Vivaldi, Antonio (EN)

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio, *4 March 1678 Venice, †27 or 28 July 1741 Vienna, Italian composer and violinist. He was the eldest son of Giovanni Battista (Giambattista) Vivaldi (1655–1736), known as Rossi or Rosetto (due to his red hair), who arrived in Venice from Brescia in 1666 and was a violinist at St Mark’s Basilica from 1685 to 1729. There is no information about Vivaldi’s musical studies, but his first teacher was probably his father. He may have studied with L.F. Somis in Turin between 1700 and 1703, as well as with G. Torelli in Bologna. From his youth, Antonio travelled with his father on concert tours, replaced him in the basilica orchestra (1696 and 1697), and entrusted him with copying his works. In September 1693, he entered the clergy, and in March 1703, he was ordained a priest; he was called ‘il prete rosso’ (the red priest).

In September 1703, Vivaldi was appointed maestro di violino and chaplain at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice (he was associated with this institution intermittently for about 40 years, 1706–09 as a resident), where he taught viola playing and was responsible for purchasing string instruments between 1704 and 1709. In 1705, Vivaldi published his first collection of works in Venice – Suonate da camera a tre Op. 1. In 1708, he sold his concertos and cello sonatas to Count R.F.E. von Schönborn. After being dismissed from his position at the Ospedale della Pietà in 1709, he gave violin and composition lessons to D.G. Treu. In February 1711, he played with his father at the church of Santa Maria della Pace in Brescia, where Stabat Mater RV 621 was performed a year later. In September 1711, he returned to the Ospedale as a violin teacher, and in 1713–16 he also served as maestro di coro; at that time, he wrote masses, vespers, oratorios and motets, among other works. In 1711, L’estro armonico Op. 3, Vivaldi’s first and most popular collection of concertos, was published in Amsterdam (from then on, the composer published only outside Italy). On 15 February 1712, Vivaldi performed at the Basilica of Saint Anthony in Padua, presenting his virtuoso violin concerto Per la solennità della S. Lingua di S. Antonio di Padova RV 212 (his father played in the orchestra). In June 1713, La vittoria navale, Vivaldi’s first oratorio, was performed at the church of S. Corona in Vicenza; during the interval, the composer delighted the audience with a solo violin recital.

It was probably Giambattista Vivaldi who instilled in his son an interest in stage music. There is documentation of approximately 60 premieres of Vivaldi’s operas, in which he was personally involved between 1713 and 1739. In May 1713, his first opera, Ottone in villa, was staged at the Teatro delle Garzerie in Vicenza. In 1714, Vivaldi took up the position of impresario at the Teatro Sant’Angelo in Venice for the first time, staging Orlando finto pazzo there in November. With the premiere of La costanza trionfante degl’amori in January 1716, he began his collaboration with the Venetian Teatro San Moisè. In March 1715, he gave lessons to F. von Uffenbach, and in April 1716 to J.G. Pisendel, to whom he sold his works. From May 1716, he worked as maestro de’ concerti at the Ospedale della Pietà, where his oratorio Juditha triumphans was performed in November. Probably between February 1716 and July 1717, Vivaldi met Frederick Augustus (later Elector of Saxony and King of Poland), who was staying in Venice at the time, and around 40 of his sonatas and concertos were copied for the Dresden orchestra. From March 1718 to the spring of 1720, Vivaldi stayed in Mantua, where he was appointed maestro di cappella da camera at the imperial court of Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt; his duties included providing operas for the Teatro Arciducale and cantatas and serenades for court academies. In Mantua, as well as in Florence, Vicenza and Rome, Vivaldi staged several operas during those years. He sold several dozen works to Count W. von Morzin of Prague.

The satire Il teatro alla moda by B. Marcella, published in December 1720, which ridiculed Vivaldi’s impresario and operatic style, probably contributed to Vivaldi’s departure for Milan. There, in August 1721, the Teatro Ducale hosted the premiere of the opera La Silvia, and in January 1722, the church of San Felice performed the oratorio L’adorazione delli tre re magi al bambino Gesù (now lost). Probably in the summer of 1722, on the occasion of the coronation of Louis XV, Vivaldi travelled to France with Venetian musicians. He spent the beginning of 1723 in Rome, under the care of Princess Maria Livia Spinola Borghese and Cardinal P. Ottoboni, for whom he composed many concertos and several vocal-instrumental compositions. In January of that year, he staged Ercole sul Termodonte at the Teatro Capranica and performed twice for Pope Innocent XIII. After returning to Venice in July 1723, he resumed his collaboration with the Ospedale della Pietà; he did not accept any position, but undertook to deliver two concerts a month and conduct several rehearsals (by August 1729, he had been paid for over 140 concerts). During the 1724 carnival, he staged an opera and a pasticcio at the Teatro Capranica in Rome. In the autumn of 1724, his Orlando furioso was performed at the opening of Count F.A. von Sporck’s Sporcksches Theater in Prague. On 12 September 1725, on the occasion of the wedding of King Louis XV to Maria Leszczyńska, Vivaldi’s serenade Dall’eccelsa mia reggia (Gloria e Imeneo) was performed at the French embassy in Venice. In the autumn of 1725, Vivaldi resumed his position as impresario at the Teatro Sant’Angelo and staged his subsequent operas there. In December 1725, his 12 concertos Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione Op. 8, were published in Amsterdam, including the already famous Le quattro stagioni.

In 1726, four of Vivaldi’s operas received their world premieres in Venice and Prague. Anna Girò’s performance in Dorilla in Tempe at the Teatro Sant’Angelo initiated a long-standing collaboration and friendship between the composer and this mezzo-soprano. On 31 July 1726, Vivaldi’s serenata Questa Eurilla gentil (now lost) was performed in Mantua to celebrate the birthday of Prince Philip von Hesse-Darmstadt; probably on 25 August of that year, to mark Louis XV’s name day, the composer led a performance of the serenata La Senna festeggiante at the French embassy in Venice, while on 19  September 1727, the royal twins’ birthdays were celebrated there with a performance of the serenata L’unione della Pace e di Marte and a performance of Te Deum RV 622 in the Church of the Madonna dell’Orto. In November 1727, a collection of 12 concertos, La cetra Op. 9, dedicated to Charles VI of Habsburg, was published in Amsterdam; in September 1728, in Trieste, Vivaldi presented the emperor with a manuscript collection with a similar title but containing other concertos. In the autumn of 1729, Vivaldi embarked on an approximately two-year journey with his father through Austria, Bohemia, and Germany. In 1730 and 1731, he staged three operas at the Sporcksches Theater in Prague, composed lute concertos for Count J.J. von Wrtba, and probably also visited Dresden, where his student and friend J.G. Pisendel became Kapellmeister of the court chapel, for which Vivaldi sold further works. In the autumn of 1731, Vivaldi took over as impresario at the Teatro Arciducale in Mantua, and in the following year, he produced his opera Semiramide (now lost). In January 1732, La fida ninfa was performed at the opening of the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona; during the 1735 carnival, Vivaldi became impresario at that theatre and staged the opera L’Adelaide (now lost) and the pasticcio Il Tamerlano (Il Bajazet). In 1735, he was awarded the title of honorary Kapellmeister to Francis III, Duke of Lorraine; that same year, in Venice, his operas were first presented at the prestigious Teatro San Samuele (Griselda and the pasticcio Aristide).

