The place of Venetian-born Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) as a concerto composer is today firmly established, largely thanks to the ubiquitous Four Seasons. What is perhaps less fully appreciated is Vivaldi's importance in the development of the concerto genre as a whole. When his groundbreaking set of concertos was published by the Amsterdam publisher Etienne Roger as opus 3 in 1711, the form was no more than about 30 years old.

L'estro armonico, the rubric that heads Vivaldi's first published set of concertos (a group including works that may date back as far as the final years of the seventeenth century), does not translate easily, but is generally rendered as something like "The Harmonic Fancy." It is apt in the sense that it conveys some sense of the unusual or bizarre that features so strongly in Vivaldi's musical make-up. All 12 concertos are concertino works scored for strings and continuo, which is to say that they call for one or more players who both form part of the ensemble (the ripieno) and function as soloists. This division is generally articulated in quicker movements by the contrasts of weight and texture between recurring full tutti sections and those episodes in which the soloists develop and expand the thematic material. Known as ritornello form, it was to become the standard form for the quicker movements of the Venetian concerto, a form that would exert a powerful influence throughout Europe. Slow movements adopt a more varied form, but are lyrical pieces, sometimes a tutti unison (No. 1 in D) or gentle repeated chords (No. 5 in A, No. 11 in D minor) that are distinguished overall by their cantabile writing. Nine of the 12 concertos adopt the three-movement form in a fast (allegro)-slow (largo)-fast (allegro, or, in the instance of No. 6 in A minor, presto) scheme that would also become the paradigmatic format for the Italian concerto. In two concertos, Nos. 4 in E minor, which has four short movements, and 7 in F, which has five equally brief sections, Vivaldi adopted the multi-sectional form of the Corellian concerto grosso, a type he thereafter abandoned. Significantly, these are two of the four works in L'estro armonico (the others are No. 1, and No. 10 in B minor) to be scored for four violins and strings (the latter also including a solo part for cello). They are thus in general closer to the concerto grosso than the remaining works, all of which are scored for either one or two violins, with the addition of a cello part in No. 11. Here the solo parts attain a greater degree of the brilliance and flamboyance typically associated with the composer.

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No.1 in D for 4 Violins, RV549

Antonio Vivaldi's first set of concertos, called L'estro armonico, was the most influential work of its day, inspiring dozens of composers to turn out thousands of imitations in the first half of the eighteenth century. Published as his Op. 3 in Amsterdam by Estienne Roger in 1711, L'estro armonico (roughly The Genius of Harmony) was a challenge from the great virtuoso and composer that enlivened and enriched the conventions of the concertos of Corelli.

The first work in the set is the Concerto in D major, RV 549, a three-movement work for four solo violins concertino plus orchestral ripieno of violins, violas, cello, and basso continuo. The opening Allegro in the tonic major was often imitated but never duplicated. It starts with the first soloist alone, then with the second soloist in thirds. After a brief pause, the two soloists bring in the ripieno with the main theme, a jaunty tune for the orchestral violins above the bounding basso continuo. The concertino interludes alternate between solos, duos, trios, and quartets in canonic and free counterpoint until the final cadenza for all four soloists in imitation until the light final cadence. The central Largo e spiccato is a minor-keyed sarabande with a march-like main theme for the ripieno alternating with passacaglia-like passages for the concertino. The closing Allegro is a gently dancing movement in 6/8 in the tonic major, with mussette-like passages for the concertino and an abbreviated final cadence.

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No.2 in G- for 2 Violins and Cello, RV578

Of Vivaldi's more than 500 concertos, 27 were written for the combination of cello, strings, and continuo. Most of these, like this G major effort, have a duration of about ten minutes, and contrary to Stravinsky's charge about the sameness of Vivaldi's concertos in general, most are quite individual in character. The Concerto in G major here probably dates to the first or second decade of the eighteenth century. It consists of three movements, with two Allegro outer panels framing a central Largo.

The first movement opens with a joyous orchestral ritornello, with the jaunty but unhurried violin theme being propelled along by a busy bass line. The cello enters with equally chipper music, playing a variant of the opening theme. Subsequent material reappears but in somewhat different guises, Vivaldi showing imaginative thematic development, as well as colorful solo and ensemble writing.

