11/10/2023 0 Comments Where did antonio vivaldi liveGoing to the left of the basilica, we pass by the Palace of the Patriarch (as the Cardinal of Venice is still called, in the Greek fashion), which was built in the last century when San Marco did, finally, become the cathedral church after the Republic's fall. Giovanni Battista Vivaldi, Antonio's father, a barber by trade, became a violinist in the San Marco orchestra a couple of years before Antonio was born, and, in due course, when the boy established a reputation as a virtuoso violinist in his own right, he was from time to time to deputize for his father. Even with the rise of theatres and opera houses in the 17th century, San Marco remained musically important. Music played a vital part in these spectacles and, naturally enough, San Marco became the epicentre of musical life. So for centuries the 'chapel' of San Marco was the real focus of the Serenissima's religious life, and sumptuous ceremonies were staged to glorify the State, and dazzle Venetians and foreigners alike. The aim was to diminish the power of the Church in Venice, and thereby curtail the influence of Rome. Improbably, seeing its immense size and gorgeous decoration, the church of San Marco was, in the days of the Republic, the Doge's private chapel - the city's official cathedral, San Pietro, being stuck out on an island at the far end of Castello. It was opened in 1720, and though the present interior was redone in the old style somewhat later, the cafe is convincingly 18th century in decor. To the right, as we face the basilica of San Marco, is Caffe Florian. The appearance of the square is very much as it was in Vivaldi's day, when the brick paving of the piazza was replaced with the slabs of grey volcanic stone that now pave almost every square and street in Venice (the composer's younger brother Francesco contributed to this, since he was not only a wigmaker and publisher but also a paving contractor). Our walk through Vivaldi's Venice - which can comfortably be done in a day - begins in Piazza San Marco. A walk through this neighbourhood in search of places associated with Vivaldi, including the extraordinary orphanages where Vivaldi and his father taught music, is a most rewarding excursion. Vivaldi was born, raised and spent most of his life in Castello, the sestiere, or district, that forms the eastern end of Venice, the part least frequented by visitors. The outstanding musical contribution of the Serenissima's last century as an independent Republic is represented by Antonio Vivaldi (1687-1741), the composer of 'The Four Seasons' and 'L'estero armonico', whose works marked a turning point in the development of the concerto, and were decisive in shaping the classical symphony. Venice in the 18th century, though no longer the imperial power it had once been, remained, for all the the talk of decadence and decline, a formidable cultural force.
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