Vivladi’s staggering amount of concerti set the standard for the concerti of the following centuries. In addition to his concerti grossi, typical of the Baroque era with its solo ensembles and continuo instruments, he also composed concerti with solo instruments. These works in three movements (Fast-Slow-Fast) frequently utilized ritornello form, where the orchestra or ensemble would play a short theme which would often reappear throughout a particular movement. Sometimes these concerti contained a programmatic element in which the music was to evoke a particular aspect, such as nature.
Such was the case with The Four Seasons; a set of four orchestral concerti from his 1725 work, Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (The Test of Harmony and Invention), Op. 8. Despite the use of terraced dynamics (sudden shifts in dynamics from soft to loud) and the element of figured bass, these concerti musically depict Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn. Each piece is accompanied by a poem describing each season, which complements the music. These pieces, especially the concerto “Spring” has maintained popularity in the modern society through popular culture. Vivaldi’s “Gloria in D,” for instance, was sampled in the 1996 biographical film about Australian pianist David Helfgott, Shine. It is ironic that Vilvaldi’s compositions have also been used almost stereotypically in this context as a symbol for the aristocracy.