![]() ![]() Vivaldi was born (during a minor earthquake) in Venice, to a baker turned professional violinist, with whom the young Antonio studied. But many other gems of Vivaldi's output are worth exploring: he was one of the most prolific and influential composers of his time, and without his contribution to the development of concerto form, the instrumental music of later composers such as Bach would have been the poorer. For many people, the name Vivaldi is associated with just one piece of music – Le quattro stagioni ( The Four Seasons) – which has been recorded countless times. ![]() Most famous of all was the Italian Carlo Broschi, known as Farinelli (1705-1782).Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian violinist and prolific composer in the Baroque era. The castrati were the superstars of 18th century opera. ![]() Why this inhumane practice? Because in the 16th century, women were banned from the stage: men had to perform the parts intended for women. But because men usually have larger bodies and greater lung capacity than women, the voices of the grown-up castrati would combine extraordinary range and flexibility with great power. Castrated (removal of testes) before puberty, the voice of a castrato would remain high like that of a choir boy. Vivaldi also composed for the superstars of the Baroque: the castrati, male sopranos (highest vocal range) or contraltos (second highest range). Under Vivaldi, the Pietà’s orchestra became a sensation and the composer wrote some of his famous violin concertos for students of the Pietà. The Pietà’s female wards received musical training. In 1703, “the red priest” was appointed violin master of Venice’s Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned and orphaned children. Contrary to his parents’ wishes, Antonio made his name as a composer, and not as a priest. ![]()
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