In 1735–38, Vivaldi again served as maestro de’ concerti at the Ospedale della Pietà. In 1736–38, he made unsuccessful attempts to present several of his operas in Ferrara. He staged further operas in Venice and Verona. On 26 August 1739, he led the harpsichord orchestra accompanying Anna Girò to the Spanish ambassador in Venice at a concert celebrating the marriage of Infante Philippe to the French princess Maria Luisa Elizabeth. The growing popularity of Neapolitan opera and the decreasing interest in Vivaldi’s music in Venice forced the composer to seek other sources of income. Feraspe, performed in November 1739, was the last opera written for his hometown. On 21 March 1740, at the request of Prince François, who was staying in Venice, he performed a concert for the opera. Frederick Christian (son of Augustus III) performed the concertos RV 540, 552, 558 and the sinfonia RV 149 during a concert in his honour at the Ospedale della Pietà. Vivaldi was no longer working for the institution at that time, but he likely participated in the event and presented the prince with a manuscript of the performed works. In May 1740, Vivaldi sold over 20 new concertos to the Ospedale authorities and presumably travelled to Vienna in the summer in the hope of securing a position at the court of Charles VI, who was favourably disposed of him. The emperor’s death in October 1740 thwarted Vivaldi’s plans; in February 1741, the composer unsuccessfully sought financing from Prince Anton Ulrich von Sachsen-Meiningen for performances of his operas at the Kärntnertortheater. In June 1741, he sold a large portion of his manuscripts to Count A. Vinciguerra di Collalto. Vivaldi died on the night of 27–28 July 1741, in a hotel on Kärntnertor; the next day he was buried without ceremony at the Spettaler Gottesacker Cemetery in Vienna. His death was not recorded in the Viennese musical community; it was only briefly reported in the “Wiener Diarium” on 2 August 1741. Today, the composer’s burial site is the building of the Technical University, on which a commemorative plaque has been placed.

Vivaldi, alongside A. Corelli, was the most highly regarded instrumentalist of the Baroque era. During his lifetime, he enjoyed fame as an unparalleled violinist and the most outstanding composer of concertos, which for decades served as a model for composers across Europe (including J.S. Bach, J.J. Quantz, J.G. Pisendel, J.-M. Leclair, and G. Tartini); his compositional work and its significant role in shaping new stylistic trends were fully appreciated in the 20^th century.

Vivaldi was the first composer in the history of music to leave such a large number of violin and orchestral works, although his oeuvre encompasses all the major musical genres of the era. He possessed an extraordinary facility for composition. He often reworked his own works and borrowed from the works of others (including G.M. Ruggieri and A. Lotti). His compositional skills were strongly influenced by violin and opera music; the intersection of their stylistic features was criticised by B. Marcello, Quantz, and Tartini, among others. The form and texture of Vivaldi’s works are typically characterised by clarity and simplicity, and the thematic melodies by conciseness and expressiveness. The composer eschewed elaborate contrapuntal devices; he introduced them by borrowing from the works of others, while the homophony of the continuo allowed him greater freedom in terms of expression and musical rhetoric. He frequently employed unison playing of several voices, syncopated rhythms, varied tonal colour through rich articulation and instrumentation, and in his use of dynamic nuances, he anticipated the Mannheim School. In terms of violin technique and treatment of the orchestra, Vivaldi’s achievements foreshadow the work of the Viennese classicists. Even his earliest works demonstrate the maturity of his compositional skills. After 1720, the influence of the galant music and the Neapolitan school became more pronounced. The themes of arias and concertos show a greater tendency towards periodic shaping of melodies, rhythms become more contrasted, and figurations more imaginative.

Concertos (approx. 550 pieces) occupy the most numerous and important position in Vivaldi’s compositional legacy. Vivaldi brought this genre to the height of popularity, quickly becoming its most outstanding composer. Based on his works, Quantz compiled recommendations for composing pieces of this genre in Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte traversiere zu spielen (1752). Five types of concertos can be distinguished in Vivaldi’s oeuvre: 1. solo, 2. for multiple solo instruments (con molti stromenti), 3. for solo instruments and two orchestras, 4. chamber (da camera), 5. for string orchestra (ripieni). He did not write grosso-type concertos; in concertos for multiple soloists (from 2 to 13), which are similar in terms of instrumentation, there is no antiphonal opposition between the concertini and grosso groups according to the model proposed by A. Stradella and A. Corelli. These works are a variation on the solo concerto (obbligato instruments treated as soloists), with Corelli’s influence evident only in a few early works from Op. 3 (RV 578, 550, 567, 565) and Op. 4 (RV 185, 249), in which Vivaldi used a 4- or 5-part form and treated the soloists as concertino.

Vivaldi adopted the three-movement form model from G. Torelli and T. Albinoni, which became widespread largely thanks to their influence. He introduced it in his earliest works from 1708 (RV 402, 416, 420) and consistently applied it. In all types of concertos, he most often used the ritornello form in the fast outer movements, and often also in the middle ones. Non-ritornello finales are sometimes fugues or two- or three-part dance forms. Vivaldi demonstrated considerable inventiveness in applying the ritornello form. The number of orchestral ritornellos ranges from four to nine; their themes span several to several dozen bars (short ones are reduced to a motto and cadenza formula), as do the solo episodes, which sometimes allude to the ritornello material but usually contrast strongly with it. The solo episodes usually differ from one another (based on the couplets of the rondo form). Ritornellos are usually composed of three segments (sometimes more). Typically, throughout the piece, Vivaldi shortened the orchestral ritornellos, lengthening the solo episodes; when the last ritornello repeats the first, he introduced the notation “da capo,” following the example of arias. Although the standard tonal plan for ritornello movements was in force at the time (the progression of degrees I–V–VI–I for major keys and I–III–V–VI–I for minor keys), such a schematic structure does not occur in Vivaldi’s concertos; the ritornellos are usually in the main key, and new keys appear in the solo episodes. When a ritornello ends off the tonic, the tonal plan for the entire movement is richer and more dynamic. Occasionally (especially in orchestral concertos), Vivaldi employed the fugue technique, in which the ritornello is played by imitative versions of the theme, and the external bridges are modulated by solo or orchestral episodes. In the middle movements of concertos there is greater formal freedom, with various types of 2-movement, 3-movement (ABA or ABA1), variational, recomposed, ostinato or ritornello forms; usually in a parallel, subdominant or mediant key.

Vivaldi’s contribution to the history of the concerto is the introduction of illustrative and programmatic elements, suggested by the title, e.g. La tempesta di mare (“storm at sea”) RV 98, Il gardellino (“the goldfinch”) RV 90, La caccia (“the hunt”) RV 362, or additionally with stage directions included in the score, e.g. in Le quattro stagioni (‘the four seasons’) RV 269, 315, 293, 297 or in La notte (‘the night’) RV 439. Most of the titles only indicate the character of the piece, referring to feelings, e.g. L’inquietudine (‘anxiety’) RV 234, the purpose of the piece, e.g. Concerto funebre RV 579, Per il Santissimo Natale RV 270, the addressee of the concerto, e.g. Il Carbonelli RV 366 (for the violinist G.S. Carbonelli) or details of the performance, e.g. L’ottavina RV 763 (solo parts should be played an octave higher than written).

