Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op.
3, No.6.: Musical Analysis;Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.
6.: A Musical AnalysisAntonio Vivaldi, who composed the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.6.
(1726) was born in Venice, although he had spent a great many number of years in Vienna during the span of his lifetime, up until the time of his passing from this lifetime in order to approach the next. In Robertson Gregor’s “World Music and Their Historical Backgrounds”, it was presented that this particular concerto, is composed of three major parts: the Allegro, Largo, and the Presto. Pietra Salcedo in “ Antonio Vivaldi: La Historia de un Canziones por la bailar y vida!” explains to music majors, and music lovers[in general], that much of the poetic imagery that audiences[listeners] gather from experiencing the sublime and lyrical musical qualities of this work of Vivaldi, are explained by the directions in the sheet music that touch on the sound dynamics of the piece and the tempo directions as well. These aforementioned factors may (of course) be attributed to how the composer, Antonio Vivaldi, had a penchant for infusing his distinct musical linguistics with dramatic inventiveness and ingenuity (86).
This composer would often use the ordinary events of life in this world[such as the breath that one exhales on a snowy morning and it breaks the transparent air which surrounds the person who is breathing, and also this, of how a dog wishing to catch your attention will necessarily give out this common, recognizable sound: the barking of a dog] to act as his artistic influences. And so, since his music would almost always be akin to forms of creative storytelling,[the compositions would be telling a story], Vivaldi is said to be one of the forerunners of program music(61).The First Part of the Programme: Reading Musical LanguageAntonio Vivaldi’s Violin in Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.
6.[I,II,III], utilizes the ritornello form in its structuring. Giacomo Sta. Teresa, as cited by Dong Demi Wei-Lee in her Asian “Music Across Ages, Music Everyone Loves”, this ritornello method as a form of musical composition alternates(24)usage of solo for performance instrument(s) sections with repeated musical stanzas which aim to make the potent dynamism which comes with the orchestral portrayal of the language of music; a quality of musical composition and organization, easily found [recognizable] but always starkly felt.
Violin in Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.6.[I,II,III] is only one of twelve concertos in the compilation of works entitled L’Estro Armonico.
The major title’s translation cannot find its meaningfulness in exact words; some attempts at translation have been: “The Harmonic Fancy” and “The Musical Flush”. These translations are bland and do not suffice to represent the robust musicality of all the concertos in the program(38). Heri Williams in “Vivaldi-A Music Primer”, states that the Allegro[Part I] is the most inventive of the component movements[musical paragraphs] of this work It begins with an up accent note played on the open string technique of violin command(also known as bowing action). Then, a listening audience will notice the tempo of an exacting glissando, which is given more dramatic feeling by the sight and sound of a phrase in the music where there is a continuous repetition on the violin strings of a pattern that revolves around an engaging melody [the bows of violins are seen to be touching base with the arch of their respective violin bridges continuously to tempo].
This “engaging” melody is music for solo violin, and it bears a unique design. The music is punctuated by the recurring motif which has the audience, imagining the left and the right hand of a pianist, performing a two-part invention on the harpsichord, while the orchestra plays the other parts of the movement. We can describe the Concerto for Violin in Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.
6.[I,II,III] to be very alike in structure to a two-part invention keyboard composition, where the solo violin begins the make of a round song at the beginning of the piece, Allegro as the rest of the instruments in the orchestra and the other group, which is made up of many violins, course to aptly answer this prelude so that the concerto will traverse its path in precise rhythm in order to end in one, substantial flourishing. The Allegro’s musical design ends with a steady orchestration, and this is because of the uniformity of melody played by the group of violins [played with the other instruments belonging to the orchestra],the piece emphasizes the “up-down, up-down” motion of the violin instrument, by centering on one vocal interval. And this vocal interval is anchored by the solo violin’s designation where it harks in closed notes, phrases and bars of music that although going past a note in two/fourths time do not deviate from using a single key.
