifetime.Like Mozart he died poor and alone in Vienna.This book by Roland Vernon is quite informative, working in all sorts of details about the times in which Vivaldi lived while chronicling the musician's life.For example, while talking about Vivaldi's childhood in Venice we learn all about the Doge and Patricians of Venice and the city's most impressive church, St. Mark's Basilica.But the focus is on Vivaldi as a musician and how he was a pioneer of the concerto, who explored new ways of composing solo instrumental passages to be placed between sections of orchestral music.However, all this wonderful information sometimes gets lost because these volumes are full of color illustrations.Ian Andrew provides some contemporary artwork to covers the specifics of Vivaldi's biography, but what really stands out are the historic paintings and contemporary photographs that give us a sense of the 18th century Venice in which he wrote and played music.I have seen a lot of books about famous painters that are not as well illustrated as the volumes in the Famous Composers Series.Other titles in this series introduce us to Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Gershwin, Mozart, Stravinsky, and Verdi.As always, it is recommended that young readers being introduced to Vivaldi, or any other composer, should listen to the famous musician's music while reading such a book. ... Read more

Product Description
Federico Maria Sardelli writes from the perspective of a professional baroque flautist and recorder-player, as well as from that of an experienced and committed scholar, in order to shed light on the bewildering array of sizes and tunings of the recorder and transverse flute families as they relate to Antonio Vivaldi's compositions. Sardelli draws copiously on primary documents to analyse and place in context the prolific and surprisingly progressive instrumental technique displayed in Vivaldi's work. The book includes a discussion of the much-disputed chronology of Vivaldi's works, drawing on both internal and external evidence. Each known piece by him in which the flute or the recorder appears is evaluated fully from historical, biographical, technical and aesthetic standpoints. This book is designed to appeal not only to Vivaldi scholars and lovers of the composer's music, but also to players of the two instruments, students of organology and those with an interest in late baroque music in general. Vivaldi is a composer who constantly springs surprises as, even today, new pieces are discovered or old ones reinterpreted.Much has happened since Sardelli's book was first published in Italian, and this new English version takes full account of all these new discoveries and developments. The reader will be left with a much fuller picture of the composer and his times, and the knowledge and insights gained from minutely examining his music for these two wind instruments will be found to have a wider relevance for his work as a whole. Generous music examples and illustrations bring the book's arguments to life. ... Read more

Product Description

Abandoned as an infant, fourteen-year-old Anna Maria dal Violin is one of the elite musicians living in the foundling home where the "Red Priest," Antonio Vivaldi, is maestro and composer. Fiercely determined to find out where she came from, Anna Maria embarks on a journey of self-discovery that carries her into a wondrous and haunting world of music and spectacle, bringing eighteenth-century Venice magically to life.

Customer Reviews (36)

Vivaldi's Virgins
This was yet another book I picked up from the library to fulfill the requirements of a challenge. I was surprised with a decent fast paced historical fiction novel with a rather spunky protagonist. Anna Maria is orphaned as an infant and is brought up in the Pieta where her musical talent with the Violin is recognized and Vivaldi eventually becomes her Maestro. Even though many of the girls in the book have been abandoned here, some do know their parentage but were given up for a variety of reasons, from destitute mothers to those who are noble bastards. The highlight of this book are Anna Maria and the girls at the Pieta-spunky Marietta who uses her cleverness to attain a good marriage with a noble family, Guilietta-Anna Maria's best friend who runs away and marries a painter, Bernardina-Anna Maria's half blind rival. They all made for interesting reading. Throughout the novel Anna Maria constantly gets into mischief and delays her promotions in the Coro (choir) while trying to discover the identity of her mother and where she came from-a search which is inspired by a locket that comes into her possession.

I would call this book a bit predictable as I figured out who Anna Maria's mother was way before the book ended but it was still an entertaining story. Unfortunately, as I know squat about Venice during this time period I can't attest to the historical accuracy of this book so I don't know if the purists will enjoy it or not.

As for Mr. Vivaldi, I like some classical music but have a VERY limited knowledge of it. I knew the name Vivaldi but couldn't place any of his compositions so I googled "Four Seasons" which is his most famous work and recognized it instantly as it began to play. I dug up a little more information on the Italian Maestro and discovered that he was really under appreciated and didn't become extremely popular until the 1960's! Wow, was that a long time in coming. In any event, the book has inspired me to bone up on my classical music :)

Venice, a young violinist and Vivaldi
This is the story of Anna, who was left at an orphanage as a baby. She shows musical talent and is groomed to be violinist, and chosen by Vivaldi, who is working as a teacher/priest. We see life in 18th century Venice presented as a series of flashbacks by Anna as she reads the letters to her mother that one of her dear teachers, a nun, encouraged her to write. Through her story we see the lives of the musical virgins, and the lives of women in those times. We also see what happens to those orphans who do not display great talent. The historical setting is well presented and the author's descriptions helped me to really see and feel the Venice of that time.Although Vivaldi plays a key role, this is really Anna's story as we see her grow and change from a young girl into a woman.This was an enjoyable and satisfying book.

