New Millennium Strings

Antonio Vivalid

Concerto for Two Mandolins in G

Concerto for Two Violins in D

Antonio Vivalid was born in Venice in 1678. He lived at a time when musicians and music education were highly regarded. As a result, Venice was a center for opera, sacred, and secular music. During the eighteenth century, Venice was the home of six opera companies which accumulatively performed no less than third-four weeks during the year. In addition, the chapel of St. Mark's was regarded as a center for music printing, sacred and instrumental literature and opera. Vivaldi was the son of one of the most respected violinists at St. Mark's Chapel.

Growing up in the immense cultural environment that Vivalid found himself set his music career in motion. As a composer, he brought the solo concerto to its height. He composed multitudes of concerti, of which approximately only 450 survive today. Although Vivaldi is best known for his concerti, he also composed 23 sinfonias, 75 solo or trio sonatas, 49 operas, and numerous cantatas, motets and oratories.

In addition to his musical life, Vivaldi was a priest. He combined both sacred and secular activities, which was not uncommon for the time. As an educator, he worked at the Conservatory of the Pieta in Venice, which sheltered orphans and abandoned children. It was there that he was employed as a conductor, composer, teacher and general superintendent. Vivaldi held many concerts at the church of the Pieta. The musicians were mostly made up of young girls, who comprised the orchestra and choir. It is here that many of Vivaldi's concerti were performed and received with great acceptance.

Found in the Concerto for Two Mandolins in G and the Concerto for Two Violins in D are vivid examples of Vivaldi's techniques used to develop his concerto style. Traditionally Vivaldi's concerti are three movementes, with an extended length given to the second movement. Comparatively, Corelli and Torelli, who were also central figures of the concerto form, usually composed much shorter slow movements than Vivaldi.

Vivaldi's love for coloristic effects is heard in the second movement of the mandolin concerto, where the contrast between plucked and bowed instruments are heard. In this movement, pizzacato (plucking the bowed instruments) is incorporated. Pizzacato occurs in the tutti accompaniment (violins and violas). In this movement, the mandolins make use of florid and expressive solo lines, while the tutti provides a stark and rhythmic texture.

Vivaldi's first movements often begin with three hammerstrokes, and then move vigorously through scale and arpeggiated passages. The resourceful use of the arpeggio appears in the highest and lowest register of the solo instruments. Also the use of bariolage is employed (an arpeggiated configuration with open strings). These techniques are heard in both the violin and mandolin concerti in the first and last movements.

-- program notes by Laurien Jones

August, 1999