Musical contribution - May 2015

Allegro (Antonio Lucio Vivaldi: 4 March 1678 - 28 July 1741)

In September 2014, we made a promise that we are all too happy to keep. At the time, we were introduced with the works of the ‘red priest’ through the example of the middle movement of a concerto. The first and last sections would follow later. This month, we are pleased to present the first of these two pieces.

Strangely, Vivaldi never wrote a work for organ. Some say that he didn’t like the organ, but that is almost impossible to imagine. Maybe it’s just that there were no Johannus organs to listen to in Settecento Venice.

Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice, and although his father was a barber, he was also a talented violinist with the ‘Cappella di Marco’.

Vivaldi’s music was very innovative for his time, because he wrote to appeal to a wide audience, not just the elite. The cheerful character of his work reflects the joy that the Italian experienced in composing his more than 800 pieces.

This month, we are pleased to present the first movement of a violin concerto. The third section will follow later, so that with this piece and the adagio you will be able to enjoy the complete concerto

Concertos include a tutti and a solo. The most common registration is to play the tutti with a small plenum, and the solo with 8’+2’ or 8’+4’+2’, although other registrations are of course possible.

While the adagio that you were offered in the fall is a somewhat sombre piece that expresses the transience of life, the allegro is a convincing companion for the spring. You can almost watch the young lambs and calves playing in the green meadows.

Musical regards,

André van Vliet