A. Vivaldi often thought of his music programmatically. At the same time, the composer either limited the program of this or that work to a certain subtitle (“Shepherdess”, “Rest”, “Favorite”), or deployed it as a picture of each of the parts in the cycle. This is exactly what he does in his famous 4 concertos for violin, string quintet and organ (or cembalo). In modern performing practice, they are combined into the cycle “Le quattro stagioni” - “The Four Seasons” (there is no such title in the original):
- Concert E-dur "Spring" (La primavera)
- Concert g-moll "Summer" (L'estate)
- Concert "Autumn" (L'autunno)
- Concert "Winter" (L'inverno)
Each of the concerts has a detailed literary program set out in 4 sonnets: "Spring", "Summer", "Autumn", "Winter". Perhaps their author was Vivaldi himself (the exact authorship has not been established).
Spring
Spring is coming! And joyful song
Full of nature. Sun and warmth
Streams murmur. And holiday news
Zephyr spreads, Like magic.
Suddenly velvet clouds roll in
Like a blasphemy, heavenly thunder sounds.
But the mighty whirlwind quickly dries up,
And twitter again floats in the blue space.
The breath of flowers, the rustle of herbs,
The nature of dreams is full.
The shepherd is sleeping, tired for the day,
And the dog barks a little audibly.
Shepherd's bagpipe sound
Buzzing over the meadows,
And the nymphs dancing the magic circle
Spring is colored with marvelous rays.
Summer
The herd wanders lazily in the fields.
From the heavy, suffocating heat
Everything in nature suffers, dries up,
All living things are thirsty.
Suddenly a passionate and powerful
Borey, exploding silence peace.
It's dark around, there are clouds of evil midges.
And the shepherd cries, overtaken by a thunderstorm.
From fear, poor, freezes:
Lightning strikes, thunder roars,
And pulls out ripe ears
The storm is mercilessly all around.
Autumn
Noisy peasant harvest festival.
Fun, laughter, fervent songs ringing!
And Bacchus juice, igniting the blood,
All the weak knocks down, bestowing a sweet dream.
And the rest want to continue
But singing and dancing is already unbearable.
And, completing the joy of pleasure,
The night plunges everyone into the deepest sleep.
And in the morning at dawn they jump to the forest
Hunters, and huntsmen with them.
And, having found a trace, they lower the pack of hounds,
Gamblingly they drive the beast, blowing the horn.
Frightened by the terrible noise,
Wounded, weakening fugitive
Runs stubbornly from the tormenting dogs,
But more often than not, it dies.
Winter
Trembling, freezing, in the cold snow,
And the north wind wave rolled.
From the cold you knock your teeth on the run,
You kick your feet, you can't keep warm
How sweet in comfort, warmth and silence
From the evil weather to hide in the winter.
Fireplace fire, half-asleep mirages.
And the frozen souls are full of peace.
In the winter expanse, the people rejoice.
Fell, slipped, and rolls again.
And it's joyful to hear how the ice is cut
Under a sharp ridge that is bound with iron.
And in the sky Sirocco and Boreas agreed,
There is a fight going on between them.
Although the cold and blizzard have not yet given up,
Gives us winter and its pleasures.
In addition to sonnets, separate musical episodes of the Four Seasons cycle are preceded by explanatory remarks commenting on the content of the music. So, for example, in the first part of "Winter", where the composer reaches the heights of artistic depiction, remarks explain that here is depicted how teeth chatter from the cold, how they stamp their feet to keep warm. Nothing like this happened until Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.
There is a lot of genre in the concerts, bright sound-depicting details. Here there are not only peals of thunder and gusts of wind, but also the barking of dogs, the buzzing of flies, the roar of a wounded beast, and even the image of tipsy villagers with their unsteady gait. From the very first part of "Spring" the music is filled with the "joyful singing" of birds, the cheerful murmur of the brook, the gentle wind of the marshmallow, which is replaced by a thunderous squall. "Summer" vividly depicts assertive "peals of thunder". "Autumn" conveys the mood of folk festivals, festivities. In “Winter”, the ostinato “beat” of 8s masterfully conveys the feeling of a piercing winter cold. At the same time, the main thing for the composer is always the transfer of the main emotional state.
In each of the concertos of the "Seasons" cycle, the slow parts are written in a parallel (in relation to the main) key. Their music stands out for its calm picturesqueness after the dynamic Allegri.
If we take into account that all 4 concerts are three-part, then a parallel with the 12 months of the year is not excluded. In addition, the theme of the seasons, popular in art, allows for various semantic parallels - first of all, with the natural life cycle person from birth to death. An allusion to the four regions of Italy, corresponding to the four cardinal points, is also possible.
