Italian composer. That that the Venetian ones called “it Lends rosso” is the Italian musician most famous of the end of the baroque: to the number impressing of its cantatas, oratorios or operas is added a production without precedent of purely instrumental works, in particular of concertos, whose Vivaldi will fix the form in three movements, and among which only the Four Seasons, indefatigably played and played again, would suffice for its glory.

At the same time priest, virtuoso of the violin, professor in one of the old people's homes of young girls most famous of Venice, composer of musics profane and religious, conductor, theater director and business manager, Antonio Vivaldi are an enigmatic character who, famous in his time, was rediscovered at the beginning of the XX ^E century, after one long period of lapse of memory.

Antonio Vivaldi is the first child of a many family: it will have six brothers and sisters. His/her father, violonist with Saint-Marc and musician of theater, take part in the extraordinary musical vitality of the city of the Doges and figure among the founders of an important corporation of musicians. It is Giovanni Battista Vivaldi who learns the violin with his son - this one acquires very young person a sufficient technique to replace it with the ducal vault -, while pushing it, in order to ensure its future, to marry the ecclesiastical career; thus, as of the ten years age, Antonio prepares it with the priesthood. He receives the tonsure at fifteen years, becomes subdeacon since 1699, deacon the following year; it is finally ordered on on September 23rd, 1703. Its religious situation - the blazing hair with which are equipped most Vivaldi is worth him to be called it Lends rosso (“the red-headed Priest”) - is supplied with some installations: for example, after one year, it is exempted to say the mass. In a letter with one of his guards, Vivaldi will be explained some: asthma attacks would then have made it impossible for it to celebrate the offices.

These health issues however do not prevent it aspiring to, and from obtaining, in 1704, the post envied of professor of violin Ospedale della Pietà (“old people's home of Piety”). He becomes soon Master in concerts of this same establishment, posts that he will preserve in an intermittent way until his death. Intended to accommodate orphan young people, the old people's home is then very famous for its concerts, as of other institutions of the same kind which accommodate sick or poor, such Mendicati, Incurabili or Ospedaletto di Santi Giovanni E Paolo. Indeed, the young girls receive an intensive musical teaching there: they learn the song and practice all kinds of instruments. Thus, Vivaldi will have the possibility of making play his works by excellent musicians - among some 1 000 boarders, the 70 to 100 more gifted formed an orchestra, and the best singers can, by measurement of favor, being employed in the theaters of the city -, and he will see soon his many concertos and his religious compositions interpreted at the time of very appreciated representations of the amateurs.

Since Claudio Monteverdi, Venice has the most important school of opera, and the city counts seven theaters then. Parallel to his teaching, Vivaldi will lead an animated career of composer of opera and business manager to the theater Sant' Angelo. In several of its operas, he will write the main role for Anna Giraud, a former student, of French origin, called “Giro”, which sticks quickly to its person.

In 1718, Vivaldi goes to Mantoue, where Philippe, landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt, installed his court: Vivaldi, who offers his services to him, will be his choir master until 1722. Two years later, the musician will start a series of rounds through Europe, considered to be too long - they will extend over twelve years - by the authorities of the Pietà, where it will find however his load in 1735. In order to ensure the propagation of his works, the composer takes a care particular to publish them. He addresses himself to Venetian editors first of all, then, dissatisfied with their services, gives his partitions between the hands of Estienne Roger, in Amsterdam. Thus its reputation is not long it in gaining whole Europe; the emperor Charles VI visits him; he takes part in the musical festivals celebrating the hundredth birthday of the theater of Amsterdam.

In Rome, it will go up, three years of continuation, at the time of the carnival, of the operas which will gain a great success, and this priest who does not say the mass will be received with benevolence by the Supreme Pontiff. The largest Venetian playwright, Carlo Goldoni, collaborate in two of his booklets. But suddenly, in 1740, Vivaldi bids his farewell with the Pietà and leaves Venice: one is unaware of for which reasons he undertakes this voyage and which of it is the goal. He dies in Vienna, on on July 28th, 1741, in a certain poverty and apparently forgotten.

Vivaldi composed at least 454 concertos: this enormous production is explained at the same time by the need for renewing the concerts of the Pietà and by its predilection for a musical genre, the concerto of soloist. It will contribute to impose it in the form of a composition understanding three movements - allegro, adagio, allegro -, during which the alternate soloist of the features of virtuosity with the tutti of the orchestra. This emancipation of the role of the soloist corresponds to the growing influence of the lyric music on the instrumental music, which appears by the use of ornaments and the development of the slow movement. This one is not treated any more like a transition, but like a development of the melody. Always attentive with their diffusion, Vivaldi will undertake to gather his concertos in collections; thus, the first concertos published are gathered under the general title the estro armonico: they are twelve concertos for one, two, three or four violins.

Throughout his work, Vivaldi will develop a very personal style, characterized by an important dynamics of the rhythm, contrasts of sound masses frequent, the low harmonic steps and simple ones, often repeated. The melodies are frequently built on arpeggios, which reinforces the harmonic feeling. The composer attaches a rare importance for the time to the instrumental stamp, emphasizing the cords in a remarkable way. The interest of Bach, which will take the trouble to recopy, then to transcribe at least ten concertos of Vivaldi - for organ, harpsichord or for four harpsichords -, watch which these compositions are worthy of public success that they ceased meeting since their rediscovery.

Vivaldi is at the same time business manager and composer of lyric works: responsible for the management of the theater Sant' Angelo, it creates his operas according to the tastes of the time. One could associate more than fourty operas in the name of Vivaldi, for the majority in the kind of the opera seriated, whose only about twenty partitions were found. Those are presented in the form of a succession of airs completely representative of the lyric art of its time. Goldoni will evoke in its memories the nonsense of the intrigues in the selected subjects and the nonsense of the distribution of the airs, subjected to the dictatorial whim of the singers. The production is often more whimsical, while the Venetian public is interested often more in the vocal prowesses that with quality of the music. Benedetto Marcello will fustigate excesses of the Venetian opera of this time in a lampoon, It teatro went moda, which pins mainly the lyric work of Vivaldi.

The sacred music of Vivaldi is less known than his instrumental profane music; it is however located in the tradition of Saint-Marc and has an inherited majesty composers like the Fleming installed in Venice Adriaan Willaert (around 1485-1562) or Andrea Gabrieli (around 1510-1586). The Saint-Marc basilica then shelters two opposed platforms, provided each one with an organ and being able to accommodate two ch.urs, platforms whose composers exploit the theatrical effect of spatialization by writing answers in echo, element characteristic of the Venetian school. Vivaldi will into practice put this system in several religious works, like the Kyrie with eight vote and certain psalms. He also adopts the principle of the double chorus for profane compositions: concertos, operas. For its pupils of the Pietà, it creates a religious oratorio, Juditha triumphans (1716); with required instrumental combinations and arias among most beautiful that ever the composer wrote, this work, who represents a synthesis between the religious style and layman, illustrates more than very other the multiform talent of the red-headed Priest.