98: Spring

 Now is the perfect time to start a series on the Four Seasons, beginning, of course, with Spring. First, a little background: they were written in Mantua and published in Amsterdam by Vivaldi, a Venetian priest (who had such vibrant red hair that he was called “Il Prete Rosso” , “the Red-Haired Priest”), who as a child had what we would probably diagnose today as “asthma”. He spent most of his musical career as music director and head music teacher of an orphanage (not a “hospital”—that is a false cognate) for girls, who would learn and perform much of his output in concerts for the public. The Four Seasons, however, were not written for the girls.

These four concerti are, in my mind, without a doubt, the best example of “program music” from the Baroque era. This is in contrast to “absolute music.” The distinction here is music for its own sake, simply because it’s beautiful (absolute) versus music that has a specific aim to tell a story or paint a picture in your mind (programmatic). The descriptive power of these concerti is harnessed to bring to life four sonnets written by Vivaldi himself. (Yes, the same 14-line poetic structure that Shakespeare is famous for in English.)

If you don’t know about the sonnets, then the associations are quite vague. Spring feels “cheery” like you imagine a beautiful spring day would. Summer feels violent, probably because, at least here in Georgia, the afternoon thunderstorms in the summer can get pretty violent. Autumn feels full of life, like a bountiful harvest. And winter feels… cozy, like a mug of hot chocolate under a blanket. But look at the sonnets, and you’ll see that there are much more precise images at play, again, written by Vivaldi himself. 

In Spring I, without a doubt Vivaldi’s most famous movement of them all, as you listen, imagine “Spring has come with joy / Welcomed by birds with joyous songs, / And the / streams, amid gentle breezes, / Whisper softly as they sink. / The sky is covered in black and / Thunder and lightning announce the storm / When they are silent, the birds / Resume their delicious songs.” In Spring II, imagine, “And in the pleasant flowery meadow, / To the soft murmur of leaves and plants, / The goatherd sleeps, his faithful dog by his side.” (Here, let me give you a hint: listen out for a C#: “woof woof, woof woof…”) In Spring III, listen for “To the happy sound of a rustic bagpipe, / Nymphs and shepherds dance in their favorite place / When spring appears in all its glory.”


Here are some great recordings:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKthRw4KjEg&list=RDTKthRw4KjEg&start_radio=1

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G6doQH23NQ&list=RD1G6doQH23NQ&start_radio=1

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LiztfE1X7E&list=RD3LiztfE1X7E&start_radio=1

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJp-VgQmyzA&list=RDcJp-VgQmyzA&start_radio=1

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPaUtnJTMn8&list=RDkPaUtnJTMn8&start_radio=1


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