His limbs are now awakened from their repose by fear of lightning's flash and thunder's roar, as gnats and flies buzz furiously around.Īlas, his worst fears were justified, as the heavens roar and great hailstones beat down upon the proudly standing corn. The shepherd trembles, fearful of violent storm and what may lie ahead.
Soft breezes stir the air….but threatening north wind sweeps them suddenly aside. We hear the cuckoo's voice then sweet songs of the turtle dove and finch are heard. Tronca il capo alle Spiche e a' grani alteri."īeneath the blazing sun's relentless heat Scioglie il Cucco la Voce, e tosto intesaĮ de mosche, e mossoni il Stuol furioso!" Langue l' huom, langue 'l gregge, ed arde il Pino Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of spring. On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him.
Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.
Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven, The birds celebrate her return with festive song,Īnd murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes. It is advisable, at least during the first few hearings, to follow the sonnets and music together, for they are bound up with one another to an extent rarely heard in any other programmatic pieces either of the baroque period or subsequently. The published scores (by Estienne Roger of Amsterdam in 1725) are marked to indicate which musical passages are representative of which verses of the sonnet. Each of the four sonnets is expressed in a concerto, which in turn is divided into three phrases or ideas, reflected in the three movements (fast-slow-fast) of each concerto. But none were to do so in such precise pictorial detail as Antonio Vivaldi in his Four Seasons concertos.Īs a descriptive basis for his Four Seasons, Vivaldi took four Sonnets, apparently written by himself. Music representing the moods of the four seasons has always been popular, and baroque composers such as Werner and Fischer among others produced cycles of concertos representing the fours seasons. One of the earliest uses of music was in the accompaniment of theatrical dance and story-telling, so it is natural that composers should from time to time produce what we know as "program music" – music written to portray events, activities or moods such as pastoral scenes or storms. Help Inspire Others: The Kennedy Center building may be temporarily closed, but its arts and education programming is still alive! Your gift today will provide vital support for the arts during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hosted by Michael Butterman and Marisa Regni, May 24, 2016. Part of Young People's Concert: Inspiration! In a concerto, composers write the soloist’s part to be especially flashy and technically difficult to perform so that the soloist can really show-off his or her skills. The soloist at this concert is a member of the NSO. Such a composition is called a concerto, a work that features the talent and skill of a solo performer. Sometimes composers choose to write music that features one instrument over all others. In the “Presto” (meaning super-fast) section of “Summer,” Vivaldi uses music to tell the story of a shepherd and his flock caught in a sudden The summer rainstorm.
Vivaldi summer series#
Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi was inspired by nature and his own poetry to write a series of violin concertos to express the four seasons. The National Symphony Orchestra and Marisa Regni perform Vivaldi's Summer from the Four Seasons.
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