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The earth shook Venice as the infant entered the world, and, because the midwife feared for the baby's
safety, he was immediately blessed on that March 4 in 1678. Antonio Vivaldi would go on to bless the world with his music and compositions until his death in 1741, living life with a swagger and bravado fitting someone of his accomplishments and skill.

Vivaldi's pride was not instilled by extravagant beginnings. He was born to a barber and the daughter of a tailor, although his father soon after became a professional violinist at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. Probably due to his almost constant exposure to life in the church, Antonio was ordained as a priest at age 25, but already his red-haired personality had begun to show. Dubbed "The Red Priest" because of his fiery locks, the young Vivaldi refused to say mass, citing respiratory pain.

Whether it was actually physical difficulty that kept him from his duties or simply a refusal to be forced into the priesthood, Antonio, like his father, turned from his first career and moved into music. He was appointed the maestro di violino at the Ospedale della Pieta, an orphanage in Venice, in 1703, a post he would hold off and on for the next 30 years. He taught both boys and girls in the orphanage to play the violin, but, because the boys were forced to learn a trade and leave at age 15, much of Vivaldi's operatic work at the school exclusively involved girls. His operatic compositions, combined with the skill of the girls, brought wide acclaim to the Venetian orphanage.

Vivaldi's relationship with the school was unstable, due at least in part to the composer's attitude and lack of respect for the members of the board. He was released in 1709, only to be recalled to his position in 1711. During that year, the composer wrote the Lestro
armonico, a collection of 12 concerti for violin that brought him fame throughout Europe. In 1716, Vivaldi was promoted to maestro de concerti of the orphanage, making him responsible for all of the institution's music.

Two years later, Vivaldi began to travel, maintaining his contract to write for the Pieta while he was abroad. He wrote several pieces during this period, mostly operas, that were played across the continent. Vivaldi was even invited to play for Pope Benedict XIII during the composer's stop in Rome.

In 1725, Vivaldi made his triumphant return to Venice, where he composed four new operas and published what became his signature work. The Four Seasons, a set of four violin

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