Venice comes to life through Anna Maria's spirit
This historical fiction is set in the early 1700's in Venice - written as a memoir of an orphan raised in a convent for children with musical talent.Anna Maria was a great violinist and Vivaldi composed music and saw her talent at an early age.It was really a great book - especially about women and their choices in that time.Her friend escaped the convent to marry - but if a woman married they were not allowed to play music again - and she was never happy in the married life without being able to sing and perform.Anna Maria also had a Jewish friend and we saw the Jews as outcasts in that society - she brought to life a female painter who seemed to have "made it" as the King commissioned her paintings.I learned a lot about early Venice, the water and gondolas, and the months of "carnival" where people wore masks (like the modern New Orleans Mardi Gras time).

Delightful reading
"Vivaldi's Virgins" imagines the life of the Red Priest's most famous student at the Pieta, Anna Maria dal Violin. Quick's beautiful prose and the story's largely epistolary style lend an old-world elegance to this novel that does not seem at all contrived. One can't help get swept up in Anna Maria's emotional journey, which climaxes with an astonishing revelation about her beloved Sister Laura. (The parallel revelation about Vivaldi and Anna Giro does not, I must say, seem as convincing.)

This delightful novel, however, is about Anna Maria, who inspired Vivaldi to write some of his most brilliant concertos for violin and viola d'amore. For an excellent recording of some of these, listen to "Six Violin Concertos for Anna Maria:Vivaldi: Six Violin Concertos for Anna Maria [Hybrid SACD]

Sarah Bruce Kelly
Author of "The Red Priest's Annina"

A book that combines the beauty of Venice and divne music of Vivaldi's
I am not a huge fan of music. Since I discovered audio books, I have replaced the radio stations in my car with more reading. However, I do enjoy classical music. This fondness was instilled in me by my high school Language Arts teacher. She strongly believed in the connection between classical music and classic literature.Ever since then I have shared her belief that these two arts go hand in hand. And Vivaldi's Virgins was truly my guilty pleasure as it combined both.

The book is written in a form of a memoir of Anna Maria dal Violin, a girl raised from infancy in Ospedale della Pieta, a home for elite female musicians of the early 18th century Venice. It was Venice where the legendary Antonio Vivaldi reigned supreme. Vivaldi was also the maestro of Ospedale instructing and teaching young girls, future musicians the beautiful art of music. Anna Maria was one of these girls and she was also one of Viavldi's favorites. Her amazing talent for playing violin was only overshadowed by her quest and longing for finding out who she truly was. She had been left at the doors of Ospedale as a motherless infant and was raised by the nuns. The whole novel weaves around Anna trying desperately to find out who her mother is, what her familial heritage is. She risks her career and her love for music only to discover what is most important to her.

I truly adored this book. The world of splendid Venice and the world of beautiful, divine music were captivating. Barbara Quick must love classical music just as much as she loves writing because she could not have channeled the notes of Vivaldi's compositions via the book otherwise. As with every great historical novel, this one compelled me to find out all I could about Vivaldi and his Virgins. And I must say that Ms. Quick also happens to be quite accurate in her portrayal of Venice's history. That was yet another plus added to my growing list of pluses as I kept reading Vivaldi's Virgins. But the part of this book I appreciated the most was the portrayal of Anne. She was just a small, 9-year-old girl when the story started but from the very first pages I could feel the wonder at her two passions. She was equally burned by the need to find her mother, and consequently her own identity, and by the love she had for playing violin. Her talent and her adoration for music turned into a love affair (who says that a love affair has to be between two people) that lasted Anna's whole life and for which much was sacrificed.I really enjoyed reading about another person's great devotion and passion towards what she loved and it made me feel a little guilty about my sometimes lukewarm attitude towards my own interests. I made up for it though, at least in one small part by re-discovering the music of Vivaldi to which I listened all the while reading the book. ... Read more

Product Description
This series of biographies presents the great composers against the background of their times. Each draws on personal letters and recollections, engravings, paintings and, when they exist, photographs, to present a complete picture of the composer’s life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a man of mystery
Vivaldi's life and personality are fascinating, especially because there are so many mysteries unsolved. Even the author of this book, John Booth, is a mystery. Who is this person? It says on the cover that this is thefirst music-related book this man has written. Well, he has done a terrificjob! :-)

Entertaining!
For Vivaldi lovers who don't like dry and scholastic biographies, this can be confidently recommended as the first book, or even the only book, to read about the composer. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The authorreally tells the story of this fascinating composer in a very engaging way!Bravo!