Seasons- one of his most famous works, also one of the most famous musical works of this style. The works "The Seasons" were created in 1723, and were first published only two years later. Each concert corresponds to one season, divided into three parts dedicated to three months of each season. Each concerto is accompanied by a sonnet. It is believed that he Vivaldi was the author of not only music, but also poetry. In the work, in addition to an explicit description of the seasons, there is an allusion - a different age of a person, from birth to death (spring, as the awakening of natural forces, symbolizes the beginning of life or youth, and winter symbolizes the end of life or old age).
In general, the content of the cycle is much richer than just a musical description of natural changes. managed to skillfully portray a thunderstorm, heat, murmuring streams, barking dogs, rustling leaves, dusty sultry wind, buzzing flies, singing birds, rain, cold ... "Seasons" the mood and feeling of each month of the year is brilliantly reflected. All this predetermined the recognition of the cycle as an unsurpassed masterpiece.
Seasons with full confidence can be attributed to the "popular classics". Although he wrote many other wonderful works, for many the name Vivaldi associated with Through the seasons and vice versa.
The Seasons - "Spring" (La Primavera)
The concert begins with a cheerful, carefree melody, each note 
which speaks of delight in connection with the arrival of spring. Violins imitate birdsong so wonderfully! But here comes the thunder. The orchestra, playing in unison, imitates the rolls of thunder with a formidable rapid sound. Flashes of lightning are heard by violinists in scale-like passages. When the storm passes, then again in every sound the joy of the arrival of spring. Birds sing again, announcing the arrival of spring. The soaring melody of the solo violin illustrates the peasant's sweet dream. All other violins draw the rustle of leaves. Altos depict the barking of a dog guarding the owner's sleep. The pastoral dance ends the spring part. A riot of energy and a cheerful mood corresponds to the end of spring, the brightness of colors indicates the awakening of nature. Vivaldi was able to convey the whole palette of natural colors with the sounds of an orchestra, all shades of joy - with passages of violins!
The Seasons - "Summer" (L'Estate)
The languor from the heat is conveyed by the quiet sound of music, as if the breath of nature itself is heard, drowned out only by the singing of birds. First the cuckoo, then the goldfinch... And suddenly - a gust of cold north wind, a harbinger of a thunderstorm. The wind carries away the storm, the mood of exhaustion from the heat returns. The violin conveys the tone of complaint. This is the complaint of the shepherd, his fear of the inexorable elements of nature. And again the wind rushes in, and the menacing peals of thunder of the approaching thunderstorm. The dynamic contrast of the melodies leaves no doubt that the elements are approaching. Suddenly there is a calm, this is before the storm ... And now the storm is discharged. The heavens open and streams of water pour onto the earth, depicted by gamma-like passages. Gusts of wind, flashes of lightning, sounds of the melody rapidly follow one after another without stopping, and the formidable unison of the entire orchestra becomes the culmination.
The Seasons - "Autumn" (L'Autunno)
The autumn part begins with the dance and song of the peasants. After the storm comes autumn holiday harvest. The rhythm of the melodies conveys a cheerful mood. Wine is “poured”, drunken peasants dance with an unsteady gait, they sing, although it is difficult to distinguish the words. At the end of the song, the violin freezes, everyone plunges into a drunken serene sleep. Quietly the night descends, making the sounds mysterious and deceptive. The autumn hunt begins. The music depicts the chase, the barking of dogs, horse races and the sounds of hunting horns, shots and the roar of a wounded animal.
The Seasons - "Winter" (L'Inverno)
The end of winter Vivaldi is also a harbinger of a new spring. Therefore, despite the sadness of the cold period, there is no pessimism either in music or in poetry. The piece ends on a rather optimistic note. Very cold. Teeth chatter from the cold, you want to stamp your feet to keep warm, a fierce wind howls. But there are also joys in winter. For example, ice skating. In entertaining “tumbling” passages of the violin Vivaldi illustrates how easy it is to slip on ice. But then the south wind blew - the first sign of the approaching spring. And between him and the north wind a struggle unfolds. Sooner or later, this confrontation will end with the victory of the south wind and the onset of spring, but “Winter” and the cycle of Seasons.
Even during his lifetime, Vivaldi became famous as an outstanding connoisseur of the orchestra, he was the first to use many coloristic effects, and significantly developed the technique of playing the violin. But after his death, he was forgotten for almost 200 years ...
