Vivaldi's Beatus vir, RV795, was recognized as his composition less than twenty years ago, after fragments were discovered in Venice.
Composer Biography
Vivaldi himself was a virtuoso of the six-stringed viola d'amore, giving an impromptu performance in Cento in 1717 that drew a large crowd.
Compositional Technique
Vivaldi's Salve regina, RV617, uniquely features an opening movement where the accompaniment consists only of a solo violin and continuo, departing from Baroque conventions for multi-movement works.
Compositional Technique
In the Nisi Dominus, RV608, Vivaldi's father copied the obbligato viola d'amore part, treating three of its four upper strings as transposing instruments, which created bizarre visual effects in the notation.
Composition History
The Dresden score of Vivaldi's Beatus vir, RV795, was initially misattributed to Baldassarre Galuppi, a leading Venetian composer of the next generation.
Historical Context
The Venetian music-copying firm of Iseppo Baldan was notorious for deliberately misattributing works, especially among Haydn scholars.
Compositional Technique
The 'Gloria' movement in Nisi Dominus, RV608, is a brooding, dark-hued movement full of solitude, rather than the usual expression of simple joy.
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