Vivaldi’s Spring is a favorite at Prodigies. From the Playtime version with Ms. Sam to the borduns in Chapter 3 and now, these performances in E major. It should be noted that this is just one part of a larger masterwork by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. The Four Seasons is a group of four violin concertos each of which gives musical expression to the seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn and winter.

What we call “Spring” is the first Allegro movement from Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269. Vivaldi uses instrument tones and timbres to encapsulate the time of the year and evoke the sights and sounds we associate with that period. In Spring, we hear flowing creeks, singing birds, a shepherd and his barking dog. Vivaldi not only painted these images with his music but also published accompanying sonnets that expounded on the spirit of each season.

Here is the sonnet that accompanies the Allegro movement:

Springtime is upon us. The birds celebrate her return with festive song, and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes. Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven, Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.

This arrangement of Spring is in the key of E major and features 8th and 16th note rhythms, large melodic leaps, scalar runs and a very consonant major chord harmony. The sheet music includes note names, dynamic markings and fixed & movable Solfège hand-sign variations.

Download Free Sheet Music for Vivaldi’s “Spring” below. Members can also enjoy playing along with Vivaldi’s Spring Performance Track here: https://play.prodigies.com/programs/vivaldis-spring-performance