Of particular importance in Vivaldi’s concert works is the collection L’estro armonico (“musical whim”) Op. 3 (1711), containing concertos for 1, 2 and 4 violins with string orchestra accompaniment, in which the musicians of the accompanying string ensemble also occasionally perform solo parts (e.g. cello or second violin). The international success of this collection popularised Vivaldi’s concert model outside Italy; six concertos (RV 310, 522, 230, 580, 565, 265) were arranged for keyboard instruments by J.S. Bach (BWV 978, 593, 972, 1065, 596, 976). The second historically important collection is Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (‘the trial of harmony and invention’) op. 8 (1725), which includes four programmatic violin concertos entitled Le quattro stagioni. Using musical illustration techniques previously reserved for operas (tremolos, figurations illustrating a storm, birdsong, hunting fanfares, etc., soloist cantilenas), without abandoning the accepted and consistently implemented formal principles of the solo concerto, Vivaldi achieved a power of expression that gives these works timeless value.

Solo concertos are the most numerous in Vivaldi’s oeuvre (over 370 preserved), most of them (over 250) written for the violin. Seventy-seven violin concertos were published during Vivaldi’s lifetime; apart from four pieces in L’estro armonico, twelve were included in the collection La stravaganza, six in Op. 6 and ten in Op. 7, twelve in Il cimento, twelve in La cetra, five in Op. 11 and five in Op. 12, two in Two celebrated concertos, one in L’élite des concerto italiens and in anthologies (8). With the exception of Le quattro stagioni, Vivaldi’s unpublished violin concertos are more valuable than those that have been published. As early as the second decade of the 18^th century, Vivaldi introduced the solo cadenza into the violin concerto for the first time, usually in the last episode before the final ritornello of the orchestra. Cadenzas, numbering up to several dozen bars, are found only in manuscripts (e.g. RV 212); they reveal the most virtuosic aspects of Vivaldi’s violin technique (playing the E string to the 14^th position, polyphonic playing, complex arpeggios, bariolage, flying staccatos in fast figurations). In his concertos, Vivaldi exploited the specific properties of the violin, both in terms of the choice of key (often D major) and the shaping of the melody (open strings, fifth tuning). In La cetra Op. 9, dedicated to Emperor Charles VI, he often used scordatura (a practice particularly popular among Austrian violinists).

Concertos for other solo instruments – cello, viola d’amore, various types of flutes (record, record soprano called flautino, traverso), oboe, bassoon, mandolin, and harpsichord – were written primarily for professors and students of the Ospedale della Pietà. Among them, the cello concertos are the most virtuosic examples of this genre at the time. The concertos preserved in Wiesentheid (e.g., RV 402, 416, 420, 405, and 407) were written c. 1708–14 for the cello player Count R.F.E. von Schönborn; the remaining concertos, dating from the 1720s, were intended for cello teachers at the Ospedale. The bassoon concertos form the second largest group of Vivaldi’s solo concertos. The concertos for traverso flute, some of which were published as op. 10, are the first works of this type in the history of music; the oboe pieces follow the tradition of similar Venetian works initiated by B. Marcello and T. Albinoni.

Concertos for multiple solo instruments (including double concertos) are structured in a similar way to solo concertos. Apart from a few published in Op. 3 (RV 549, 550, 565, 567, 578, 580), they were not published during Vivaldi’s lifetime. They were written mainly for the Ospedale and the electoral orchestra in Dresden, ensembles known for their large casting possibilities. Of the double concertos, 28 parts are performed by two violins, 10 by two other identical instruments, and the remaining two by different instruments (violin with organ, violin with cello, violin with oboe, oboe with bassoon, viola d’amore with lute). In concertos for 3–13 instruments, Vivaldi treated the ritornello form more freely than in concertos for one instrument, with soloists interacting with each other or with the orchestra in a variety of ways. In addition to solo episodes, short solo parts sometimes appear in ritornellos. In these concertos, Vivaldi imaginatively combined various string instruments (violins, violas, cellos), wind instruments (flutes, oboes, shawms, clarinets, bassoons, horns), plucked instruments (mandolins and theorboes) and keyboard instruments (organs, harpsichords). Noteworthy is the use of clarinets (RV 559–560), which were very rarely used at the time. Against the background of Italian instrumental music, these works, composed as early as 1716, are exceptional; stylistically, they belong to the type of concerto practised by German composers, such as J.S. Bach (Brandenburg Concertos).

The smallest group consists of concertos for solo instruments and two orchestras, which were most likely composed between 1717 and 1725 for the chapel at the Ospedale (two of them, RV 581 and 582, are intended for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary). Although they fit into the Venetian tradition of polychoral works, they give the impression of being originally intended for a single ensemble. In these works, the soloists are treated similarly to those in solo concertos (RV 581–583) and con molti stromenti (RV 584–585, 793), i.e. the solo parts are reserved for episodes in ritornello form, or small solo fragments may appear within the ritornello.

The chamber concerts (da camera) date from 1717–31; these are works intended for soloists accompanied by basso continuo, addressed to seasoned musicians, often virtuosos. Several of them have programmatic titles. Sometimes they are versions of well-known solo concertos (e.g. La tempesta di mare RV 98 is a version of RV 433). Some have interchangeable casts; the basso continuo part is usually not figured, which may suggest that they were performed without a harmonic instrument. They are in three-part form, with ritornello forms in the outer movements; the ritornello parts are performed by all the soloists, who appear individually in the episodes, less often in pairs. Chamber concertos, usually smaller in size than solo concertos, have a limited number of themes. These concertos were unique in Italy, representing a type of chamber music more often cultivated by German musicians (G.Ph. Telemann, J.S. Bach), heralding classical chamber works.

Of his 60 concertos for string orchestra without soloists, only one (RV 124) was published as Op. 12 No. 3. Similar works were published in the first decades of the 18^th century by G. Torelli, T. Albinoni, G. Gentili, and G. Taglietti. With the exception of the two-movement Concerto madrigalesco, RV 129 has a three-movement structure, but ritornello forms appear much less frequently than in other concertos. Vivaldi used the terms concerto ripieno, concerto a quattro, and sinfonia interchangeably, but stylistic differences can be noted between works labelled “concerto” or “sinfonia.” Sinfonias are in a simple homophonic style, with the first and second violins often playing in unison. The first movements (allegro) are in da capo or simple ritornello form, the tonally contrasting cantilena-like middle movements are usually one or three sections long, and the dance-like finales have a two-part structure with modulation to the dominant and return to the tonic. Due to stylistic features, some sinfonias (e.g., RV 112, 122, 131, 135, 140, 146) could have functioned as overtures to operas or introductions to serenades. Works designated as concerto are contrapuntal in style and have a four-voice texture, which seems to indicate their ecclesiastical purpose. The outer movements usually take the form of a fugue or are freely arranged (3–5 sections). In the case of ritornello forms, orchestral episodes tend to take centre stage, while ritornellos are shortened and most often modulate to the dominant or tonic of the sixth degree. Ostinato basses are used more frequently in the middle movements than in the sinfonias. By removing virtuoso and programmatic elements from the string concertos and sinfonias and placing greater emphasis on clarity of form and texture, Vivaldi’s orchestral works played a significant role in shaping new stylistic trends (the Mannheim School, the Viennese classics).

The sonata occupies a secondary place in Vivaldi’s instrumental works; the composer practised this genre mainly before 1720, following the example of Corelli, Gentili and Albinoni. Most of the sonatas in the collection are in the typical late Baroque four-part form, with alternating adagio and allegro sections; three-part sonatas are less numerous (RV 70, 71, 72, 76, 78). In all types of sonatas, Vivaldi used a hybrid form, combining elements of the sonata da chiesa and da camera, with the latter predominating – the prelude is followed by dance movements (allemande, courante, gigue, sarabande, gavotte) and non-dance movements, including – very rarely – fugues.

