Soundtracks:
The Four Seasons
Salem's Lot
Landscape after Battle
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The Four Seasons
About Vivaldi's Works
Vivaldi learned music from his father, who was a violinist
in Venice, and later became a priest. During the years 1707-1741 Vivaldi
was engaged in teaching and musical management in a girls' school in Venice,
whose name is the source of the term "conservatoire", for the
highly developed musical education it provided its students. Every month,
Vivaldi was required to compose at least two concerti for the school, and
so he wrote over 500 concertos in his entire life, for every possible ensemble.
Many of his works were already published in his lifetime, but he was quite
forgotten after his death, and rediscovered only in the 20th century.
The work
"The Four Seasons" are in fact four concertos
by Vivaldi published in 1725, in Amsterdam. Every concerto opens with some
preliminary words, probably written by Vivaldi himself, meant to get the
listener into the right atmosphere:
Spring,
Concerto in E major, Op. 8 no. 1 (269)
Allegro: spring has come with birds' song, and the happy
birds welcome it with a joyful song. The brook hums quietly, as it flows.
Then the skies darken, lightning and thunders. Then, calm returns and the
birds sing their songs once again.
Largo: a sleeping goat shepherd, rustling leafs, barking
dog. Later, in the flourishing meadow, to the pleasant noise of trees the
shepherd sleeps and his dog at his side.
Allegro: (a rustic dance) to the festive sound of a pastoral
flute, nymphs and shepherds dance under the wonderful spring skies and
bright light.
Summer,
Concerto in G minor, Op. 8 no. 2 (315)
Allegro non molto: (the exhausting heat): in the hottest
season, people become heavy and slow, and the dry trees catch fire easily.
Allegro (cuckoo bird): the voice of the cuckoo bird sounds, and immediately
the twittering of other birds is sound, too. A light breeze blows sweetly,
but suddenly the winds change and the shepherd weeps in fear of the coming
storm.
Adagio: the shepherd finds no calm, fearing the thunders
and lightning, and the swarms of angry bees, small and big. Presto: (stormy
weather at summertime): his fears are proven right. The skies are furious
and roaring, and hailstones hit the fields of corn and other crops.
Autumn,
Concerto in F major, Op. 8 no. 3 (293)
Allegro: farmers sing and dance in a feast for the good
harvest. They celebrate till they fall asleep, drunk.
Adagio molto: (the drunk sleep). The air, saturated in
pleasure, makes them quit dancing and singing. This is the time to enjoy
sweet slumber.
Allegro: (the hunt). With dawn, the hunters go out with
their horns, guns and hounds. (Escape of the hunted). Animals flee in panic
from the noise of guns and dogs, and the threatened beast, wounded, finally
dies.
Winter,
Concerto in F minor, Op. 8 no. 4 (297)
Allegro non molto: shivering in the cold, freezing snow.
(Dreadful wind) and in the troubling breath of the terrible wind, they
run and leave their footprints in the snow. Cold winds, the teeth tremble
in the horrible cold.
Largo: happy, peaceful days are spent near the fireplace,
as the rain outside makes everybody wet. Allegro: walking on ice, slow
steps, fearing a fall (walking carefully). Running and slipping. Falling
on the ground. Rising and walking again on the ice. Falling again, this
time the ice breaks. Outside, winds quarrel among themselves. This is winter,
but nevertheless, in spite of all this, how much happiness it brings!
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