In fact, I would recommend every biography in this series.Pictures and photos about the composer's life and times really give thereaders a lot of atmospheres and extra feelings. It's far more enjoyablethis way when one reads a biography! ... Read more

Product Description
One of the finest works of all Vivaldi's choral settings, arranged for the upper voices by Desmond Ratcliffe. Uplifting and melodic, the intoxicating tunes and spellbinding optimism of Gloria have helped it to become one of the most popular works in the Baroque choral repertoire. ... Read more

Product Description
Tonal Space in the Music of Antonio Vivaldi incorporates an analytical study of Vivaldi's style into a more general exploration of harmonic and tonal organization in the music of the late Italian Baroque. The harmonic and tonal language of Vivaldi and his contemporaries, full of curious links between traditional modal thinking and what would later be considered common-practice major-minor tonality, directly reflects the historical circumstances of the shifting attitude toward the conceptualization of tonal space so crucial to Western art music. Vivaldi is examined in a completely new context, allowing both his prosaic and idiosyncratic sides to emerge clearly. This book contributes to a better understanding of Vivaldi's individual style, while illuminating wider processes of stylistic development and the diffusion of artistic ideas in the 18th century. ... Read more

Product Description
From Vivaldi to Viotti: A History of the Early Classical Violin Concerto surveys the genre of the solo violin concerto in the transitional years from the Baroque to the Classical style. The violin concerto is the only major instrumental form of the Baroque period that had continuous development through these years without a change of medium. This book gives a new perspective on the development of the Classical style as well as sheds light on an important class of music previously unexplored. ... Read more

Product Description
for soloists, SATB chorus, baroque orchestra (oboe, trumpet, bassoon, keyboard and strings) or keyboard
Both full and vocal scores make clear distinction between original and editorial markings. They are supplemented by a full critical apparatus and continuo realization, and information on performance practice is relevant without being prescriptive. This edition is also unique in including a transcription of the 'Cum sancto spirito' from Ruggieri's Gloria which formed the basis of Vivaldi's own setting.
All material is also available on hire. ... Read more

Product Description
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi became one of Europe's most popular composers during the early part of the 18th century. He wrote hundreds of concertos, dozens of operas, and many sacred works before his music fell out of fashion during the latter part of his life. His most famous work, The Four Seasons, has become one of the best-selling classical compositions of all time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The book is in good condition, excellent printing
The content is being well arrange, use just few words to bring out the life and event about Vivaldi~ The book is used simple English so is also suitable for the kids. ... Read more

Product Description
Vivaldi's chamber cantatas for solo voice, some forty in total, are steadily gaining in popularity: but because of their relatively small place in the oeuvre of a composer famed for his productivity, and also on account of the general scholarly neglect of their genre, they are little discussed in the literature. This book comprehensively explores their literary and musical background, their relation to the composer's biography, the chronology of their composition, and their musical qualities. Each cantata is discussed individually, but there is also a broader consideration of aspects concerning them collectively, such as performance practice, topical allusion, and the conventions of Italian verse. The author argues that while Vivalid's cantatas are not as innovative as his concertos and operas, he produced several masterpieces in the genre that rank with his best music. ... Read more

Product Description
Part of a series of biographies of famous composers and musicians, this book aims to introduce young readers to the world of music. The books tell the story of the life of different composers, but woven into each book are be educational themes such as the form of a symphony, the development of particular instruments and the techniques of composition. The books also cover the role that personal and political beliefs played in the lives of the composers. Antonio Vivaldi composed over 800 sonatas, concertos and operas for his home city of Venice, the heart of Europe's high life, full of the songs of gondoliers and the costumes of Carnival. But Vivaldi had trained as a priest, writing many serene and deeply religious music for the church. The speed at which he wrote his scores was known to be faster than any professional copyist. He inspired Haydn and Beethoven, and his development of the concerto form was picked up and expanded by Bach. Much of his work lay hidden in a monastery and a private collection for 200 years. Its discovery this century led to a huge increase in his popularity.He is perhaps most well known today for his "Four Seasons" - for many, this is often their first taste of classical music. ... Read more