Of the over 90 surviving sonatas, 62 are for a single solo instrument with basso continuo (46 for violin). In the 12 sonatas published as Op. 2, the basso continuo and violin parts frequently engage in dialogue. The textures of the four sonatas from Op. 5 (RV 18, 30, 33, 35) and the Dresden sonatas, dedicated to Pisendel (RV 2, 6, 13, 25, 29), are homophonic, and the melodies are symmetrical, with virtuosic elements. In the cycle of 12 sonatas now known as the Manchester Sonatas (RV 3, 6, 12, 17a, 754-760), the shaping of the melody and the differentiation of expression indicate the influence of opera. The sonatas for two instruments with basso continuo display Vivladi’s characteristic tendency to homophonise texture (melodic dominance of the first violin). The four sonatas for two violins, RV 68, 70, 71, and 77, stand out, both for their homophonic texture and for the possibility of omitting the basso continuo part; they have a three-movement form and are among the first examples of a violin duet in history. The sonatas for three and four instruments with basso continuo draw on the style of chamber concertos (they have a concerto-like form, with the soloists playing ritornellos together, and virtuosity coming to the fore in the solo episodes). The Sonata al Santo Sepolcro, RV 130, is a two-movement string quartet with a fugue in the second movement. Like Sinfonia RV 169, it was performed in the chapel of the Ospedale della Pietà on Holy Saturday during paraliturgical services in front of the Lord’s tomb, when the participation of instruments was already permitted.

His vocal-instrumental works also display signs of innovation; Vivaldi was one of the first composers to separate the orchestral part from the vocal parts (e.g. Credo RV 591), contributing to the development of a mature symphonic style at the end of the 18^th century. In constructing melodies and selecting means of expression, he was guided mainly by purely musical considerations, very often drawing ideas from instrumental music.

Over 60 of Vivaldi’s religious works have survived, composed for the Ospedale della Pietà, churches in Romeo, Brescia, Vicenza, and Milan, and for the court chapel in Dresden. These include mass movements (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, performed during the Missa Lecta), music for vespers (psalms, hymns, antiphons, sequences, motets, and introduzioni), and oratorios, scored for: 1. solo voices and orchestra, 2. choir and orchestra, 3. solo voices, choir and orchestra, 4. solo voices, two choirs, and orchestra. Some have multiple versions, prompted by the need to adapt existing works to the capabilities of a different ensemble. Vivaldi used both liturgical texts (from the Ordinarium Missae and Vespers) and non-liturgical Latin and Italian texts (anonymous in motets and introduzioni, original texts in oratorios). The choice of technical means was fundamentally influenced by the performance capabilities of the ensembles for which he composed. In works for solo voices, the concertato technique dominates, while in choral compositions (without soloists) there is a greater tendency towards contrapuntal approaches; works for two choirs employ polychoral and concertato techniques. In liturgical works, Vivaldi introduced the so-called Kirchenarie (a term used by German musicologists, including W. Kolneder), consisting of two or three solo sections, separated by three or four ritornellos; arias for non-liturgical texts are in da capo or recomposed form (RV 625, 633).

The mass movements are arranged in multiple sections, divided into arias, duets, and choruses, in which Vivaldi employed counterpoint in the concertato and antico styles (e.g., fugues borrowed from G.M. Ruggieri in Gloria RV 588, or from his own Concerto madrigalesco RV129 in Kyrie RV 587) and choral recitation in falso bordone. In the psalms, almost every verse, in keeping with tradition, is set in a separate section, contrasting with the adjacent ones; in them, Vivaldi utilised the types of orchestration and techniques distinguished above, even introducing contrapuntal and fugue sections in polychoral compositions (e.g., RV 594, 595, 597). Among the psalms, Dixit Dominus RV 594 stands out, in which two choirs are led in chordal blocks or imitative counterpoint (e.g., a four-theme fugato on the words “Tu es Sacerdos”), or divided into voice groups, introducing echoic effects. Beatus vir RV 598 is an example of a large ritornello form with a richer tonal plane than in the instrumental works (B-flat major, F major, B-flat major, G minor, D minor, A minor, C major, F major, G minor, C minor, G minor, D minor, F major, B-flat major). The ritornelle tutti is performed by the choir. Operatic influences are evident in Laudate pueri RV 601; examples of evocative, theatrical sound painting are provided by Nisi Dominus RV 608. The text is treated similarly in Vivaldi’s earliest religious work – Stabat Mater RV 621 (1712). It is a work in the then-rare key of F minor, divided into nine contrasting sections; the musical setting of lines 1–4, repeated in lines 5–8, creates the impression of a strophic structure. In hymns, Vivaldi used a stanzaic form, dividing the stanzas with the orchestra’s ritornello and usually omitting stanzas 2 and 4, which could be recited quietly by the celebrant during the ritornello.

Motets are compositions for solo voice (soprano or alto) with orchestra and are the equivalent of the Italian solo cantata. They consist of the typical cantata sequence of ARA (da capo arias, secco recitative) with a coloratura finale on the word Alleluia. They differ from cantata not only in their Latin text and liturgical function but also in their tonal design, as the addition of the Alleluia allowed for the second aria to be in a key other than the main one, which was usually returned to in the finale. Due to the strong influence of the concerto (ritornello form) and the instrumental shaping of the vocal melody (particularly in the Alleluia), Vivaldi’s motets (including RV 626, 627, 630), like his cantatas, have earned the title “vocal concertos” (K. Heller Antonio Vivaldi, 1965). In the first aria, “Longe mala, umbrae terrores,” RV 629, the composer contrasts two radically different moods, which is sometimes seen as a prefiguration of the thematic duality of the classical sonata (M. Talbot, The Sacred Vocal Music of Antonio Vivaldi, 1995). Stylistically, works Vivaldi calls introduzioni are close to motets; they served as a musical binder, connecting sections of masses or vespers. They differ from motets in the absence of an Alleluia section; both arias are in the same key. In addition to the cantata-like ARA structures, the composer also employed RAR arrangements (e.g., RV 638 and 641), and even RA (RV 640). Due to the tonal and thematic connections between some of the introductions and the psalms or parts of the ordinarium missae arranged by Vivaldi, it is now possible to reconstruct probable pairs of works (e.g. RV 639 and 588).

Information about Vivaldi’s oratorio works is scarce; the titles of only four works are known, of which only one has survived – Juditha triumphans, an excellent example of a Latin oratorio from the first half of the 18^th century. This early composition by Vivaldi was written in connection with Venice’s victory over the Turks at Petrovaradin and Corfu (August 1716) and was referred to as a sacrum militare oratorio. Venetian librettist Giacomo Cassetti presented the titular character of the biblical Judith as an allegory of Venice fighting alone against the Ottoman Empire. Stylistically, this work, in accordance with the azione sacra convention of the time, is similar to an opera and a serenata; it consists of two movements, each comprising 28 numbers (Ozias’s aria no. 25 has not survived), featuring four choirs and 24 da capo arias, separated by secco recitatives (only one accompagnato). The extensive instrumentation available at the Ospedale della Pietà was utilised; obbligato instruments include viola d’amore, shawm and muted violin, mandolin, oboe, organ, two recorders, four theorboes, and a five-voice viola da gamba ensemble. This oratorio is one of the first pieces in the history of music to feature the clarinet (the soldiers’ choir Plena nectare non mero no. 19).

