

After meeting the Emperor Charles VI, Vivaldi moved to Vienna, hoping for preferment. Vivaldi also had some success with expensive stagings of his operas in Venice, Mantua and Vienna. Many of his compositions were written for the all-female music ensemble of the Ospedale della Pietà, a home for abandoned children where Vivaldi (who had been ordained as a Catholic priest) was employed from 1703 to 1715 and from 1723 to 1740. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. He composed many instrumental concertos for the violin and a variety of other instruments, as well as sacred choral works and more than forty operas. Born in Venice, he is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers and his influence during his lifetime was widespread across Europe.

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque musical composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher and priest.