A somber introduction is presented by unison strings at the outset of the second movement, after which a brighter theme is presented in the strings' higher ranges and then taken up by the cello. There are elegant exchanges between orchestra and soloist thereafter, and the tempo throughout sounds more animated than its Largo marking would normally suggest. The finale opens with a festive introduction, the cello then following with more mellow and less showy but still quite lively music. In subsequent exchanges, however, the cello becomes more driving and assertive, yet more bouncy and playful, too, in the end imparting a rollicking sense to the proceedings. This is certainly one of Vivaldi's more colorful and instantly appealing concerto finales.

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No.3 in G for Violin, RV310

Published in 1711, the L'estro armonico, concertos (12) are among Vivaldi's earliest works. They are grouped in four sets of three, each containing a concerto for solo violin and one each for two and four violins. Written in a concerto grosso style, these works were tremendously influential in their time, virtually laying the foundations for the concerto form in the eighteenth century. This G major effort for solo violin appears in the first chapter of the L'estro armonico and is cast in three movements. It is one of the set's shorter concertos, with a duration of about six to seven minutes, each panel lasting only about two minutes. The Allegro first movement begins with a vigorous, lively theme in the strings, after which the solo violin enters, mostly contributing rhythmic music. The strings present the most important thematic material here, though the solo violin has an equal and crucial role. In the brief Largo that follows, the violin sings sadly between the dark repeated chords of the now-deferential orchestra. The Allegro finale finds the strings quite active again, but with the soloist vying for the spotlight, both producing colorful, joyous music brimming with vibrancy throughout.

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No.4 in E- for 4 Violins, RV 550

One of four concertos for four violins and orchestra from L'estro armonico, the E minor work finds Vivaldi alternately borrowing heavily from Corelli and Albinoni, and going his own distinct way.

To begin with, it's cast in four movements rather than the three Vivaldi would eventually settle on. Some concertos in L'estro armonico have as many as five movements, which suggests that Vivaldi had in mind the trio sonata and concerto grosso layouts favored by Corelli and other composers of the day and earlier. The "extra" movement here comes first: an Andante, beginning with highly dramatic announcements from the full ensemble in the dotted-rhythm French manner. This gives way to a rather tense response from the soloists. Tutti and solo passages alternate, with the second solo section more florid than the first.

The Allegro assai maintains the mood of the first movement, but now at a much faster clip, with the soloists (often singly or in pairs) presenting hectic material that sometimes is little more than flying scalar sequences. The style is very much that favored by Corelli, although the practice of giving the soloists their own individual material is more often found in the concertos of Albinoni.

The brief, transitional Adagio, too, owes something to Corelli, although it also hints at the more mysterious passages to come in the slow sections of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, particularly the "Winter" concerto. Vivaldi finally breaks out of the Corelli mold in the concluding Allegro, although he continues to employ the Albinoni technique of presenting the soloists as individuals in subgroups. The abundance of thematic invention and the exploitation of string colors are elements that would dominate Vivaldi's later work, and set him apart from many of his contemporaries.

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No.5 in A, Double Violin Concerto, RV519

Antonio Vivaldi's first published set of concertos, called "L'estro armonico," was the most important and influential collection of the first half of the eighteenth century. Published as his Op. 3 in Amsterdam in 1711 by Estienne Roger, "L'estro armonico" (roughly, The Genius of Harmony) was Vivaldi's first published set of concertos, but it completely changed the form from the heavier Roman style of Corelli to the lighter Venetian style that quickly came to dominate all European orchestra music for two generations.

The fifth work in the set is the Concerto in A major, RV 519, a three-movement work for two solo violins concertino, plus orchestral ripieno of violins, violas, cello, and basso continuo. The opening Allegro has a characteristic thumping unison theme for the whole ripieno alternating with progressively faster and more brilliant passages for the two soloists. The central Largo, a lyrical episode for one soloist and ripieno senza basso continuo, opens with a quiet chordal theme senza basso continuo with soloist singing sweetly above it. The closing Presto is a bright and light triple time movement with its main theme given to the cellos and alternating with progressively faster and more difficult solos for both soloists, culminating in an impulsive duo cadenza before the big final cadence.

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No.6 in A- for Violin, RV356

When this Concerto in A minor was written no one knows. But it was published in 1711 as the sixth in a set of 12 for one or more solo string instruments, with the collective title L'estro armonico, Op. 3. The original scoring was for solo violin, small string orchestra, and continuo.

