Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678 in Venice. Beginning early in life as a virtuoso violinist, he evolved into one of the greatest composers of instrumental concertos for the violin in the Baroque era. Among the most famous of these is the The Four Seasons concerto (Le quattro stagioni) a set of four violin pieces, each of which depicts sounds related to one of the seasons of the year. This work was composed between 1718 and 1720, and was published in 1725 together with eight additional concerti. It has become a staple in the modern repertoire of classical music.
Vivaldi also published sacred choral works and over 40 operas that were staged in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. In spite of his widespread fame throughout Europe, Vivaldi was unable to earn enough from his compositions to accumulate any amount of wealth and he died a pauper on July 28, 1741.
Expressing hope that his compositions might bring him some revenue, Vivaldi announced, “If God blesses us till the end, we will make a profit and perhaps a considerable one at that.”
