Vivaldi, A International Music Company presents Antonio Vivaldi's 'Concerto in C Major, RV 443' for flute and piano edited by Jean-Pierre Rampal. '.The Concerto in C major for sopranino recorder, RV 443, starts energetically, the opening ritornello leading to an incredible display of agility from the soloist, repeated in further solo episodes. Vivaldi - Flautino Concerto in C major RV 443 (II. Largo) Sheet music for flute. Info: This is the second movement of the famous Piccolo (or Recorder) Concerto in C major Op. Date: 1728-29: Artist: Antonio Lucio Vivaldi: Born.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) is an Italian Baroque era (1600-1750) composer and ordained priest who was know as “the red priest” (likely due to his red hair). His prolific musical output, including nearly 500 concertos, over 70 sonatas, and around 50 operas, illustrate the tendency in the Baroque era of constantly composing new works for concerts and events rather than performing existing works.

Vivaldi spent 1703-1714 and 1723-1740 teaching music at the Ospedale della Pieta, a school and rehabilitation center for orphaned and illegitimate girls. Much of his chamber music was likely composed for this and the other three schools where Vivaldi taught. Many works feature unusual combinations of instruments as they were composed for specific students at the time with specific abilities.

Concerto in C Major RV 443, Period Instruments

Vivaldi composed several concertos that are played on piccolo today but likely would have been played on a flautino, or small recorder, during Vivaldi’s time. This video features the Concerto in C Major, RV 443 performed on flautino by Anna Fusek.

Video: Concerto in C Major, RV 443 performed on flautino by Anna Fusek

Concerto in C Major RV 443, Modern Instruments

Julius Baker is a legendary American flutist who performed with the Pittsburg Symphony, Columbia Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic. He taught at Julliard School of Music, Curtis School of Music, This video features Julius Baker performing the same Concerto in C Major, RV 443 on modern piccolo. Listen to how different this sounds on modern instruments compared to the period instruments in the previous recording. Also notice the difference in tempo.

Video: Concerto in C Major, RV 443 on piccolo by Julius Baker

Trio in g minor, RV 103

The Trio in g minor, RV 103, for flute, violin and bassoon is representative of the chamber music Vivaldi would have composed for the girls’ school. The melodic parts could have easily been played by two violins or two flutes, and the bassoon part may have easily been played on cello.

The written manuscript of this work exists – looking at this hand copied music makes one appreciate the clarity of printed music!

Sooyun Kim plays flute on this video of the Trio in g minor, RV 103, from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center chamber music.

Video: Trio in g minor, RV 103 with Sooyun Kim on flute.

“The Goldfinch” Flute Concerto Opus 10 Number 3

One facet of Baroque music is that much of it tells a story or paints a picture in the listener’s mind. This video is Flute Concerto Opus 10 Number 3, titled “The Goldfinch”. You can hear the bird-like quality of the solo flute line. This video is performed by a student ensemble, largely made of girls, so it is reminiscent of Vivaldi’s Ospidale della Pieta.

Video: Flute Concerto Opus 10 Number 3, titled “The Goldfinch”

Bonus Listening – Four Seasons

Perhaps Vivaldi’s most famous work is his set of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. These pieces have been used in countless movie soundtracks and are familiar to many that hear it.

Vivaldi included sonnets with each concerto. The videos below are are performed by different orchestras and soloists, but they include words from the sonnet at the appropriate moments to fit the music. The full sonnets can be found on baroquemusic.org

Flute Tunes has a free download of sheet music for a flute trio arrangement of Vivaldi’s Autumn.

The Concerto in C Major was likely composed for the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, the convent/orphanage/music with which he was affiliated in some capacity for most of his professional life. The girls of the Pietà, mostly orphans and illegitimate daughters, were famous throughout Europe for their musical performances. When he was not employed teaching at the Ospedale, Vivaldi was usually under contract to send new concertos from wherever he happened to be.

Vivaldi wrote only three concertos for “flautino,” the sopranino recorder, which sounds an octave higher than the “alto” recorder in F, which is the recorder that got most of the solo work in the 18th century, including the Second Brandenburg. That concerto is virtuosic, but makes at least one concession to the instrument: it makes sparing use of the recorder’s lowest notes, which are its weakest. Low notes are less of a problem on the sopranino, which sounds so high (its lowest note is at the top of the treble clef staff) that it has little problem being heard, but Vivaldi’s Concerto in C nonetheless has few notes at the bottom of instrument’s range.

— Howard Posner

The Concerto in C Major was likely composed for the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, the convent/orphanage/music with which he was affiliated in some capacity for most of his professional life. The girls of the Pietà, mostly orphans and illegitimate daughters, were famous throughout Europe for their musical performances. When he was not employed teaching at the Ospedale, Vivaldi was usually under contract to send new concertos from wherever he happened to be.

Vivaldi 443

Vivaldi wrote only three concertos for “flautino,” the sopranino recorder, which sounds an octave higher than the “alto” recorder in F, which is the recorder that got most of the solo work in the 18th century, including the Second Brandenburg. That concerto is virtuosic, but makes at least one concession to the instrument: it makes sparing use of the recorder’s lowest notes, which are its weakest. Low notes are less of a problem on the sopranino, which sounds so high (its lowest note is at the top of the treble clef staff) that it has little problem being heard, but Vivaldi’s Concerto in C nonetheless has few notes at the bottom of instrument’s range.

Vivaldi Rv 443

— Howard Posner