During the composer's largely mysterious lifetime—he left no correspondence, and few descriptions of him survive—the popularity of L'estro armonico (Harmonic Fire or Inspiration) was rivaled only by The Four Seasons, from his Op. 8 collection, The Wedding of Harmony and Invention, published 14 years later. L'estro armonico had widespread impact on Vivaldi's audiences as well as colleagues, yet it is not thought to represent his solo virtuosity. He well may have been the Paganini of his age, minus the diablerie that nineteenth-century audiences imputed to artists with larger-than-life talent.

At the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, one of four music-school orphanages in Venice for girls, Vivaldi taught music and conducted a chorus irregularly between 1703 and 1736, but never full time. Composing and performing were his chief occupations. Venice was no longer a mercantile and maritime hub by the seventeenth century; it had become what it is today—a tourist attraction, celebrated for the arts. Concerts at the Pietà produced significant endowments as well as ticket revenue, and Vivaldi the composer/violinist remained box-office for years. On the side, and not without double-dealing, he did a thriving business in manuscript copies—cheaper, quicker, and cleaner to produce than printing, until Amsterdam publishers achieved a technical breakthrough ca. 1711. Even then, beginning with L'estro armonico, Vivaldi permitted the publication of only 86 concertos in his lifetime out of hundreds discovered since 1927. And these are not the sum of his output. As with Bach and other Baroque luminaries, we know that music was lost; but how much will never be known.

This concerto (even if Bach passed on it in favor of others to arrange, and Stravinsky sneered that Vivaldi wrote the same concerto 500 times) is a choice specimen of his gift for sheer invention. The first movement is a vivid example of the ritornello technique he perfected—repeating a theme between flights of decoration and elaboration, looking forward to the rondo.

One may note, too, that the solo violin refuses to play the theme as we hear it in tutti passages, and that concertino passages are nudging structure toward the development-group principle. What follows, in Alfred Einstein's view, is "a tender Intermezzo, raised to the regions of a more spiritual passion. Three violins and a viola accompany the lyrical rhetoric of the solo [instrument], and the second violins (long held notes over the solo part) give a soft glow to the whole movement. Thematically, rhythmically and dynamically, the last movement is a pure Capriccio, a form typical for finales [of the period]."

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No.7 in F for 4 Violins and Cello, RV567

The most influential work of its day, Antonio Vivaldi's first set of concertos, called L'estro armonico, inspired composers across Europe to turn out thousands of imitations in the first half of the eighteenth century. Published in Amsterdam by Estienne Roger in 1711 as his Op. 3, L'estro armonico (roughly, The Genius of Harmony) upended the concerto conventions established by Corelli in Roman, enriching and enlivening it with sweeter melodies, more straightforward harmonies, and, above all, a driving rhythm that propelled his music irresistibly forward.

The seventh work in L'estro armonico, exhibits all these traits set side-by-side with elements from the Corelli model. Scored for four violins and cello concertante with strings and basso continuo, the Concerto in F major, RV 567, is an unusually large work in five movements. Like the Corelli model, the Concerto opens with an extended slow movement, in this case an Andante, but instead of Roman severity, Vivaldi's Andante features long, sweet melodies for the concertante. The second movement is a fairly brief Adagio with gravity of Corelli, but it serves as more of an introduction to the extended third movement, in this case an Allegro, a light and delightful movement with the drive and virtuosity of Vivaldi at his most characteristic. The fourth movement is an even briefer Adagio again with the gravity of Corelli but it, too, serves as more of an introduction to the fifth movement, in this case a brief Allegro, a charming and elegant movement with the grace of Vivaldi at his most pastoral.

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No.8 in A-, Double Concerto, RV522

Preceded only by a set of Trio Sonatas in 1705 and a set of Violin Sonatas in 1709, Antonio Vivaldi's first published set of concertos, called "L'estro armonico," was the most influential and innovative collection of orchestral music of the first half of the eighteenth century. "L'estro armonico" (roughly, The Genius of Harmony) was published as his Op. 3 in Amsterdam in 1711 by Estienne Roger and quickly completely changed the form from the more weighty Roman model of Corelli to the lighter Venetian model of Vivaldi.

The eighth work in the set is the Concerto in A minor, RV 522, a three-movement work for two solo violins concertino plus orchestral ripieno of violins, violas, cello, and basso continuo. The opening Allegro has a powerful and propulsive opening theme for the ripieno followed by driving episodes for the two soloists playing separately and in imitation. The central Larghetto e spiritoso is close to a sarabande in its march-like ripieno chord sequence and close to a passacaglia in its lyrical episodes for the two soloists. The closing Allegro opens with a fast and brilliant imitative sequence for the ripieno leading to a strong cadence. The sequence functions as a theme, alternating for the rest of the movement with glinting soloists playing off each other straight through to the final big cadence.