In the 20s of the XX century. the Italian musicologist A. Gentili accidentally discovered the composer's unique collection of works (manuscripts), which consisted of 300 concertos, 19 operas, spiritual and secular vocal compositions. Since that time, the revival of the former glory of Antonio Vivaldi began.
And already in our time, this fame was facilitated by the emotional performance of the 3rd part of "Summer" from Vivaldi's "The Seasons" by the violinist Vanessa May.
Brief biography of Antonio Vivaldi
Francois Morelon de la Cave "Portrait of Antonio Vivaldi"
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741)- Italian composer, violinist, teacher, conductor, Catholic priest. It is considered one of the largest representatives of the Italian violin art of the 18th century. One of the greatest musicians of the Baroque era. He received wide recognition in Europe during his lifetime.
The future composer was born in Venice on March 4, 1678 in the family of a violinist, who later became the chief violinist in the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral. There is little information about Vivaldi's childhood, it is only known that he was the eldest of 6 children and that he studied playing the violin and harpsichord. Most likely, it was the father who was Antonio's first music teacher. From the age of 10, Antonio already replaced his father in the chapel of St. Mark's Cathedral, playing the violin. Later he decided to become a priest and in 1693 he was tonsured a monk, and in 1703 he was ordained a priest.
He was in poor health, so after a while he stopped serving Mass, and then was dismissed from the priesthood.
In 1703, Vivaldi entered the service of a violin teacher at the conservatory of the Pieta church shelter, one of the best music schools for girls, and later became an orchestra conductor and concert director, his duties included composing music for secular and spiritual concerts.
In 1713, Vivaldi wrote his first work, the three-act opera "Otto in the Villa" on the plot of Roman history, and in total more than 90 operas are attributed to the composer. His works were successful, he received numerous orders, but did not leave teaching work either.
J. S. Bach "for pleasure and teaching" personally arranged 9 violin concertos by Vivaldi for clavier and organ.
In 1740, shortly before his death, Vivaldi went on his last trip to Vienna. The reasons for his sudden departure are unclear.
Forgotten by everyone, sick and without a livelihood, he died in Vienna on July 28, 1741 from inflammation caused by a cold. Buried in the cemetery for the poor. A month later, the sisters Margherita and Zanetta received notice of Antonio's death. Soon after his death, the name of the outstanding composer was forgotten.
The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi (1723)
The title of this work does not translate exactly. The correct name is "The Four Seasons". It seems to be the same, but not quite. The fact is that the content of the Vivaldi cycle is somewhat richer than just musical pictures depicting nature. He meant different ages of a person, from birth to death (spring is the awakening of natural forces, summer is the flowering of nature and human personality, autumn is the beginning of wilting, and winter is the end of life or old age). Such symbolic allusions and secondary meanings were characteristic of the Baroque period. This was clear to any enlightened listener of that time. But in this cycle, Vivaldi reached the height of musical representation and impeccable form, which is why The Four Seasons is a masterpiece of musical art.
This is only an alleged portrait of Vivaldi, since there is no signature of his last name on it. Author - Francois Morelon de la Cave (1723)
Four concerts of this cycle, already during Vivaldi's time, made an indelible impression on the listeners with their frantic passion and innovation. Each concert (and there are 4 in total) corresponds to one season of the year. It is divided into three parts (three months of each season). Each concerto is accompanied by a sonnet. There is an opinion that Vivaldi was the author not only of music, but also of poetry, which are the background and literary program of music.
Concert No. 1 in E major "Spring"
A. Milyukov "Italian Landscape"
"Spring came"
"Sleeping Shepherd"
"Country Dance"
Spring is coming! And joyful song
Full of nature. Sun and warmth
Streams murmur. And holiday news
Zephyr spreads like magic.
Suddenly velvet clouds roll in
Like a blasphemy, heavenly thunder sounds.
But the mighty whirlwind quickly dries up,
And twitter again floats in the blue space.
The breath of flowers, the rustle of herbs,
The nature of dreams is full.
The shepherd is sleeping, tired for the day,
And the dog barks a little audibly.
Shepherd's bagpipe sound
Buzzing over the meadows,
And the nymphs dancing the magic circle
Spring is colored with marvelous rays.
The carefree melody of the beginning conveys joyful feelings associated with the arrival of spring. The birdsong is imitated by the violin, and then the orchestra transmits the sounds of thunder. Everyone who has observed spring in the village can create their own image of spring. The sounds of the violin, the passages are reminiscent of the joy that a person experiences at the beginning of life and at the beginning of spring.
Concert No. 2 in G minor "Summer"
1) "Heat. Cuckoo. Gorlinka. Zephyr. Borei. Cry of the Peasant"
2) "Adagio"
3) "Summer Thunderstorm"
The herd wanders lazily in the fields.
