Antonio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, and priest who was born in 1678 in Venice. He had great musical talents from a young age and was taught to play the violin by his father. At age 15, he began studying to become a priest and was ordained at 25, gaining the nickname "The Red Priest" due to his red hair. He became a teacher and composer at the Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls, where he composed many of his most famous works over 30 years, including his famous Four Seasons. Vivaldi was highly prolific and wrote hundreds of concertos, sonatas, operas and more before his death

1. Antonio Vivaldi www.classical.net

3. Musical Background Cantata- a choral composition, either sacred and resembling a short oratorio or secular, as a lyric drama set to music but not to be acted. Sonata- a composition for one or two instruments, typically in three or four movements in contrasted forms and keys. Opus- a musical composition. one of the compositions of a composer, usually numbered according to the order of publication. Concerto- a composition for one or more principal instruments, with orchestral accompaniment, now usually in symphonic form.

9. “ La Primavera,” Sheet Music www.music-scores.com

12. Works Cited “ Antonio (Lucio) Vivaldi” Classical.com. Web. 15 April 2011. <http://www.classical.com/composer/Antonio_Lucio_Vivaldi> “ Antonio Lucio Vivaldi” Classical.net. Web. 15 April 2011. <http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/vivaldi.php> “ Antonio Vivaldi” Wikipedia. Web. 15 April 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Lucio_Vivaldi>