The surviving cantatas and serenatas date primarily from Vivaldi’s Mantuan period (1718–20), some composed for the Dresden court. The solo cantatas are for female voices, 31 are accompanied by basso continuo, 3 by obbligato instruments, and 6 by string orchestra. In terms of form, ARA and RARA patterns predominate; both arias are in the same key, differ in meter, tempo, and character. Da capo arias predominate, with two-part dance arias also occurring. All recitatives are secco. Vivaldi’s serenades (8, 3 preserved) were incorrectly referred to as cantatas; they were performed in costumes, with elements of stage acting. They were written to allegorical texts extolling the virtues of their addressees, usually members of the ruling families of France, England, Germany, and Norway. Vivaldi wrote them from his earliest years (e.g. Le gare del dovere 1708), the culmination of this type of work falling in the 1920s. Of the three surviving serenatas, the largest and most operatic is worth noting: La Senna festeggiante RV 693, dedicated to Louis XV. It comprises 35 numbers (arias, duets and trios, secco and accompagnato recitatives), arranged in two movements, preceded by a sinfonia, reminiscent of the French overture style.

As with his concerts, Vivaldi devoted considerable creative energy to opera; sometimes in a single year he created at least four new operas and pasticci (1720, 1726, 1727, 1735). His stage works were performed in many Italian cities, including London, Vienna, Hamburg, Munich, Wrocław, Prague, and Brno. Around 100 arias from Vivaldi’s operas were arranged as solo cantatas in various European centres (e.g., Dresden, Vienna, London). Outside Italy, around 30 stage works were presented, often revived under different titles. Seeking greater financial profit, Vivaldi usually acted as impresario for the theatres where he presented his works. His longest association was with the Teatro Sant’Angelo, where 18 of his operas were performed. During his 26 years as a theatre artist (1713–39), Vivaldi was involved in the premieres of some 60 of his operas. Of the 37 operas whose authorship is beyond doubt, 23 have survived (some incompletely). They belong to the three-act dramma per musica genre. In composing his operas, Vivaldi followed established conventions; he began as an imitator of F. Gasparini, then incorporated the changes of the Neapolitan school. At a time when opera buffa was gaining popularity, he wrote opera seria and distanced himself from Metastasio’s reforms (he composed only three operas based on his librettos, two of which survive). The historical, fairy-tale, and exotic themes reflected the tastes of the Venetian audience.

Vivaldi wrote various types of arias (patetica, bravura, cantabile, parlante, di mezzo carattere, di paragone), both in da capo and through-composed forms. They show the influence of the galant music (appoggiaturas, 3/8 and 2/4 time signatures, eighth-note pulsation, homophony) and concertos (e.g. colla parte strings with solo voice, ritornello forms). The recitatives are generally of the secco type. Vivaldi rarely used ensemble parts, most often introducing duets, usually of strophic structure. Occasionally, he introduced larger ensembles (a trio in L’incoronazione di Dario, a quintet in La verità in cimento) and choirs, which were mostly soloist choirs (e.g. in Il Giustino). He sometimes linked sinfonias thematically with the first vocal number. He entrusted the instruments with the function of carrying the themes; even such rarely used instruments as the psaltery (Il Giustino), viola da gamba (L’incoronazione di Dario) and viola d’amore (Tito Manlio) appear as obligatory instruments.

His stay in Rome in 1723–24 was crucial for the development of Vivaldi’s stage work, as he became familiar with operas by N. Porpora, L. Vinci, and L. Leo, and made significant stylistic changes: limiting the number of arias in favour of ensemble parts, increasing the number of accompagnato recitatives, abandoning exaggerated sound painting and the use of numerous obbligato instruments, enlarging the orchestral texture from a realistic 2–3-voice to 4-voice, saturating the orchestral part with expressive content, and linking it more closely melodically with the soloist’s part. From the late 1720s, Vivaldi attempted to build larger stages, using both arias, recitatives, and arioso (e.g., in Orlando finto pazzo and L’Atenaide), and strove to give the final scenes of an act the role of an expressive climax by increasing the number of voices and introducing rarely used keys (Farnace, L’Olimpiade, Griselda). In the arias of his late operas, the expressive contrast between the A and B sections is deepened, and the most important characters are assigned specific keys (Griselda, Arsilda, Farnace). In his operas, as in other works, Vivaldi used borrowings from himself (e.g., from the oboe concerto RV 450 in the aria “Scocca dardi” from the opera Griselda). In his pasticci, he proceeded in three ways: he used arias by other composers, supplementing them with recitatives of his own composition (Tamerlano, Rosmira); he composed music for a selected act or some of the arias; and he co-authored a thorough reworking of an opera by himself or another composer (Orlando furioso).

Vivaldi was valued more by his contemporaries as a violinist than as a composer. Quantz (Versuch einer Anweisung die Flöte…) admired his concertos but criticised their frequent use of formulaic solutions and their succumbing to the influence of operatic music. J. Mattheson (Der vollkommene Capellmeister, 1739) praised Vivaldi for his ability to appropriately differentiate instrumental and vocal idioms. Tartini (quoted by Ch. de Brosses) cited him as an example of a composer who achieved success in instrumental music and failure in opera. By the end of the 18^th century, Vivaldi was an almost completely forgotten composer; in the 19^th century, his works were no longer known or performed. Only research into the work of J.S. Bach, especially his keyboard arrangements of other composers’ work, initiated in the last quarter of the 19^th century by Ph. Spitta, J.N. Forkel and P. von Waldersee led to the discovery of some of Vivaldi’s concertos. At the beginning of the 20^th century, A. Schering (Geschichte des Instrumentalkonzerts, 1905) was the first to point out the concertos’ historical significance, but other scholars generally underestimated Vivaldi’s work (P. von Waldersee, J. von Wasielewski). Until the 1920s, he was known primarily as the author of Le quattro stagioni and L’estro armonico. The first thematic catalogue, published in 1913 by A. Bachmann, did not contribute to a broader understanding of his music.

A breakthrough in the study and reception of Vivaldi’s music was brought about by A. Gentili, who in 1927 purchased for the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin approximately 450 of Vivaldi’s compositions, which he had discovered in the collections of the Salesian College of San Carlo in Borgo San Martino (Piedmont). This collection (today known as Fondo Foà and Fondo Giordano), consisting largely of Vivaldi’s autographs, written over several decades, showcased all the musical genres he cultivated, including previously unknown vocal-instrumental works. Vivaldi’s music (including Stabat Mater and L’Olimpiade) was first included in concert programs by A. Casella and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana during the Settimana Celebrativa di Antonio Vivaldi in Siena, 16–21 September 1939. In 1943 and 1948, the first significant monographs on Vivaldi were published (M. Rinaldi, M. Pincherle), with thematic catalogues including newly discovered works. In 1947, at the initiative of A. Ephrikian and A. Fanna, the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi was founded in Treviso. In collaboration with the Ricordi publishing house in Milan, it undertook, under the editorship of G.F. Malipier, the effort to publish all of Vivaldi’s instrumental works. These publications did not meet the requirements of source-critical editions, but thanks to the numerous ensembles using them in concerts and recordings, they contributed to the popularisation of Vivaldi’s music. In 1978, to mark the 300^th anniversary of the composer’s birth, the Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi was relocated to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice. There, thanks to the Fondazione Cini, chaired by F. Fanna and a scientific council composed of the most distinguished experts in Vivaldi’s work, the institute stimulates major lines of research; it organizes international conferences, publishes a bulletin (“Informazioni e studi vivaldiani,” “Studi vivaldiani”), and oversees the source-critical editing of both vocal works and newly discovered instrumental pieces.

