New Millennium Strings

Antonio Vivaldi

Gloria

Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and he died in Vienna in 1741. Vivaldi's music received new interest in the 1920s and 1930s after a Turin musicologist rediscovered the composer's major collected works. The resurgence of Vivaldi's music is directly linked to the historical find of what is referred to today as the "Turin manuscripts." A Venetian music collector, Jacopo Soranzo, came into possession of this music as early as 1745. It is thought that Soranzo bought the music directly from the Vivaldi family, instead of purchasing the collection from the Ospedale della Pieta, the girls orphanage where Vivaldi had worked for decades. Most of the music collection consisted of Vivaldi's original manuscripts and scores. The next owner was the Genoese nobleman Count Giacomo Durazzo (1717-1794).

Some very determined scholars discovered that the Durazzo family of Genoa had inherited some Vivaldi manuscripts. A nephew of the Durazzo family, just prior to his death, bequeathed his private library to the Piedmont monastery, which officially received it in 1922. It turned out that the collection had been divided up between two brothers. After persuasive negotiating, and with the added patronage of a textile manufacturer, Filippo Giordano, the music collection was purchased and donated to the Turin National Library in October 1930.

In 1926 a Turin musicologist, Alberto Gentili, was asked to write an expert opinion of the music collection at the San Carlo Salesian Monastery in Monferrato. Upon examination he discovered that within the 97-volume collection, 14 volumes contained the unknown manuscripts and handwritten scores by Vivaldi. The find constituted over 100 concerti, 12 operas, 29 cantatas, and a complete oratorio. This portion of manuscripts was purchased with the help of a stockbroker, Roberto Foa. Soon afterwards, the music collection was given to the Turin National Library.

While Vivaldi, the ordained priest, was employed at the Ospedale, he was obliged to compose sacred music. Among his shorter, more popular choral and orchestra works is the Gloria, RV 589. It is a bright and energetic piece, which was performed in 1939 for the first time, following its rediscovery. An entire week of concerts honoring Vivaldi followed from the manuscript-editing project, which created a new awareness of Baroque performance practices. These premiere concerts were performed in Siena, at the Accademia Chigiana, under the artistic direction of Alfredo Casella.

Estienne Roger published nearly 500 of Vivaldi's works. Vivaldi preferred the Amsterdam publishing house owned by Roger over a local Venetian company because the music was engraved on plates instead of movable printers. However, by 1729 Vivaldi decided to sell his manuscripts rather than have them published, because the sale to collectors was more lucrative for him. This may be an explanation of why so many of Vivaldi's original handwritten manuscripts were preserved.

For years Vivaldi's music was not well respected when compared to other Baroque composers. However, many of Vivaldi's concerti were arranged and studied by J.S. Bach, as he attempted to keep the Venetian composer's music alive.

-- program notes by Laurien Jones

November, 2003