Antonio Vivaldi is my hero. Not so much for his music but his life. His music is okay but it can become a little old after awhile. In the words of Liszt, Vivaldi wrote a great concerto — seven hundred times. His music sounds too homogeneous. But, there may be a very good reason for it.
My hero, who was also a priest, ministered for a good portion of his adult life at the Ospedale della Pieta. It was a home for orphaned and abandoned girls. It also had music school for them. That was the main reason the church sent it Vivalid, one of the best composers of the day. The Red Priest (Tony’s nickname) would write his concerti for whichever instrument played by the best soloist de jeur. His compositions were very functional. It was created for a very specific purpose. Provide a series of notes to challenge her the same way the previous music challenged the girl before her. I think the single purpose gives the concerti their too common thread.
What a righteous reason for his presumed flaw. Providing an opportunity for some young girl that had lost her parents through death or circumstance. That is why he is my hero. That is why I can forgive him for writing the same great concerto seven hundred times. He took his art and used it for its greatest good — to enrich the lives of children that have been marginalized and forgotten. What a great way to spend the token of talent the Lord put in his pocket.
— Donnie Bryson
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