Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, and Catholic priest born in Venice in 1678. As a child, he learned to play the violin from his father and toured Venice performing. He became a priest, though continued composing primarily religious works. For nearly 30 years, he worked at an orphanage in Venice, where he composed and performed with the girls' choir and orchestra. His most famous work is The Four Seasons, though his style later fell out of fashion and he died in poverty in Vienna in 1741.

1. (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741)
Student: Nebojsa Vidic

2.  Born in Venice
 Accomplished composer, virtuoso violinist and
Catholic priest
 Nicknamed ‘il Prete Rosso’ (the red priest) because of
his hair
 Recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers

3.  His father Giovanni Battista, who was a barber before
becoming a professional violinist, taught Antonio to
play the violin and then toured Venice playing the
violin with his young son.
 Because of his weak health as a child, his mother
wanted him to become a priest, so that God would
watch over him
 Being a priest influenced him greatly, for most of his
compositions were religious pieces

4.  At the age of 25, he got the job at an orphanage called
the Pio Ospedale della Pietà (Devout Hospital of
Mercy) in Venice. Here, he worked for almost 30 years,
composing and performing with the orphans’ choir
and orchestra
 As a profitable ‘side-job’ Vivaldi got into writing
operas. His first opera that he fully wrote (Arsilda,
regina di Ponto) was banned by censors because the
main character, Arsilda, falls in love with another
woman. Later, the opera proven to be a great success.

5.  Around 1725, Vivaldi wrote ‘The Four Seasons’ (Le
quattro stagioni), his most famous work
 Few years later, he got into financial problems because
his Baroque style got out of fashion
 Died in Vienna in July 1741, aged 63, and buried at a
public cemetery

6.  Four Seasons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA
 Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E-RTI-H2oI
 Storm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N00XKtROddc