#Antonio vivaldi siblings professional

While still in his 20s he stopped saying mass altogether, although expectations for his conduct as a priest remained throughout his life. Not surprisingly, he was not especially committed to the pastoral responsibilities of priesthood, and one famous anecdote has him stopping in the middle of saying mass to dash into the sacristy and write down a musical idea (some versions of this story have him writing an entire fugue) before returning to the service. Venice especially had a large number of priest-musicians.īecause he had red hair, Vivaldi became known as “il prete rosso”-the red priest.

#Antonio vivaldi siblings professional

In those days, especially in Venice, becoming a priest was an avenue for professional advancement. Thanks to his father, he became a virtuoso violinist in addition, he was ordained as a priest in 1703. Three of his siblings died before the age of 5, and he had lifelong health problems himself (possibly bronchial asthma). He was incredibly supportive of his son, working with him as an impresario in their operatic ventures, travelling with him, and serving as his primary copyist for many years. His father was a violinist at the famous San Marco in Venice (after starting out as a barber) he was probably a composer as well. When I was an undergraduate we didn’t even know Vivaldi’s birthdate now we have a considerable amount about his life and his upbringing.

His contributions to musical style, violin technique and the practice of orchestration were substantial, and he was a pioneer of orchestral programme music.” The New Grove sums up his significance by describing him as follows: “The most original and influential Italian composer of his generation, he laid the foundations for the mature Baroque concerto. Vivaldi is one of those incredibly important composers whose works remain far too little known, especially the compositions using voice.