Meet the Composer: Antonio Vivaldi

Thumbnail for Meet the Composer lesson on Antonio Vivaldi

Age Range: Elementary, Middle School, High School

Introduction: Composers write music, just like authors write books. In the Class Notes “Meet the Composer” series, we will learn a little bit about the achievements, backstory, and influences of a variety of composers. Get ready to learn about these influential composers and listen to some of their music.

Total Video Time: 14:11

Total Lesson Time: Approximately 25-30 minutes

Download This Free Lesson Plan and Visual Aids Packet

BACKGROUND on Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi [vih-VAHL-dee] was born in 1678 in Venice, Italy. His father was a violinist and taught Antonio to play the instrument at a young age. Antonio also studied to become a Catholic priest. Because he had red hair, he was known as the “Red Priest”. For most of his career, he worked at a special orphanage that was also a music school. At the music school, Antonio Vivaldi could try out his compositions with his students.

Vivaldi is often referred to as one of the most famous and influential Baroque composers. Baroque (pronounced “bah-ROKE”) music is a term used to describe a certain era of western classical music written between the years 1600-1750. Antonio Vivaldi died in Austria in 1741.

MUSIC of Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi is famous for helping develop the concerto form in music, which often features a soloist together with an orchestra. His most famous work is The Four Seasons, which is a series of violin concertos that recreate the mood and feel of each season through music.

Watch and listen to violinist Joshua Bell perform the “Presto” movement of the “Summer” concerto from The Four Seasons together with an orchestra.
Antonio Vivaldi also wrote vocal music. Here is an aria, or a song, about snakes and fire! Many of the instruments you see look familiar but some of them (like the harpsichord, an ancestor of the modern piano) were more common during the Baroque Era.
Here is one more concerto by Antonio Vivaldi. This time, the solo instrument is the mandolin. Notice that many of the violinists in the orchestra use the pizzicato technique of plucking their strings instead of using their bows. At the very beginning of the video, you will see mandolin player Avi Avital walk through parts of Venice- the city in Italy where Antonio Vivaldi was born.

CREATE, CONNECT & RESPOND to Vivaldi’s music

Learn more about the mandolin in this Class Notes Lesson.
The first example from the Four Seasons is marked “Presto”. To learn more about what that word means in music, try the What Is PRESTO? lesson from the Class Notes Lesson Library.
In Vivaldi’s Mandolin Concerto, the violinist plucked their strings. Learn more about that technique in the What is PIZZICATO lesson in the Class Notes Lesson Library.