But could this Venetian priest also be the founding father of modern rock? Internationally-renowned progressive rock artist Rick Wakeman uncovers the story behind Vivaldi’s classical genius: could the ever-present soundtrack of call centre answering machines and mobile phone ring-tones also be the first concept album?The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi.

When composers write a musical narrative set to a line of text, a poem, or any other form of writing (which is typically published within the concert's program notes), that is said to be program music. The Four Seasons (Le quattro stagioni) consists of four concerti ( Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter), each one in a distinct form containing three movements with tempos in the following order: fast-slow-fast.Since its publication, musicologists consider Vivaldi's Four Seasons to be among the boldest program music ever written during the Baroque period. Inspired by landscape paintings by Italian artist Marco Ricci, Vivaldi composed the Four Seasons roughly between 17, and published them in Amsterdam in 1725, in a set of twelve concerti entitled Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione ( The Test of Harmony and Invention).

It is not uncommon for the conductor or director to read the sonnet aloud to the audience before performing the concerto's movement. King Louis XV took a liking to 'Spring' and ordered it to be performed whenever he pleased. Vivaldi's Four Seasons especially appealed to the French. As you listen to each one, you'll be amazed at how accurately Vivaldi musically portrays each sonnet without losing the overall quality and balance of the work. In the following sections, we'll provide you with YouTube links to each concerto and the text of its corresponding sonnet. It is believed that Antonio Vivaldi himself wrote the twelve individual sonnets to go along with each movement of the Four Seasons.

The Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi