Antonio Vivaldi (1676-1741) The Four Seasons Complete, Op. 8 No. 1-4
Contents:
SPRING
Spring from the Four Seasons (RV269; Op. 8, No. 1) Score: 23 pages. Duration ca. 10:42
I. Allegro - Spring has returned. Song of the Birds. All is gay, and the birds sing happily.
FLOWING FOUNTAINS: Fountains play in the breeze, constantly moving.

THUNDER: The skies are dark; lightning flashes and thunder roars.
SONG OF THE BIRDS: After the storm, the birds return with their song.
II. Largo - THE SLEEPING GOATHERD: On the flowered meadow, the goatherd and his dog roam among the blossoming trees. The Barking Dogs
III. Allegro - PASTORAL DANCE: Nymphs and shepherds dance to the bagpipes under the beautiful skies of spring.

SUMMER
Vivaldi: Summer from the Four Seasons, Op. 8 No. 2 (RV315) Score: 31 pages, Duration: ca 10:00, 3 movements
I. Allegro non molto
LANGUISHING IN THE HEAT
Man and beast wilt in the burning sun; even the evergreens feel the heat.
THE CUCKOO
The Cuckoo sings loudly.
THE DOVE
And the songs of the turtledove and goldfinch are ardent.
THE GOLDFINCH
The gentle breezes sigh.
CHANGING WINDS.
but the north wind suddenly appears and starts to quarrel.
THE NORTH WIND
A frightened shepherd weeps in fear and bemoans his fate.
II. Adagio
The fierce lightning and terrible thunder makes the shepherd unable to rest his weary body.
BLUE-BOTTLE FLIES
III. Presto
TEMPESTUOUS SUMMERTIME
The shepherd is right to be afraid. The sky flashes and the thunder is awesome.
Grain and fruit are destroyed by the storm.

AUTUMN
Vivaldi: Autumn from the Four Seasons, Op. 8 No. 3 (RV316) Score: 27 pages, Duration: 10:37, 3 movements.
I. Allegro. The peasants dance and sing, hailing the fruits of the harvest.
The drunkard drinks deeply from the cup of Bacchus.
The Drunks. A Drunk.
The drunkards fall into a deep slumber.
II. Adagio molto. The drunkards sleep soundly; the season is mild; peace and rest overtake all the joyous peasants.
III. Allegro. The Hunt.
As dawn breaks the hunter appears with his horn, hound, and gun.
The prey appears; the chase is on.
The prey is bewildered by the clamorous dogs and the noise of the guns.
Fatigued and wounded, the prey falls and dies.

WINTER
Vivaldi: Winter from The Four Seasons, Op. 8 (RV297) Score: 23 Pages, Duration: ca. 8:30, 3 movements.
I. Allegro non molto. We shiver in the snow and are pierced by the cruel winds.
We run and stamp our feet at every step.
Our teeth chatter with the cold.
II. Largo. We pass the day contented by the fireside; outside it is raining very hard.
III. Allegro. We carefully walk on the ice. We are afraid we may fall.
We Slip and fall. We get up and bravely try again.
The ice is breaking, the cracks are wide.
The shrieking winds are at war.
Such is winter, but it has its joys.

This arrangement was adapted for a wood quintet ensemble, ideal to be performed at weddings and by groups of music beginners, which does not prevent it from being performed by professionals in the area. The piece has approximately 2 minutes and 33 seconds of duration, being in a comfortable time for those performing it, so that there is no difference between this version and the composer's original.

The Four Seasons, Italian Le quattro stagioni, group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives a musical expression to a season of the year. Unusually for the time, Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying poems (possibly written by Vivaldi himself) that elucidated what it was about those seasons that his music was intended to evoke. This movement is illustrated textually in a sonnet with the following description:

Standing quietly and contentedly by the fire
While outside the rain bathes everything;
Walk on the ice with slow step
For fear of falling in the attempt.
To feel when going out through the stinging door,
Sirocco, Borea, and all the winds at war;
That this is winter, but such, that joy door.

This arrangement was adapted for a wood quintet ensemble, ideal to be performed at weddings and by groups of music beginners, which does not prevent it from being performed by professionals in the area. The piece has approximately 2 minutes and 33 seconds of duration, being in a comfortable time for those performing it, so that there is no difference between this version and the composer's original.

The Four Seasons, Italian Le quattro stagioni, group of four violin concerti by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives a musical expression to a season of the year. Unusually for the time, Vivaldi published the concerti with accompanying poems (possibly written by Vivaldi himself) that elucidated what it was about those seasons that his music was intended to evoke. This movement is illustrated textually in a sonnet with the following description:

Standing quietly and contentedly by the fire
While outside the rain bathes everything;
Walk on the ice with slow step
For fear of falling in the attempt.
To feel when going out through the stinging door,
Sirocco, Borea, and all the winds at war;
That this is winter, but such, that joy door.

Antonio Vivaldi - "Winter" from concerto no.4 in F minor, op.8, RV297, " L' inverno" - 1. Allegro non molto, for solo piano. This is the well known composition of Antonio Vivaldi in an amazing professional made arrangement by the accomplished pianist, composer and arranger Dimitris Anousis. Made from a pianist for pianists, written in a understandable way to be "pianistic" but to have the whole orchestral feeling while playing, not for the piece to sounds "poor". Ideal for all kinds of piano recitals, piano events and not only. Appropriate for advanced students. If you like you can contact Dimitris Anousis at http://www.dimitrisanousis.com


YOUTUBE
A full version of the arrangement where the arranger plays, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBn6NRvJ7X0

Antonio Vivaldi?s Four Seasons need no introduction: it is the Italian composer?s best known and most loved work. Myriam and Maia Darme arranged this baroque masterpiece for flute and pedal harp.

This is the sheet music for the third movement of Spring, a joyous pastoral dance illustrating the following sonnet: "Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of spring."

The PDF file includes both the score and parts. Intermediate-advanced level. Performance time: ca. 3?40.

Note that the sound clip was digitally produced as a reference : the piece will sound much better on real instruments!

Vivaldi: Summer from the Four Seasons, Op. 8 No. 2 (RV315) Score: 31 pages, Duration: ca 10:00, 3 movements

I. Allegro non molto
LANGUISHING IN THE HEAT
Man and beast wilt in the burning sun; even the evergreens feel the heat.
THE CUCKOO
The Cuckoo sings loudly.
THE DOVE
And the songs of the turtledove and goldfinch are ardent.
THE GOLDFINCH
The gentle breezes sigh.
CHANGING WINDS.
but the north wind sudddenly
appears and strats to quarrel.
THE NORTH WIND
A frightened shephered weeps in fear and bemoans his fate.

II. Adagio
The fierce lightning and terrible thunder makes the shepherd unable to rest his weary body.
BLUE-BOTTLE FLIES

III. Presto
TEMPESTUOUS SUMMERTIME
The shepherd is right to be afraid. The sky flashes and the thunder is awesome.
Grain and fruit are destroyed by the storm.