Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian violinist and composer born in Venice on March 4, 1678. He was one of the most admired violin virtuosos of his time (”unrivalled violin virtuoso”) and was one of the greatest Baroque composers with his concertos, symphonies, sonatas, operas and religious music.
At a very young age, he learnt the violin from his father, a violinist at Saint Mark’s Basilica. However, he was ordained as a priest in 1703, his red hair earning him the nickname Il prete rosso, “the red-haired priest”. His asthma prevented him from celebrating Mass though, but he taught the violin at the Ospedale della Pietà. He rapidly became master of violin then chief composer thanks to his talent as a teacher, interpret and composer. His name became famous beyond the Italian border and in 1711, Antonio Vivaldi published his “L’Estro armonico”, a collection of twelve concertos for violin, in Amsterdam through a famous publisher. This collection was such a success that his compositions reached Northern Europe and that Johann Sebastian Bach reworked a part of it for keyboard instruments. In 1712, a second collection titled “La Stravaganza” was published and the following year the opera “Ottone in Villa à Vicenza”.
All those masterpieces allowed him to compose religious music as a chapel-master at the Pietà, and from them on to perform across Italy, in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Unfortunately, most of his works from this period in his life have disappeared. Then in 1718, Vivaldi was appointed chapel-master to the Prince of Mantua before performing again all across Italy. In 1724, he composed the collection “Il Cimento dell’ armonia e dell’ invenzionze” in which the very famous “Four Seasons” can be found. Three years later, he dedicated “La Cetra” to the Austrian Emperor Charles VI then moved to serve Francis Stephen, Duke of Lorraine, future Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, while resuming his functions at the Pietà. In 1738, he conducted a concert for the 100th Anniversary of the Schouwburg Theater in Amsterdam, one year before publishing “Foraspe”.
For some unknown reasons, Antonio Vivaldi left Venice the following year, and in 1740 he gave up being a musician and moved to Vienna (Austria). He died on July 28, 1741 of internal infection – a term of that time – impoverished and forgotten. However, a Requiem Mass was sung at his funeral by the young Joseph Haydn in Saint Stephen’s Cathedral.
Like many other composers from the 17th century, his music, like his name, was quickly forgotten after his death. It would see a renewed interest among scholars in the 19th century when Johann Sebastian Back rediscovered his works. However, actual recognition occurred in the first half of the 20th century through the works of scholars and musicologists like Arnold Schering or Alberto Gentili and through the involvement of musicians like Marc Pincherle and Olga.
Nowadays, some of his instrumental masterpieces, and more particularly the four concertos titled “The Four Seasons” rank among the most well-known works in classical music.
The “Four Seasons” remains one of his most famous compositions, mirroring the harmony and alchemy of the seasons.
Why not proposing perfumes evoking the four seasons or the continents?
We never dress up the same way in winter, in summer, under the tropics, or even in the North Pole of the South Pole. So why should we always use the same fragrance? This is basic logic, as we only need to look at the cycles of life in nature.
Try out VIVALDI PERFUMES and you will be convinced!
VIVALDI PARIS offers its eaux de parfums according to the seasons.
Each season symbolises a fragrance that combines pleasure, sweetness, energy and sensuality.