Currently, over 800 compositions by Vivaldi are known, with over 130 instrumental works published during his lifetime, but no vocal compositions. Furthermore, several dozen works have uncertain attribution (marked with the signature ‘Anh.’ in the Ryom catalogue). Vivaldi’s works are scattered across many archives, the most important of which are the collections at the Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria in Turin (over half of his oeuvre), the Sächsische Landesbibliothek in Dresden, the Henry Watson Music Library in Manchester, the Conservatorio di Musica ‘Benedetto Marcello’ in Venice and the Musikbibliothek des Grafen von Schönborn in Wiesentheid. The growing interest in Vivaldi’s music has led to a steady expansion of the collection of preserved works and a revaluation of his vocal works; contemporary research aims to establish the correct dating and publication of all his works.

Literature:

Documentation – A. Fuchs Thematisches Verzeichniss über die Compositionen von Antonio Vivaldi, manuscript 1839, facsimile ed. P. Ryom in: “Vivaldi Informations” I, 1971–72; A. Bachmann Les grands violinistes du passé, Paris 1913; M. Rinaldi Catalogo numerico tematico delle composizioni di Antonio Vivaldi, Rome 1945, new ed. 1954; A. Fanna Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741). Catalogo numerico-tematico delle opere strumentali, Milan 1968, revised ed. entitled Opere strumentali di Antonio Vivaldi, 1986; P. Ryom Antonio Vivaldi. Table de concordances des œuvres, Copenhagen 1973; P. Ryom Verzeichnis der Werke Antonio Vivaldis Kleine Ausgabe, Leipzig 1974, revised 2^nd ed. 1979; O. Landmann Katalog der Dresdener VivaldiHandschriften und -Frühdrucke, in: Vivaldi-Studien (see special publications); P. Ryom Répertoire des œuvres d’Antonio Vivaldi. Les compositions instrumentales, Copenhagen 1986; I. Fragalà Data, A. Colturato Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria di Torino, I: Raccolta Mauro Foà, raccolta Renzo Giordano, «Cataloghi di Fondi Musicali Italiani» VII, Rome 1987; P. Ryom Antonio Vivaldi. Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke (RV), Wiesbaden 2007, revised 2^nd ed. 2017; F.M. Sardelli Aggiornamenti del catalogo vivaldiano, “Studi Vivialdiani”, 2007–12, 2014– 15; M. Talbot The Vivaldi Compendium, Woodbridge 2011.

17. Eller Über Charakter und Geschichte der Dresdner Vivaldi Manuskripte, in: Vivaldiana I (see special publications); P. Ryom Les manuscrits de Vivaldi, Copenhagen 1977; M. Talbot Vivaldi’s „Manchester Sonatas,” “Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association” CXIV, 1977–78; M. Fechner Neue Vivaldi-Funde in der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek Dresden, in: Vivaldi-Studien (see special publications); M. Talbot Anna Maria’s Partbook, in: Musik an den venezianischen Ospedali / Konservatorien vom 17. bis zum frühen 19. Jahrhundert, ed. H. Geyer and W. Osthoff, Rome 2004; L. Kačic Vivaldiana in der Sammlung italienischer Konzerte der Piaristen in Podolínec, “Studi Vivaldiani“ VI, 2006; J. Stockigt, M. Talbot Two More New Vivaldi Finds in Dresden, “Eighteenth-Century Music“, III, 2006; C. Pancino Le musiche per le Putte della Pietà: riordino dei manoscritti musicali del “Fondo Correr” and H. Seifert Vivaldi in the “Este” Music Collection of the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in: Antonio Vivaldi: Passato e futuro, ed. F. Fanna, M. Talbot, Venice 2009; M. Talbot The Concerto Collection “Roger No.188”: its Origin, Nature and Content, “Studi Vivaldiani”, XII, 2012; P. Everett Vivaldi’s Bohemian Manuscripts, “Journal of the Society for Musicology in Ireland”, VIII, 2012–13;
18. Kolneder Antonio Vivaldi. Dokumente seines Lebens und Schaffens, Wilhelmshaven 1979; M. White Antonio Vivaldi: a Life in Documents in: Quaderni vivaldiani XVII (see special publications)

R.-C. Travers Discographie Vivaldi, “Informazioni e studi vivaldiani” I–XXI, 1980–2000 and “Studi vivaldiani”, 2001–.

Biographies, biographical complementary contributions – C. Goldoni Mémoires, vol. 1, Paris 1787; Ch. De Brosses Lettres historiques et critiques sur l’Italie, Paris 1799; Sei lettere di Antonio Vivaldi, ed. F. Stefani, Venice 1871; A. Salvatori Antonio Vivaldi (il prete rosso), “Rivista mensile della città di Venezia” VII, 1928; R. Galio Antonio Vivaldi, il prete rosso. La famiglia, la morte, “Ateneo Veneto” CXXIV, 1938; E. Preussner Die musikalische Reisen des Herrn von Uffenbach, Kassel 1949; T. Volek, M. Skalická Antonio Vivaldi a Čechy, “Hudební věda” II, 1965, German ed. Vivaldis Beziehungen zu den böhmischen Ländern, “Acta Musicologica” XXXIX, 1967; A. Cavicchi Inediti nell’epistolario Vivaldi–Bentivoglio, “Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana” I, 1967; H. Pabisch Neue Dokumente zu Vivaldis Sterbetag, “Österreichische Musikzeitschrift” XXVII, 1972; Th. Antonicek Vivaldi in Österreich, “Österreichische Musikzeitschrift” XXXIII, 1978; G. Corti Il Teatro La Pergola di Firenze e la stagione d’opera per il carnevale 1726– 27. Lettere di Luca Casimiro degli Albizzi e Vivaldi, Porpora ed altri, “Rivista Italiana di Musicologia” XV, 1980; R.-C. Travers La maladie de Vivaldi, Poitiers 1982; M. Talbot Vivaldi and Rome. Observations and Hypotheses, “Journal of Royal Music Association” CXIII, 1988; G.A. Sechi Nuove scoperte dal carteggio tra Albizzi e Vivaldi (1735–1736), “Studi Vivaldiani”, XII, 2012; G. Grünsteude Vienna 5 maggio 1741: Ein unbekannter Brief Antonio Vivaldis an Graf Johann Friedrich zu Oettingen-Wallerstein, “Studi Vivaldiani“, XV, 2015; A. Ambrosiano I Vivaldi: Una famiglia di sonadori, barbieri e banditi and M. Gianola La più antica firma autografa di Vivaldi: L’adolescente Antonio e la sua famiglia attraverso la lettura della Commissaria Temporini, “Studi Vivaldiani”, XVI, 2016; R. Kintzel, Ch.E. Muntz Vivaldi, Gasparini, Mary Magdalene, and the women of the Pietà, “Women & music”, XX, 2016; M. Gianola Riflessioni attorno alla presunta casa natale di Antonio Vivaldi in Campo Grando alla Bragora e sull’attività di barbiere di Giovanni Battista, “Studi Vivaldiani”, XVIII, 2018.

