In a letter to his patron Marchese Bentivolgio in 1737, Vivaldi makes reference to his ‘94 operas' but only around 50 are known today. In 1714 he became the impresario of the Teatro San Angelo in Venice. Opera was by far the most popular form of musical entertainment in Vivaldi’s Venice and the art form proved a profitable stream for the composer. During his 30 years teaching at the orphanage he composed many of his major works, writing concertos, cantatas and sacred vocal works for the orphans. Vivaldi took up a musical position at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà in 1703. Although he remained a priest for life, he received a dispensation from celebrating mass in 1704 due to ill health and so only ever said mass a handful of times. It most likely referred to his fiery red hair, which he inherited from his father. This catchy nickname was given to Vivaldi after he was ordained a priest in 1703 at the age of 25.
Read on to learn more about the master of the baroque. Much of his works were lost over the years and he faded from view in the 19th Century until the discovery in 1926 of 14 volumes of music, which included 140 instrumental pieces, 29 cantatas and 12 operas, prompted a resurged interest in his compositions. During his life he composed over 500 concertos, in the region of 50 operas, 100 sonatas, around 40 cantatas…the list goes on.
0 kommentar(er)
