One of the first great composers of the Baroque style was Antonio Vivaldi. Vivaldi was a Catholic priest who was a music teacher at an orphanage for girls in the city of Venice, Italy. He wrote Operas that were popular throughout Europe during his lifetime, as well as Concertos and Sacred music, most of which were originally composed to be performed by his students at the orphanage.

 

Vivaldi’s music fell into obscurity after his death, and didn’t again become widely known until the 1900’s when many of his works were rediscovered. His accessible, breezy style and gentle melodies became extremely popular - especially a four-part concerto called The Seasons.

 

Some other musicians have disparaged Vivaldi’s work, calling it lightweight and simplistic. Igor Stravinsky, for instance, once famously said that Vivaldi didn’t write one hundred concertos, but rather the same concerto one hundred times. His popularity among classical music audiences, however, is impossible to ignore.