Monographs – M. Rinaldi Antonio Vivaldi, Milan 1943; M. Pincherle Antonio Vivaldi et la musique instrumentale, 2 volumes (vol. 2: Inventaire thématique), Paris 1948, reprint New York 1968, 3^rd ed. 1970; W. Kolneder Aufführungspraxis bei Vivaldi, Leipzig 1955, reprint Adliswil 1973; M. Pincherle Vivaldi, Paris 1955, English ed. Vivaldi. Genius of the Baroque, New York 1957; W. Kolneder Die Solokonzertform bei Vivaldi, Strasburg 1961; W. Kolneder Antonio Vivaldi. Leben und Werk, Wiesbaden 1965, English ed. London 1970; R. Giazotto Vivaldi, Milan 1965, extended ed. Turin 1973; H.G. Klein Der Einfluss der Vivaldischen Konzertform im Instrumentalwerk J.S. Bachs, Baden-Baden 1970; W. Kolneder Melodietypen bei Vivaldi, Zurich 1973; E. Selfridge-Field Venetian Instrumental Music from Gabrieli to Vivaldi, Oxford 1975, 3^rd ed. 1994; M. Talbot Vivaldi, London 1978, 2^nd ed. 1993, Polish ed., transl. H. Dunicz-Niwińska, Kraków 1988; M. Rinaldi Il teatro musicale di Antonio Vivaldi, Florence 1979; E. Cross The Late Operas of Antonio Vivaldi, 1727–1738, Ann Arbor 1981; M. Stegemann Antono Vivaldi, Reinbek near Hamburg 1985; K. Heller Antonio Vivaldi, Leipzig 1991, English ed. Antonio Vivaldi. The Red Priest of Venice, Portland 1997; H.Ch.R. Landon Vivaldi. Voice of the Baroque, London 1993; P. Everett Vivaldi „The Four Seasons” and other Concertos Op. 8, Cambridge 1996; Th. Antonicek, E. Hilscher Vivaldi, Graz 1997; M. Talbot The Chamber Cantatas of Antoni Vivaldi, Woodbridge 2006; S. Mamy Antonio Vivaldi, Paris 2011; G. Giovani Vivaldi, Rome 2020.

Analytical studies – J. Rühlmann Antonio Vivaldi und sein Einfluss auf J.S. Bach, “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” LXIII, 1867; J. von Wasielewski Die Violine und ihre Meister, Leipzig 1869; P. von Waldersee Antonio Vivaldis Violinconcerte unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der von J.S. Bach bearbeiteten, “Vierteljahrsschrift für Musikwissenschaft” I, 1885; S. Clercx A propos des sinfonies de Vivaldi, “La revue internationale de musique” I, 1938; W. Kolneder Vivaldi als Bearbeiter eigener Werke, “Acta Musicologica” XXIV, 1952; W.S. Newman The Sonatas of Albinoni and Vivaldi, “Journal of the American Musicological Society” V, 1952; R. Eller Zur Frage Bach–Vivaldi, in: Gesellschaft für Musikforschung, book of the International Congress in Hamburg 1956, ed. W. Gerstenberg, H. Husmann, H. Heckmann, Kassel 1957; R. Eller Vivaldi–Dresden–Bach, “Beiträge zur Musikwissenschaft” III, 1961; W. Kolneder Vivaldis Aria Concerto, “Deutsches Jahrbuch der Musikwissenschaft” IX, 1964; P. Ryom La comparaison entre les versions différentes d’un concerto d’Antonio Vivaldi transcrit par Johann Sebastian Bach, “Dansk aarbog for musikforskning” V, 1966/67; H.Ch. Wolff Vivaldi und der Stil der italienische Oper, “Acta Musicologica” XL, 1968; P. Damilano Antonio Vivaldi compose due vespri?, “Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana” III, 1969; K. Heller Die Bedeutung J. G. Pisendels für die deutsche Vivaldi-Rezeption, in: Gesellschaft für Musikforschung, book of the International Congress in Leipzig 1966, ed. C. Dahlhaus and R. Kluge, Leipzig 1970; D. Arnold Vivaldi’s Church Music. An Introduction, “Early Music” I, 1973; E. Cross Vivaldi’s Operatic Borrowings, “Music and Letters” LIX, 1978; J.W. Hill Vivaldi’s „Griselda,” “Journal of the American Musicological Society” XXXI, 1978; M. Rinaldi Vita, morte e risurrezione di Antonio Vivaldi, “Studi musicali” VII, 1978; P. Ryom Antonio Vivaldi. Les relations entre les opéras et la musique instrumentale and R. Strohm Zu Vivaldis Opernschaffen, in: Venezia e il melodramma nel Settecento, ed. M.T. Muraro, Florence 1978 ; P. Ryom La situation actuelle de la musicologie vivaldienne, “Acta Musicologica” LIII, 1981 ; R. Strohm Bemerkungen zu Vivaldi und der Oper seiner Zeit, H.- J. Schulze Neue Ermittlungen zu J.S. Bachs Vivaldi-Bearbeitungen and P. Ahnsehl Bemerkungen zur Rezeption der Vivaldischen Konzertform durch die mittel- und norddeutschen Komponisten im Umkreis J.S. Bachs, in: Vivaldi-Studien (see special publications); J.W. Hill Vivaldi’s „Ottone in villa” (Vicenza 1713), «Drammaturgia Musicale Veneta» XII, Milan 1983 ; E. Cross The Relationship between Text and Music in the Operas of Vivaldi and J.W. Hill Vivaldi’s „Orlando”. Sources and Contributing Factors, in: Opera and Vivaldi (see special publications); P.G. Gillio Il mottetto per voce sola nella produzione di Antonio Vivaldi, “Rivista internazionale di musica sacra” VI, 1985; F. Tàmmaro „Il Farnace” di Vivaldi. Problemi di ricostruzione, “Studi musicali” XV, 1986; R. Strohm Vivaldi’s and Handel’s Settings of “Giustino,” in: Music and Theatre, commemorative book of W. Dean, ed. N. Fortune, Cambridge 1987; R. Stinson The „critischer musikus” as Keyboard Transcriber? Scheibe, Bach and Vivaldi, “The Journal of Musicological Research” IX, 1990; C. Fertonani Antonio Vivaldi. La simbologia musicale nei concerti a programma, Pordenone 1992; E. Cross Vivaldi and the Pasticcio. Text and Music in „Tamerlano,” in: “Con che soavità”. Studies in Italian Opera, Song and Dance 1580–1740, ed. T. Carter and I. Fenlon, Oxford 1995; K. Hoffmann Zum Bearbeitungsverfahren in Bachs Weimarer Concerti nach Vivaldis „Estro armónico” op. 3, in: Das Frühwerk J.S. Bach, ed. K. Heller and H.-J. Schulze, Cologne 1995; L. Pancino Le opere di Vivaldi nel raffronto fra libretti e partiture, parts 1–5, “Informazioni e studi vivaldiani” XVI–XXI, 1995–2000, parts 6–8, “Studi vivaldiani” I–III, 2001–03; M. Talbot Vivaldi’s Academic Cantatas for Mantua, in: 300 Let / Years Academia Philharmonicorum Labacensium 1701–2001, ed. I. Klemenčič, Ljubljana 2004; B. Brover-Lubovsky Tonal Space in the Music of Antonio Vivaldi, Bloomington (Indiana) 2008; R. Kintzel Completing the Tour: Vivaldi’s first Oratorio: “La vittoria navale”, rv782, “Studi Vivaldiani”, VIII, 2008; Vivaldi, ‘Motezuma’ and the Opera Seria: Essays on a Newly Discovered Work and its Background, ed. M. Talbot, Turnhout, 2008; K. Heller Zur Sologestaltung in späten Violinkonzerten Vivaldis: Phrasenbildung, Motivarbeit, Stellung der Soloteile im Satzganzen, J. Cameron An Acknowledgement of Sacred Music Conventions: Vivaldi’s Et incarnatus and Crucifixus (RV 591), E. Corp La Senna festeggiante Reconsidered: Some Possible Implications of its Literary Text and S. Zips Die Ritornellform in den jeweils zweiten Sätzen der Cellosonaten rv40 und rv43 in: Antonio Vivaldi: Passato e futuro, ed. F. Fanna, M. Talbot, Venice 2009; R. Kintzel Vivaldi’s Serenatas Revisited, IIII, “Studi Vivaldiani”, IX-XI, 2009–2011; M. Talbot Vivaldi and the Riddle of the Altered Basses, “Händel Jahrbuch”, 2012; B. Brover-Lubovsky Vivaldi, Tiepolo, Algarotti, and the Venetian bizzarie, “Ad Parnassum”, X, 2012; E. Careri ‘Se questa non piace non voglio più scriver di musica’: Arie sostitutive nei melodrammi di Vivaldi, RIM, LI, 2016; M. Ossi Musical Representation and Vivaldi’s Concerto “Il Proteo, ò Il mondo al rovverscio”, rv544/572, JAMS, LXIX, 2016; F.M. Sardelli Vivaldi prima di Vivaldi: La nuova sonata RV 820, F. Ammetto Dal manoscritto alla stampa: Aspetti del processo creativo nella sonata RV 35a/35 di Vivaldi, B. Brover-Lubovsky Concepts of modal dualism at the time of Vivaldi and C. Fertonani Ancora su Vivaldi e Bach: Una traccia della primavera nella cantata Wer Weiss, wie nahe mir mein Ende, BWV 27i, E. Careri Novità formali nelle sonate per violino Op.II di Vivaldi and K. Heller Zu der in Dresden überlieferten Fassung von Vivaldis Concerto rv564/564a: Informationen, Beobachtungen, Überlegungen in: Fulgeat sol frontis decorae, commemorative book of M. Talbot, ed. A. Borin, J. Cameron, Venice 2016; N. Lockey Antonio Vivaldi and the Sublime Seasons: Sonority and Texture as Expressive Devices in Early Eighteenth-Century Italian Music, “Eighteenth-Century Music”, XIV, 2017; M. Talbot, K. Vlaardingerbroek, Vivaldi, bariolage, and a borrowing from Johann Paul von Westhoff, oraz F. Ammetto The (lost) violin concerto RV 316 by Vivaldi: Its reconstruction and dating, “Studi Vivaldiani”, XVIII, 2018; M. Talbot Vivaldi, Orlandini e un manoscritto conservato a Skara, “Studi Vivaldiani”, XIX, 2019; P.G. Gillio Su alcuni aspetti formali e costruttivi dei libretti vivaldiani in: Subsidia musicologica. II, ed. C. Santarelli, Lucca 2019; G.M. Pysh A new Vivaldi discovery in Warsaw: Credo RV 592, “Choral Journal”, LXI, 2020; M. Talbot Vivaldi or not Vivaldi? The unreliable attribution of the sonata RV 34, “De Musica disserenda,” XVI, 2020; G. Sadler A cluster of allusions to Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni in Rameau’s Anacréon (1757) in: The operas of Rameau: Genesis, staging, reception, ed. G. Sadler, S. Thompson, J. Williams, Abington 2022

