The exact date of composition for this thoroughly
enjoyable concerto is unknown, but it is assumed that
Vivaldi wrote it for the students at the Ospedale della
Pietà. Given the range of notes used by him for the
solo parts, the concerto was probably intended for the
mandolino, a six-string, high-pitched instrument tuned
in fourths, popular in Venice during Vivaldi's life.
The fact that the solo parts contain no chords suggests
that the instruments were to be played finger-style,
that is with th...(+)
The exact date of composition for this thoroughly
enjoyable concerto is unknown, but it is assumed that
Vivaldi wrote it for the students at the Ospedale della
Pietà. Given the range of notes used by him for the
solo parts, the concerto was probably intended for the
mandolino, a six-string, high-pitched instrument tuned
in fourths, popular in Venice during Vivaldi's life.
The fact that the solo parts contain no chords suggests
that the instruments were to be played finger-style,
that is with the fingers plucking the strings rather
than a plectrum. Given the quiet sound of the mandolin,
the concerto is most effective when performed with a
chamber orchestra, and it also sounds well performed on
guitars. The opening and closing Allegro movements are
built with the same ritornello structure, ABACADA, with
Vivaldi's usual construction of themes from repeating
rhythmic motives. Both are light, crisp, and in a 2/4
meter, giving them an almost quickstep nature. The
strings are played détaché throughout these
movements, to more closely match the plucking of the
mandolins. The solo parts use both echoing and parallel
movement in the episodes, with trills and other
ornaments thrown in to give them a little more texture.
The middle Andante is perhaps the most famous movement
of the concerto. It is in D minor, with the two
mandolins performing throughout over just violins and
violas played pizzicato and in unison. The graceful
melody is built mostly of overlapping, echoing phrases
with the two coming together only to intensify the
emotion at certain points through the harmony of the
parts. The opening section is repeated in an ornamented
fashion, followed by a contrasting, more developmental
section that moves through several keys before
returning to home and the same ending as the opening
section. Given the appeal of the two pleasant outer
movements and the delicacy of the middle movement, it's
easy to see why this is one of Vivaldi's most popular
concertos.
Although this piece was originally written for Mandolin
(Mandolino) duet and Strings, I created this
arrangement for Solo Concert (Pedal) Harp.
