Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Stillwater Public Library | 921 VIVALDI | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Antonio Vivaldi's rediscovery after World War II quickly led him from obscurity to his present renown as one of the most popular 18th-century composers. Heller's biography presents the important facets of his life, his works, and his influence on music history.
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
Except for his music, not much is known about Antonio Vivaldi (1678^-1741). Born in Venice to musically skilled parents, he learned music from his father and later studied for the priesthood. Ordained at 25, he said mass for only a year until his asthma forced him to retire. He then dedicated his life to performing on violin and keyboard, teaching at a girls' school, composing instrumental and vocal music, and producing his operas and pastiches. He produced operas in Vienna, traveled to Dresden to try to be a member of that court, and had moderate success composing and performing in Mantua. Heller is most concerned with Vivaldi as pioneer of the Italian concerto form. As for Vivaldi's operas, most are lost. Indeed, were it not for collections in Dresden and Turin, Vivaldi's music would be unheard today. Heller successfully describes the political and cultural world in which Vivaldi struggled to make a living at music and also shows the effect his music had on other composers of the baroque and classical periods. --Alan Hirsch
Library Journal Review
Partially revised from the original 1991 German-language version, this minutely detailed biographical and analytical study of Vivaldi's life and works by Heller (historical musicology, Univ. of Rostock, Germany) is not easy to read. Inessential details abound, and the writing is plodding and pedantic. Vivaldi wrote an enormous amount of music, and the author attempts to say something about nearly all of it, perhaps one of the problems. Still, it is useful to have all the facts in one place. For larger music collections.Timothy J. McGee, Univ. of Toronto (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Preface to the English Translation | p. 7 |
| Preface to the German Edition | p. 9 |
| Chapter 1 The Rediscovery of an "Almost Entirely Forgotten Italian Composer" | p. 11 |
| Chapter 2 "The Glorious Venetian Republic" -- the Historical and Musical Setting of Vivaldi's Venice | p. 21 |
| Chapter 3 Vivaldi's Training as Priest and His Appointment as Musico Di Violino Professore Veneto | p. 37 |
| Chapter 4 From Maestro Di Violino to Maestro De' Concerti: Vivaldi's First Years at the Ospedale Della Pietà (1703-1717) | p. 51 |
| Chapter 5 "Having Composed Ninety-Four Operas" -- Vivaldi as Opera Composer and Impresario (1713-1739) | p. 97 |
| Chapter 6 "In Moltissime Città D'Europa" -- a Diversity of Activities During the Years of Artistic Maturity (1718-1731) | p. 137 |
| Chapter 7 "Per L'Orchestra Di Dresda" -- Vivaldi and Court Musical Performance in Dresden | p. 223 |
| Chapter 8 "Old Vivaldi or the Prete Rosso" -- the Composer's Last Decade (1732-1741) | p. 249 |
| Chapter 9 A Completely New Variety of Musical Pieces for the Time" -- Vivaldi's Achievement and Place in the History of Music | p. 273 |
| Appendix: Selected Letters by and to Vivaldi | p. 281 |
| Abbreviations | p. 298 |
| Notes | p. 300 |
| Chronology of Important Dates in Vivaldi's Life | p. 315 |
| Chronological List of Vivaldi's Operas | p. 319 |
| Vivaldi Works List | p. 327 |
| Selected Blbliography | p. 343 |
| Illustration Sources | p. 353 |
| Index of Persons | p. 355 |