Special pulications – “Informazioni e studi vivaldiani. Bollettino annuale dell’Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi” I–XXI, Venice 1980–2000, continuation entitled “Studi vivaldiani. Rivista annuale dell’Istituto Italiano Antonio Vivaldi”, 2001–;

in the series «Quaderni Vivaldiani», Florence: I. Vivaldi veneziano europeo, book of the Congress in Venice 1978, ed. F. Degrada, 1980; II. Antonio Vivaldi. Teatro musicale, cultura e società, ed. L. Bianconi and G. Morelli, 1982; III. A.L. Bellina, B. Brizi, M.G. Pensa I libretti vivaldiani. Recensione e collazione dei testimoni a stampa, 1982; IV. Nuovi studi vivaldiani. Edizione e cronologia critica delle opere, 2 books, book of the Congress in Venice 1987, ed. A. Fanna and G. Morelli, 1988; M. Talbot Vivaldi. Fonti e letteratura critica (1^st ed. Antonio Vivaldi. A Guide to Research, New York 1988), 1991; VI. K. Heller Vivaldi. Cronologia della vita e dell’opera (1^st ed. Antonio Vivaldi. Kalendarium zur Lebens- und Werkgeschichte, Blankenburg 1987), 1991; VII. Vivaldi. Vero e falso. Problemi di attribuzione, book of the congress in Poitiers 1991, ed. A. Fanna and M. Talbot, 1992; VIII. M. Talbot The Sacred Vocal Music of Antonio Vivaldi, 1995; IX. C. Fertonani La musica strumentale di Antonio Vivaldi, 1997; X. Cinquant’anni di produzioni e consumi della musica dell’età di Vivaldi 1947–1997, ed. A. Fanna and M. Talbot, 1998; XI. F.M. Sardelli La musica per flauto di Antonio Vivaldi, 2001; XIII. R. Strohm The Operas of Antonio Vivaldi, 2008; XV. M. Talbot Vivaldi and fugue, 2009; XVI. F.M. Sardelli Catalogo delle concordanze musicali vivaldiane, 2012; XVII. M. White Antonio Vivaldi: a Life in Documents, 2013; XVIII. F. Ammetto I concerti per due violini di Vivaldi, 2013; XIX. B. Hoffmann I bassi d’arco di Antonio Vivaldi: Violoncello, contrabbasso e viola da gamba al suo tempo e nelle sue opere, 2020

Antonio Vivaldi. Note e documenti sulla vita e sulle opere, special issue “Chigiana” I, 1939; Vivaldiana I, publication of the Centre International de Documentation Antonio Vivaldi, Brussels 1969 (includes, i.a.: P. Demoulin Chronologie des principaux événements qui ont marqué la résurrection d’Antonio Vivaldi au XXe siècle); Antonio Vivaldi da Venezia all’Europa, ed. F. Degrada and M.T. Muraro, Milan 1978 (includes, i.a.: E. Garbero Drammaturgia vivaldiana. Regesto e concordanze dei libretti); Antonio Vivaldi, special issue “Nuova Rivista Musicale Italiana” XIII, 1979 (includes, i.a.: N. Ohmura I concerti senza orchestra di Antonio Vivaldi); Vivaldi-Studien, materials of the colloquium in Dresden 1978, ed. W. Reich, Dresden 1981; Opera and Vivaldi, book of the congress in Dallas 1980, ed. M. Collins and E.K. Kirk, Austin 1984; special issue “Chigiana” XLI, new series XXI, 1989 (includes, i.a.: P. Everett Vivaldi’s Paraphrased Oboe Concertos of the 1730s).