See if you can recognize the scenes as they are brought to life in the music. Below is a translation of the Winter sonnet, along with a performance by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Many composers have written pieces inspired by nature, but somehow The Four Seasons has captured the public’s imagination like none other.Įach composition is accompanied by a sonnet, written by Vivaldi himself, which describes the scenes depicted in the music. And of course, nature is a theme that resonates with nearly everyone.
What makes them so popular? They are certainly catchy, though there is also a note of melancholy that runs through each of them, especially in the slow movements. But Vivaldi’s compositions rose above the typical programme music of the day, creating a quartet of classics that are still heard today. They were what was known as “programme music”, or music written to depict specific scenes, which was looked down upon by some at the time. Slawson’s orchestration of the entire composition would have been a welcomed addition to this publication.Antonio Vivaldi published his famous group of violin concertos, The Four Seasons, in 1768 at the age of forty-seven.
This piece is on Slawson’s album Bach On Wood, with a flute playing the solo part, but this particular arrangement has the marimba taking the lead line.Īlthough the colors suit the piece very well, only the first movement has been arranged, and it is short for a featured solo, lasting just under four minutes. With some work on a few bars at the end, most high school students could play the accompanying parts, even though the tempo is brisk. The solo part has rapid scalar passages and several skips that can be handled by talented high school students and most college students. He uses ten performers playing four marimbas (three if two players share), two glockenspiels, vibraphone, crotales, chimes, high and low sleighbells, and a 32-inch timpani.įaithfully transcribing the original into the four marimba parts with player one as the solo voice, Slawson uses the metallic instruments as supporting color, filling out the continuo part in the vibes and rhythmic stability in the sleighbells. Brian Slawson has orchestrated a large keyboard ensemble to bring this work to the percussion world. The first movement from Antonio Vivaldi’s “Winter: Four Seasons” violin concerto is one of the more well-known portions of these masterpieces.
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