Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
1. Trio Sonatas (1705)
Each of Vivaldi's 12 trio sonatas captures a special blend of moods. Most are happy, while some others are pensive.
For my own enjoyment I listen to just one or two sonatas at a time.
The sonatas date to the first part of Vivaldi's life. He was 27 when these sonatas were published, a coming star in Venice. They sparkle with melodies and life.
My NeoClassix adaptations are a bit special.
Vivaldi wrote these sonatas for two violins and “continuo”, typically a harpsichord or an organ. But for high-quality automatic renditions, we must use instruments that are pleasant with commonly available technology. Current favourites are pianos, harpsichords, harps, guitar and flutes. The present adaptations are built with a flute, a piano and a harpsichord.
I created two adaptations, one for "pleasant listening" and another for a "recreation of a tonality that Vivaldi could have heard himself".
For "pleasant listening" (first selection), I used the same combination of sound fonts that I used for the O'Carolan Memories (above), tuned to the equal temperament frequency of 440 Hz.
For the harpsichord version (second selection) I used an instrument produced in Sicily in 1697 by Grimaldi, tuned to a Werkmeister III setting1 at 432 Hz (available from Pianoteq). This gives an attractive mellow tone to these compositions.
This series is dedicated to my wife Elena who assisted me throughout numerous attempts to achieve a satisfactory rendition of this series.
Go to Trio Sonatas
2. La stravaganza series
La stravaganza [literally 'Extravagance' or 'Eccentricity'] concerts were written in 1712–1713. They were first published in 1716 in Amsterdam and were dedicated to Venetian nobleman Vettor Delfino, who had been a violin student of Vivaldi's. The concertos were originally scored for solo violin, strings, and basso continuo, but for our virtual instruments, we made these changes: the dominant section is performed by either flutes, guitars or trumpets. The remaining scores in the 440 Hz sections are performed by a modern piano, and the 432 Hz versions are performed by a clavichord.
Go to "La stravaganza" series
3. Early Concerts
Vivaldi passed through various musical epochs. Some of his early successes date from the 1720's, and we selected a few for you.
Go to Concerts from the 1720's
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1a. Trio Sonatas in MP3 – 440 Hz first, 432 Hz second
1. Trio Sonata in G minor, RV 73
2. Trio Sonata in E minor, RV 67
3. Trio Sonata in C major, RV 61
4. Trio Sonata in E major, RV 66
5. Trio Sonata in F major, RV 69
6. Trio Sonata in D major, RV 62
7. Trio Sonata in E-flat major, RV 65
8. Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 64
9. Trio Sonata in A major, RV 75
10. Trio Sonata in B-flat major, RV 78
11. Trio Sonata in B minor, RV 79
12. Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 63 'La Follia'
1b. Trio Sonatas in flac – 440 Hz first, 432 Hz second
1. Trio Sonata in G minor, RV 73
2. Trio Sonata in E minor, RV 67
3. Trio Sonata in C major, RV 61
4. Trio Sonata in E major, RV 66
5. Trio Sonata in F major, RV 69
6. Trio Sonata in D major, RV 62
7. Trio Sonata in E-flat major, RV 65
8. Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 64
9. Trio Sonata in A major, RV 75
10. Trio Sonata in B-flat major, RV 78
11. Trio Sonata in B minor, RV 79
12. Trio Sonata in D minor, RV 63 'La Follia'
2a. "La stravaganza" series in MP3 – 440 Hz first, 432 Hz second
Concerto Opus 4, B♭ major, RV383
Concerto Opus 4, E minor, RV279
Concerto Opus 4, G Major, RV301
Concerto Opus 4, C Major, RV357
2b. "La stravaganza" series in flac – 440 Hz first, 432 Hz second
Concerto Opus 4, B♭ major, RV383
Concerto Opus 4, E minor, RV279
Concerto Opus 4, G Major, RV301
Concerto Opus 4, G Major, RV301
3a. Concerts from the 1720's in MP3 – 440 Hz first, 432 Hz second
Concerto 107 in G minor, RV107
Concerto for Two Trumpets in C major, RV537
Concerto "La Tempesta di Mare" in F major, RV433
Piccolo Concerto in C-major, RV443
Lute Concerto in D major, RV93
3b. Concerts from the 1720's in flac – 440 Hz first, 432 Hz second
Concerto 107 in G minor, RV107
Concerto for Two Trumpets in C major, RV537
Concerto "La Tempesta di Mare" in F major, RV433
Piccolo Concerto in C-major, RV443
Lute Concerto in D major, RV93
The original sheet music is here:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Trio_Sonata_in_C_major,_RV_82_(Vivaldi,_Antonio).
MIDIs by Dillon Upton (1992).
1 "Werckmeister (III): 'correct temperament' based on 1/4 comma divisions". Wikipedia, citing 1681-1691.