Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678. His father, a former baker, played violin in St. Mark's Basilica. Vivaldi received instruction from him in violin playing and presumably also on related instruments such as the viola d'amore. He occasionally substituted for his father at church performances. His first official position was as maestro di violino at the Pio Ospedale della Pietà, one of Venice's four orphanages, which specialized in the musical education of orphans and was known for its public concerts. In 1704, Vivaldi was granted a salary increase to enable him to teach instruments with sympathetic strings, including the viole all'inglese. At that time, this term also referred to the viola d'amore, a metal-stringed instrument roughly the size of a modern viola, usually with fourteen strings, which produced a rich, resonant sound. Besides Vivaldi, Telemann, Biber, and Bach also composed for these instruments, with Vivaldi's concertos being particularly noteworthy for their inventiveness. Vivaldi is considered the founder of the Baroque concerto, whose structure was characterized by a fast-slow-fast movement scheme and employed the ritornello in its main movements. This pattern was the precursor to the classical rondo and consisted of various themes in different keys, played by the ensemble and interspersed with solo passages featuring modulations. His concertos impress with their free variations in figurations and ornamentation, with the viola d'amore being particularly emphasized in some works.
