Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4th, 1678.
Though ordained a priest in 1703, according to his own
account, within a year of being ordained Vivaldi no
longer wished to celebrate mass because of physical
complaints ("tightness of the chest") which pointed to
angina pectoris, asthmatic bronchitis, or a nervous
disorder. It is also possible that Vivaldi was
simulating illness - there is a story that he sometimes
left the altar in order to quickly jot down a musical
idea in the sacristy.....(+)
Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice on March 4th, 1678.
Though ordained a priest in 1703, according to his own
account, within a year of being ordained Vivaldi no
longer wished to celebrate mass because of physical
complaints ("tightness of the chest") which pointed to
angina pectoris, asthmatic bronchitis, or a nervous
disorder. It is also possible that Vivaldi was
simulating illness - there is a story that he sometimes
left the altar in order to quickly jot down a musical
idea in the sacristy.... In any event he had become a
priest against his own will, perhaps because in his day
training for the priesthood was often the only possible
way for a poor family to obtain free schooling.
Vivaldi's Concerto per Anna Maria alla Pietà exists in
two distinct versions. One edition is based exclusively
on a partly autograph manuscript preserved in Paris,
(RV 223) and giving the work in D major. The other
version of the work (RV 762 arranged here), in E major
is the original work. This arrangement is a variation
for Viola of the Allegro movement 3 of RV 762, I is in
its original key and in an edition based on an
authoritative source. It is one of numerous concertos
by Vivaldi known to have been played by Anna Maria, the
most celebrated of the many remarkable performers
produced by the Ospedale della Pietà, the Venetian
charitable institution with which the composer was
associated for much of his career. And yet it is,
besides RV 286 in F major, the only violin concerto of
his for which a source inscribed with the name of the
virtuosa has survived complete.
Although originally written for violin, strings and
basso continuo, I created this arrangement of the
Allegro Movement 3 for Solo Viola and Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION