Everyone knows the four seasons; spring, summer, autumn and winter. And I am certain that everyone knows at least one movement from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The first movement of the Spring Concerto is probably the most iconic, but I can safely assume that a vast majority could even recognize multiple movements from the four seasons. They appear so often in popular culture that one would recognize the movement but not know its name or origin.
The Four Seasons were originally published in Italian as Le quattro stagioni by Venetian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. Each "season" is a violin concerto, so The Four Seasons are essentially four concerti. The Seasons are a great example of programmatic music, which is music that intentionally appeals to the visual senses or tells a story. Not only are the concerti named after a season, but each movement is accompanied by a sonnet apparently written by the composer himself. In addition to that, the score for each concerto comes with descriptive phrases embedded in the music that relate to the corresponding sonnet. Such elaborate written descriptions for programmatic music was rare in the Baroque era and uncommon in programmatic music throughout history. Clearly Vivaldi had a specific story to tell with each concerto, so we’ll go through them in the detail that they deserve. Instead of discussing all four concerti in little detail, I will go on to break down the Summer Concerto simply because though it may not be my favourite season, the piece is my favourite concerto about a season.
Before diving into the music, I just wanted to speak about the performance of the concerto linked to the article. The soloist is Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, and though I was not really familiar with her work before, I enjoyed her interpretation of the Four Seasons, which is my reason for choosing this performance in particular.
The Summer Concerto's proper title is Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "L'estate." On the score for the first movement, the Allegro, the first few lines of the sonnet are at the top of the page, reading:
Beneath the blazing sun's relentless heat
Men and flocks are sweltering,
Pines are scorched.
As a descriptor for the players, in addition to the sonnet printed at the top of the piece, it also reads, “Languor in the heat.” Before the movement has begun, Vivaldi's words have created a visual to guide the interpretation of the music. The exposition of the piece is weary and drudges along, even though most of the moving melody is in a higher register. A minute into the movement, there is a time signature change and thus a change in pace. There are more lines of the sonnet revealed: “We hear the cuckoo's voice,” and [broadly paraphrasing] the technical description states that the solo violin is to be cheerful and float above its accompaniment (Allegro, e tutto Sopra il Canto). The solo violin is to represent the cuckoo, and the musical bird seems to be cooing away at a very fast and almost incoherent pace. The ensemble joins in for a quick tutti, and the weary exposition melody comes back for a brief moment.
The next lines of the sonnet written on the score are as follows: “Then sweet songs of the turtle dove and finch are heard.” The solo violin resumes its bird imitations in a virtuosic solo moment. The next tutti reveals the next lines of the sonnet: “Soft breezes stir the air….” and as the gently rise and fall, the forte depicts the next lines of the sonnet: “But threatening north wind sweeps them suddenly aside.” As the drama rises, the reprise of an altered exposition’s melody creates uncertainty, and the sonnet ends with a violin solo: “The shepherd trembles, fearful of violent storm and what may lie ahead.” The shepherd’s thoughts, aka the violin solo, are halted by a quick repetition of the north wind melody and the movement ends.
The sonnet for the Largo movement is found in its entirety at the beginning of the second movement:
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.
The movement is short, but the piece still manages to convey this image. Once again, the shepherd is represented by the solo violin, with the flies and gnats being performed by the accompanying instruments. There is a musical exchange going on between the shepherd/bugs and the thunder that interrupts the musical train of thought. The shepherd’s melody is concentrated and focused, unlike the weary exposition of the first movement. The piece ends with both the shepherd’s solo dying out and the thunder drowning him out. With such tension and suspense created from the second movement, one can only see the third movement as a resolution between the external conflict between shepherd and storm.
The third movement ends with the concluding lines of the sonnet:
Alas, his worst fears were justified, as the heavens roar and great hailstones beat down upon the proudly standing corn.
The third movement is nicknamed “Summer Storm” because of its quick tempo and aggressive sound. The use of the fast sixteenth notes and the runs propels the piece into the contained chaos that is the storm. The solo violin now gives life to the storm, with a solo that has such quick arpeggiated notes that the single line of melody appear to sound like block chords, even though there are no double stops intentionally played. The tutti storm resumes, with the entire ensemble matching the pace of the soloist. The second solo builds into the climax, which is a tutti that never seems to die out until it comes to a quickened halt with a G played in unison, a simple resolution to a complex-sounding story.
Summer is my favourite of Vivaldi’s four seasons because the season is merely the setting for a larger, external conflict. The other seasons focus on relatable sounds and experiences that represent/embody the season, such as the first movement from the Spring Concerto. But the Summer Concerto is dynamic, and depicts the season in a much harsher tone. Even the sonnet for the Winter Concerto depicts the season known for cold desolation in a more positive light than the Summer Concerto. Vivaldi's portrayal of the season of summer is unique, at the very least. Even without the knowledge of the sonnet, the feeling of chaos, confusion, uncertainty and charge are all conveyed within the concerto. The Four Seasons are great Baroque works in general, and it is quite the feat that Vivaldi included extensive artistic commentary in the form of the sonnet, so that future performances could embrace the spirit of the season.
