Tempo Impetuoso: Summer Storm
Categories: Music Activities for schools, Vivaldi's Four Seasons Project
Analysis, listening and creative activities inspired by the 3rd movement of Summer by Antonio Vivaldi.
It’s another ritornello movement – if you want more information about what this means, have a look here!
Multi-Choice!
- The first tutti ritornello section begins in bar 1 and ends in bar….?
4 9 28 40 55 73
- The opening theme is like….?
The opening ritornello of the 1st movement
The 2nd episode of the 1st movement
The violin melody in the 2nd movement
The interruptions in the 2nd movement
- This opening ritornello features….?
repeated notes rushing scales modulations
all parts in octaves octaves in the melodic patterns
arpeggios sequences contrary motion
- Through most of the opening episode (bars 40-54) there is….?
a pedal C a pedal D a pedal A
thick texture thin texture
continuo no continuo
- The 2nd appearance of the ritornello begins in D minor which is the ______________of the home key of G minor.
- It ends in bar ___ in the key of ___ ______ which is the ____________of the home key of G minor.
- The 2nd episode is _____ bars long, from bar ____ to bar ____ .
- From bar 85 to the end there are four _________ sections interrupted by _______ short sections of reduced texture which feature the _______________ .
Translate!
- Here’s the last part of the Summer sonnet:
Ah che pur troppo i suoi timor son veri
Tuona a fulmina il Ciel e grandinoso
Trona il capo alle spiche e a’grani alteri.
- Listen to the whole movement and decide (or guess in a reasoned way!) which of these translations in the correct one:
Extras!
- Prepare a chart outlining the structure of this 3rd movement. Use mine of the 1st movement as a model, if you like!)
- Prepare an orchestration of this movement for your class to perform. Each person could arrange a different section, then you could join the section together in performance. Everyone must participate in the performance, so include whatever they can play at whatever their standard is – this is the one of the skills of the arranger. You also might need a conductor to hold it together.
- Compare Vivaldi’s use of the ritornello concept in this movement with another Vivaldi concerto you’ve studied.
- Compare Vivaldi’s three-movement structure with another concerto you’ve studied.
Some Answers!
- The first tutti ritornello section begins in bar 1 and ends in bar…40
- The opening theme is like…the interruptions in the 2nd Movement
- This opening ritornello features…repeated notes, rushing scales, all parts in octaves, octaves in the melodic patterns, arpeggios, sequences, contrary motion
- Through much of the first episode (bars 40-54) there is… a pedal D, thin texture, no continuo (two bars only at the end of it)
- The 2nd appearance of the ritornello begins in D minor which is the dominant minor of the home key of G minor.
- It ends in bar 73 in the key of C minor which is the subdominant minor of the home key of G minor.
- The 2nd episode is 11 bars long, from bar 74 to bar 84.
- From bar 85 to the end there are four tutti sections interrupted by three short sections of reduced texture which feature the violin soloist .
- The correct translation…Alas, his fears are well-founded, Thunder and lightening fill the sky And the hail strikes the heads of corn.
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