Vivaldi's Fourth Season Violin Concerto (Violin and Piano Score) (Includes CD)

Author: (Italian) Vivaldi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: In the "Four Seasons" concerto, Vivaldi signed himself as "the Italian musician of Count von Thun," dedicated to "Mr. Count Morzin Wenzel." Franz von Morzin, Count who hired the 27-year-old Haydn as the conductor when performing Vivaldi's work in 1759, was the descendant of Count Morzin Wenzel mentioned in the dedication. From the dedication, we learn that Vivaldi often played the original version of this piece for the Count. Moreover, these four sonnets were added later during the performance. Judging from the title and content, the verses were likely composed after the musical score. The perfect harmony between the titles and the music of "The Four Seasons" is also the reason why this work became one of Vivaldi's most popular compositions at the time. After publishing it in Amsterdam, Netherlands, along with twelve other works, as the violin concerto collection "Experiments in Harmony and Invention" (Op. 8) in 1725, it was immediately reprinted in Paris. From 1728 onwards, records of performances of this piece in Paris became increasingly common. In 1765, 18th-century French composer Corrette premiered his work "Te Deum" with the subtitle "Chorus motet adapted from Vivaldi's 'Spring Concerto'!"