The Largo[Part II] proceeds from the closing bars of the previous concerto. As mentioned by Anaiye Pavlenko in “Zthreduv!” [the annual journal of the Russian Formalists, one of the existing cultural committees; part if the Iowa Educators Consortium], listeners recognize “Largo” by the firm and purposive solo violin part in its component movements(444). The ritornello form here makes itself felt, through the largo tempo that it adheres to in its sheeted [mandated] execution directions [for presto simply will not do since the performers must rest from the allegro in which they have just come from](446).The Presto[Part III], although being largely bland in maneuver, is very repetitive and duplicates much of the Allegro, which is part one.
It is merely a continuation of the first part and that is why it was aptly chosen to end Opus six. In the Presto[Part III] there are also very distinct passages which are defined by the use of arppeggios and a series of descending scales[but on the same minor note in key of A].The orchestra in Concerto for Violin in Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.
6.[I,II,III] represents the voices of the young girls that Vivaldi trained at the Conservatorio dell’ Ospedale della Pietà and Antonio Vivaldi[ as their violin teacher] is represented by the solo violin. Vivaldi had fancied himself to be the protagonist in the stories behind the creation of L’Estro Harmonico, and It must be remembered, that Antonio Vivaldi was an ordained priest for the and it is to be expected that someone of his orientation should preach about the wonder which is life here on earth. And life is something tumultuous, joyous, mysterious, and haunting: something to be embraced for the time of briefness, that each human has it for their fingers to grasp.
The dynamics of sound in the composition can be described to be reasonable in their content functions that lend themselves to the beauty of tension. The Largo, which is a very soft and delicate movement, connects the relationship between the Allegro and the Presto concertos. The Concerto for Violin in Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.
6.[I,II,III] as being duly inspired by life in an orphanage bears all these emotions.The Second Part of the Programme: Listening to Musical Language and ReactingListening to Concerto for Violin in Orchestra in A minor, Op.3, No.
6. in light of personal experience and introspective reverie: I cannot help but to recall the film “Goya’s Ghosts”. This concerto was used in the film’s soundtrack to highlight the demonstration of Goya’s captivating process of reproducing his art work via silk-screen method. His dark representation of the Spanish Inquisition highlighted his influences, and the most dramatic of these would be his obsession with his lady companion and her daughter, [the companion was portrayed by the beautiful Natalie Portman],and the way that Goya has immortalized the image of the Spanish “Maja” in the realm of Art history.
This concerto by Vivaldi draws artistry from how the life of a violin teacher[and composer], is very similar to the lives of other artists who devote their lives to other forms of the arts.An artist interacts with many people and the girls who Vivaldi trained, had undoubtedly captured the composers imagination and sensibilities, enough to compose none less than twelve concertos about his life with them. Listening to the concerto gives one a heady experience and since this is only part six of the L’Estro Harmonico, leaves the audience curious about the other parts. References: Edelmone, Jacque Luis.
“ The years of living in Excess: a collageOf essays.” 1988. Cambridge Learnings: Great Britain.Frize, Caroline.
“Teaching Strings.”1990. Saint-Saen Libraries: Paris.Fuentes, Justinyo.
“ The Light and Shadows in Baroque Music.”1994. Golden Hearts Publishing: Catalina.Gregor, Robertson .
“World Music and Their Historical Backgrounds”.1997. Harper-Collins: London.Pavlenko, Anaiye.
“Reflection on Russian Formalism” in “Zthreduv!”1999. Iowa City College Press: USA.Salcedo, Pietra “ Antonio Vivaldi: La Historia de un Canziones por la bailary vida!”. 2001.
Marzianna Publishing: Madrid.Wei-Lee, Dong Demi in her Asian “Music Across Ages, Music EveryoneLoves”. 2002. Sancha Books: Shanghai.
Williams, Heri. “Vivaldi-A Music Primer”.2003. Turtle Press: New York.
