Hall of Composers

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678. His father was a barber who became a professional violinist at the basilica of St. Mark. Father and son performed together as violinists on several occasions. Antonio trained for the priesthood, was ordained in 1703, and became known as the “red priest” because of his red hair.

It was around this time he accepted responsibility for teaching music at an orphanage for girls called the Ospedale delle Pietà. He was responsible for writing two concerti every month for the girls’ performances, accounting for many of the 500 concerti composed during his lifetime.

In addition to his concerti, Vivaldi composed 40 cantatas, 22 operas, and more than 60 sacred works. Many of his works have not survived as they were written for specific occasions with little use beyond that point. This was the practice of the day and works that were not published tended to later become lost. Vivaldi was one of the few Italian composers interested in woodwind instruments; an integral part of northern European orchestras.

Vivaldi died in 1741 in Vienna and was buried in a pauper’s grave, as he had fallen out of favor later in life as the music world continued toward the Classical period.

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