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No.9 in D for Violin, RV230

The orchestral strings begin this concerto's opening Allegro with a genial and motorically driven ritornello. The cello takes up its main tune in the first solo section and extends it through some equally genial passage work. The second solo section begins with a flowingly lyrical descending line and then moves onto some more virtuosic matters. There is a brief ritornello that turns to the minor mode in preparation for third solo outing, a section that features lyrical passage work, and the fourth solo break is again of a more virtuosic character.

The subseqent Largo is a pensively lyrical minor-mode cantilena for the solo cello accompanied by the continuo instruments. The concluding Allegro resumes the genially happy tone of the first movement with a gliding rather than a motoric feel. The solo breaks are all assertive and sometimes motorically virtuosic.

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No.10 in B- for 4 Violins and Cello, RV580

Known to the cognoscenti by manuscript, the actual publication of Antonio Vivaldi's first set of concertos called "L'estro armonico" as his Op. 3 by Estienne Roger in 1711 in Amsterdam was not only the most important event in Italian orchestral music of the first half of the eighteenth century, it was the most important work in all European orchestra music. "L'estro armonico," roughly meaning The Genius of Harmony, took the weighty Roman concerto style of Corelli and infused it with a lightness, a muscularity, and a virtuosity that determined the history of the genre.

The tenth work in the set is the Concerto in B minor, RV 580, a three-movement work for four solo violins plus orchestral ripieno of violins, violas, cello, and basso continuo. The opening Allegro, like all the other works in the set, alternates between the continuo and the ripieno, but both groups share the same propulsive repeated-note theme driving the movement to its powerful final cadence. In the central Larghetto e spiccato, big dotted note chords for the ripieno alternate with imitative arpeggios for the soloists, followed by a shivering central episode that predicts the snowy central movement of the "Winter" concerto from the Four Seasons. The closing Allegro follows immediately, a dancing triple time theme for the ripieno alternating with scintillating episodes for the four soloists.

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No.11 in D- for 2 Violins and Cello, RV565

Antonio Vivaldi's Op. 3 set of 12 concerti, entitled L'estro armonico ("Harmonious Inspiration"), was enormously influential all over Europe; Johann Sebastian Bach thought enough of it to transcribe six concerti from the set, including the 11th, written in D minor for two violins and cello. Op. 3/11 is one of the more interesting of a fascinating set, offering a unique structure and passionate music to fill it.

The soloists open the first movement by themselves, the two violins playing in unison with a choppy rhythm in the cello; the violins eventually liberate themselves enough from the rhythm to introduce a melody, which is then taken up by the cello over the continuo. Three bars of Adagio form a small interlude before one of the few full-blown fugues in Vivaldi's instrumental output. The subject has a resemblance to the melody introduced by the soloists, and the soloists cooperate with the orchestra in its development. The movement seems to end on a Picardy third, but this proves false, and the coda settles finally on the minor. A solo violin dominates the second-movement Largo, as the simple ritornello form Vivaldi uses gives over most of the movement to its passionate lament. The finale once again begins with the soloists before introducing the orchestra, but instead of a fugue, what awaits here is ritornello form. Exhilarating virtuosity is demanded from all three soloists as they propel this concerto to a decisive conclusion. One can easily hear why Bach was so enamored of this work.

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No.12 in E for Violin Concerto, RV265

"L'estro armonico," roughly meaning The Genius of Harmony, was an audacious name for an audacious work. Published as Op. 3 in Amsterdam in 1711 by Estienne Roger, Antonio Vivaldi's first set of concertos was not only an impressive orchestral debut, but the set changed the genre's established form and established a lighter, more lyrical, and more virtuosic new form that influenced every composer in the first half of the eighteenth century.

The 12th and final work in the set is the Concerto in E major, RV 265, for violin soloist plus an orchestral ripieno of violins, violas, cellos, and basso continuo. The opening Allegro is one of the most dazzling in the set, its quick and cheerful repeated-note ripieno theme alternating with especially sparkling episodes for the soloist. The central Larghetto e spiccato is one of the set's sweetest and most lyrical movements, with a melodic duet of melting tenderness for the soloist and the concert master. The closing Allegro, with its bold transitions and modulations, is harmonically the most daring work in the set, and an amazing way to close the most important orchestral work of the late Baroque.

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