From the heavy, suffocating heat
Suffering, everything in nature dries up,
All living things are thirsty.
Comes from the forest. tender conversation
The goldfinch and the dove lead slowly,
And the warm wind filled the space.
Suddenly a passionate and powerful
Borey, exploding silence peace.
It's dark around, there are clouds of evil midges.
And the shepherd cries, overtaken by a thunderstorm.
From fear, poor, freezes:
Lightning strikes, thunder roars,
And pulls out ripe ears
The storm is mercilessly all around.
The first part of the concerto is built on the contrast: at first the heat and quiet nature, then the approach of the elements. And now the streams of water rush down to the ground ... They are drawn by stormy passages of scales.
Concert No. 3 in F major "Autumn"
1) "Dance and song of the peasant boys"
2) "Sleeping Drunks"
3) "Hunting"
Noisy peasant harvest festival.
Fun, laughter, fervent songs ringing!
And Bacchus juice, igniting the blood,
All the weak knocks down, bestowing a sweet dream.
And the rest want to continue
But singing and dancing is already unbearable.
And, completing the joy of pleasure,
The night plunges everyone into the deepest sleep.
And in the morning at dawn they jump to the forest
Hunters, and huntsmen with them.
And, having found a trace, they lower the pack of hounds,
Gamblingly they drive the beast, blowing the horn.
Frightened by the terrible noise,
Wounded, weakening fugitive
Runs stubbornly from the tormenting dogs,
But more often than not, it dies.
Harvest Festival is fun, colorful colors, cheerful mood.
Hunting scenes are very accurately conveyed by musical sounds and a variety of instruments.
Concert No. 4 in F minor "Winter"
1) Allegro non molto
2) Largo
3) Allegro
Trembling, freezing, in the cold snow,
And a wave rolled in from the north.
From the cold you knock your teeth on the run,
You kick your feet, you can't keep warm.
How sweet in comfort, warmth and silence
From the evil weather to hide in the winter.
Fireplace fire, half-asleep mirages.
And the frozen souls are full of peace.
In the winter expanse, the people rejoice.
Fell, slipped, and rolls again.
And it's joyful to hear how the ice is cut
Under a sharp ridge that is bound with iron.
And in the sky Sirocco and Boreas agreed,
There is a serious fight going on between them.
Although the cold and blizzard have not yet given up,
Gives us winter and its pleasures.
Winter pictures are not so joyful, but each season and each age has its own advantages - this is the main idea of this concert.
Of course, retell the content piece of music is a thankless and unsuccessful business. Music should be listened to, listened to and listened to! We only tried to help you with this, to interest you, so that you could fully enjoy the music and better understand this musical masterpiece.
Each consists of three parts, the extreme parts are fast, and the middle part is slow, as in the next 8 concertos of the opus and as in the vast majority of Vivaldi's concertos, which later became characteristic of other composers for the concerto as a genre. (Despite the fact that there are 4 concertos, and there are traditionally 3 parts in them, that is, there are 12 parts in total, it should not be assumed from this that the parts in any way correspond to 12 months.) The composer prefaced each of the concertos with a sonnet - a kind of literary program. It is assumed that the author of the poems is Vivaldi himself.
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Concert No. 1 in E major "Spring", RV 269
1 Allegro. Spring came
2 Largo e pianissimo sempre. Sleeping shepherd.
3 Allegro, danza pastorale. country dance
Spring is coming! And nature is full of joyful song. The sun and heat, streams murmur. And Zephyr spreads holiday news like magic. Suddenly velvet clouds come running in, Heavenly thunder sounds like a blasphemy. But the mighty whirlwind quickly dries up, And the chirping again floats in the blue space. Breath of flowers, rustle of herbs, Nature is full of dreams. The shepherd is sleeping, tired for the day, And the dog yapping almost audibly. The sound of the shepherd's bagpipes Buzzing over the meadows, And the nymphs dancing the magic circle of Spring is colored with wondrous rays.
