Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons - Summer (3 parts)

Interesting facts from the life of Vivaldi: The future composer was born two months premature, because of which he suffered all his life. Due to the narrow, not fully developed chest, he regularly suffered from suffocation and could not endure physical exertion. It was hard for him to even climb stairs. or walk. In those years, wigs were held in high esteem among high society, so most of the portraits of Antonio Vivaldi are depicted in this form, with a wig on his head. But his hair was actually bright red. Vivaldi's father was a fairly famous musician. It was he who instilled in his son a love of music, and he also became his first teacher. Antonio Vivaldi tried to become a priest in his youth, but he was suspended from church service when he suddenly went to the sacristy during Mass to write down the melody that came into his head before he forgot it. A guide to Venice published in 1713 mentions the best violinists - Antonio Vivaldi and his father. Indeed, at one time they enjoyed great fame precisely as musicians. Not as loud as Paganini, but still. It is not known exactly at what age Vivaldi began composing music. The earliest of his works, which have survived to this day, were written by him at the age of thirteen. The famous Johann Sebastian Bach set some of Vivaldi's works to music for other instruments. Subsequently, for almost a century and a half it was believed that it was Bach who wrote these works. Once Vivaldi was tried for appropriating thirty gold ducats for himself - a considerable amount. He had to buy a harpsichord for the conservatory, and received sixty ducats for the purchase. He bought the harpsichord for half the money, and simply appropriated the rest. When this came to light, he was demanded to be put on trial, but a well-known name helped him get out of this story dry. At one time, Antonio Vivaldi was the director of the choir at the church conservatory. Later, he took the place of conductor there. Vivaldi could sing very well. In addition to music, he also taught vocals. While working in the theatre, he wrote operas and staged them himself. He also continued to write music himself and at the same time give lessons in musical skills. Such a busy schedule is all the more surprising given the composer's physical weakness. It was he who became the first person in history to create a concerto for violin and orchestra. This is a very popular format these days. Throughout his life, Vivaldi staged more than 450 concerts on the stage of the conservatory, where he worked most of his life. Famous during his lifetime, at the end of his years, Antonio Vivaldi was forgotten by the public. He died a lonely and impoverished man, and only after many years the well-deserved fame returned to him. During his life, he wrote about 90 operas, but his authorship has been proven for certain only in 40 cases.