VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: The Poetry Behind the Music

Padre Antonio Vivaldi was an innovator in ways that often go unrecognized. In an era where few women were encouraged to play instruments, most of his works were composed for the orphaned and unwanted girls in the combination convent, orphanage, music conservatory, and boarding school (ospedale) he ran in Venice. The fame of these young virtuosi infused Europe, as they mastered his still-challenging works, presenting them behind a screen for an audience of avid listeners.

But the works themselves are as revolutionary as the players. Not until the orchestral works of Berlioz was a composer able to write program music as effectively as the “Red Priest.” Not until the operatic works of Wagner was a composer able to effectively connect larger works with a common theme. These Romantic-era works from the 19th century appeared more than 100 years after Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, written in the 18th century.

The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos, each based on a season of the year, beginning with spring [primavera, “first greening”], followed by summer [estate], autumn [autunno], and winter [inverno].  Each has the standard concerto form of three movements—fast, slow, fast—with the characteristic Baroque feature of ritornelli, recurring themes for the orchestra, that alternate with the soloist.

But where these works break with tradition is in the inclusion of one sonnet per concerto. Each movement depicts part of the sonnet through a technique called “word painting.” Word-painting existed in the Renaissance, but it was used predominantly for vocal music. So, a merry lad running down the hill could be represented by a quickly descending scale. In Vivaldi’s Seasons, however, the words of the sonnet are never sung.

The sonnet, a poetic form developed in Renaissance Italy and made famous by such luminaries as Petrarch and Shakespeare, has features that complement the basic format of the concerto form. The natural three-part break in a sonnet’s subject matter could match the three-movement form. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of fourteen lines, an octet plus a sestet. The first eight lines traditionally make a statement or ask a question with a rhyme scheme of “abba abba.” The final six lines produce a response, counterargument, or clarification with a rhyme scheme “cde cde” or “cdc cdc.” Note that the poetic repetition resembles the ritornello concept. But Vivaldi approaches the sonnet divisions in varied ways.

In both Spring and Summer, the first movement covers the entire octet, while the second and third movements split the sestet evenly. Spring’s octet, for example, paints a scene of nature’s bliss. The second movement points to a specific feature, the sleeping shepherd; the third movement further clarifies the springtide dance fest. Summer’s octet has the birds singing and the breezes are stirring, but the shepherd is fearful. The second movement’s first three lines of the sestet clarify his fears and the third movement’s last three lines argue that his fears are justified.

For Autumn, the first and second movements share the octet, chronicling the celebrations at the close of harvest leading to well-deserved sleep, while the final movement sestet portrays the next morning when the hunt begins. Winter has yet another approach, discarding sonnet traditions. The first movement only addresses the first half of the octet, the teeth-chattering cold of a frigid winter day. The second movement deals with only two lines, the homely scene in front of a warming fire. To end the piece, the last two lines of the octet and all of the sestet are covered in the final movement of the cycle, returning to the view of uncomfortable iciness while still praising the delights of the season.

–Dr. Yvonne Kendall, © 2021

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