Concerto No. 2 in G minor "Summer", RV 315
1 Allegro non molto. Heat. Allegro. Cuckoo. Gorlinka. Zephyr. Borei. Peasant's Complaint.
2 Adagio - Presto.
3 Presto, tempo impetuoso d'estate. Summer thunderstorm.
The herd wanders lazily in the fields. From the heavy, suffocating heat Everything in nature suffers, dries up, All living things languish with thirst. Cuckoo voice loudly and invitingly Heard from the forest. Gentle conversation The goldfinch and the turtle dove are slowly, And the warm wind fills the space. Suddenly the passionate and mighty Boreas swoops in, exploding the peace of silence. It's dark around, there are clouds of evil midges. And the shepherd cries, overtaken by a thunderstorm. From fear, the poor, freezes: Lightning strikes, thunder rumbles, And ripe ears of corn are pulled out by the Thunderstorm mercilessly around.
| Summer. Part 3 Presto (Tempo impetuoso d'estate) |
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| Summer. August. | |
| Playback help | |
Concerto No. 3 in F major "Autumn", RV 293
1 Allegro, ballo e canto de'villanelli. Dance and song of peasant boys.
2 Adagio molto, Ubriachi dormienti. Sleeping drunks.
3 Allegro, la Caccia. Hunting.
Noisy peasant harvest festival. Fun, laughter, fervent songs ringing! And Bacchus juice, igniting the blood, Knocks down all the weak, bestowing a sweet dream. And the rest are eager to continue, But singing and dancing is already unbearable. And, completing the joy of pleasure, The night plunges everyone into the deepest sleep. And in the morning at dawn, Hunters gallop to the forest, and huntsmen with them. And, having found a trace, they lower the pack of hounds, Chasing the beast with excitement, blowing the horn. Frightened by the terrible uproar, Wounded, weakening fugitive From the tormenting dogs runs stubbornly, But in more often dies, finally.
Concert No. 4 in F minor "Winter", RV 297
1 Allegro non molto
3 Allegro
You tremble, freezing, in the cold snow, And a wave rolled from the north of the wind. From the cold you knock with your teeth on the run, You pound with your feet, you can’t keep warm. How sweet in comfort, warmth and silence From the evil weather to hide in the winter. Fireplace fire, half-asleep mirages. And the frozen souls are full of peace. In the winter expanse, the people rejoice. Fell, slipped, and rolls again. And it's joyful to hear how the ice is cut Under a sharp ridge that is bound with iron. And in the sky Sirocco and Boreas agreed, There is a battle between them in earnest. Although the cold and blizzard have not yet given up, Winter gives us its pleasures.
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Written in 1723, the four-concert cycle "Four Seasons" is Antonio Vivaldi's most famous work and one of the most popular pieces of Baroque music. Spring is the first concert in the "Seasons" cycle.
In the first part of Vivaldi's famous cycle of concerts "The Seasons", with the help of music, the famous composer expressed the full power of spring, accompanying three works with a poetic sonnet, colorfully describing natural phenomena.
The sonnet accompanying the beautiful music, Vivaldi also divided into three parts: in the first, nature appears, freeing itself from winter captivity, in the second, the shepherd sleeps peacefully, and in the third, the shepherd dances with the nymphs under the cover of Spring.
Concert No. 1 in E major "Spring", RV 269
As planned by Vivaldi, each season corresponds to a certain region of Italy, and for spring it is romantic Venice and the shores of the Adriatic, where seascapes and sunrise over the earth awakening from hibernation are especially beautiful.
Sonnet:
Spring is coming! And joyful song
Full of nature. Sun and warmth
Streams murmur. And holiday news
Zephyr spreads like magic.
Suddenly velvet clouds roll in
Like a blasphemy, heavenly thunder sounds.
But the mighty whirlwind quickly dries up,
And twitter again floats in the blue space.
The breath of flowers, the rustle of herbs,
The nature of dreams is full.
The shepherd is sleeping, tired for the day,
And the dog barks a little audibly.
Shepherd's bagpipe sound
Buzzing over the meadows,
And the nymphs dancing the magic circle
Spring is colored with marvelous rays.
Not only the old baroque form of the musical concert “Spring” is interesting, but also the solo sound of the instruments: the gentle sounds of the violin are replaced by an anxious oboe, the basses enter gradually, overlapping the melody where “lightning” and “thunder” are depicted.
The melody in the first part of the spring cycle - Allegro - often changes rhythm, breaks up, "voices and trills of birds", "murmur of a stream", lightness of the breeze are clearly audible. The second part - Largo - is melodic, a three-layer texture is observed throughout the sound of the music. The upper layer is a melodic violin solo, melodiousness and sadness. The middle layer of the texture imitates the quiet rustle of leaves and grass, the sounds are monotonous and go well with the basses of the third layer - rhythmic, depicting a barely audible "yelping of a dog". The third part of the cycle resembles the first one in terms of tempo and sound dynamics, but there is noticeable rhythmic braking at the end of each melodic wave. Vivaldi chose the soloist violin as the protagonist of the Spring cycle, dividing each "month" into three stages: exposition, development and reprise.