At the age of 15, he began studying to become a priest. Vivaldi sought religious training as well as musical instruction. While his violin practice flourished, a chronic shortness of breath barred him from mastering wind instruments. Through his father, Vivaldi met and learned from some of the finest musicians and composers in Venice at the time. His father, Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, was a professional violinist who taught his young son to play as well.

Early LifeĪntonio Lucio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678, in Venice, Italy. He was also known for his operas, including Argippo and Bajazet. A prolific composer who created hundreds of works, he became renowned for his concertos in Baroque style, becoming a highly influential innovator in form and pattern. Listen to the best of Vivaldi on Apple Music and Spotify and scroll down to discover our selection of the 10 best Vivaldi works.Antonio Vivaldi was ordained as a priest though he instead chose to follow his passion for music. Discover our selection of the best Vivaldi works featuring 10 masterpieces including The Four Seasons. He taught the violin there, organised services with music, gave concerts, and composed most of his major works in this position over three decades. In the same year as his ordination he was appointed violin master at the Ospedale della Pietà, a Venetian convent for orphaned or illegitimate girls. He trained for the priesthood and was ordained in 1703. Vivaldi’s concertos became a model for his contemporaries, and the form was soon one of the most important in eighteenth century Europe. He introduced a range of new styles and techniques to string playing and consolidated one of its most important genres, the concerto. But his most important achievement was in his music for strings. He ignited transformations in music for the church, the opera house and the concert hall. Antonio Vivaldi’s (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) influence on the development of Baroque music was immense.

Vivaldi famous works