Full texts sonnets of the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi.

The Sonnets of Antonio Vivaldi

In this section, you will find the texts of the four sonnets that accompanied Antonio Vivaldi's famous collection of concerts known as 'The Four Seasons.' You may wonder, what exactly is a sonnet? Well, a sonnet is a short poetic form, generally consisting of 14 verses.

Antonio Vivaldi was one of the pioneers in introducing descriptive and programmatic music into his concerts. Through his compositions, Vivaldi was able to evoke the environments, sounds, and moods described in the sonnets. This ability to paint with music makes it particularly important to draw inspiration from these texts to fully understand their contents.

Exploring the verses of the sonnets allows you to immerse yourself in the emotions and images evoked by the music itself, taking you on a sensory journey through the different seasons of the year. The words of the sonnets and Vivaldi's music intertwine, creating a synesthetic experience in which the words of poetry come to life through the notes of the concerts.

Thus, whether you are a poetry enthusiast or a music lover, exploring Vivaldi's sonnets will enable you to better grasp the depth and beauty of his compositions. Each concert becomes a world of its own, a sonic narration that paints the atmosphere and details of the different seasons, from the warm vivacity of spring to the melancholic contemplation of winter.

Spring (Concerto No. 1 in E major)

Allegro

Spring has come with joy
Welcomed by birds with joyous songs,
And the streams, amid gentle breezes,
Whisper softly as they sink.
The sky is covered in black and
Thunder and lightning announce the storm
When they are silent, the birds
Resume their delicious songs.

Largo and pianissimo sempre

And in the pleasant flowery meadow,
To the soft murmur of leaves and plants,
The goatherd sleeps, his faithful dog by his side.

Allegro

To the happy sound of a rustic bagpipe,
Nymphs and shepherds dance in their favorite place
When spring appears in all its glory.

Concerto Nº 1 in Mi maggiore, opera 8, RV 269 (La primavera)

Summer (Concerto no 2 in G minor)

Allegro non molto

Under the unforgiving sun of the season
The man and the herd are languishing, the pine is burning.
The cuckoo begins to sing and immediately
The dove and the goldfinch join him.
A light breeze is blowing, but Boreas
Woke up to suddenly fight with his neighbor,
And the shepherd cries because above his head
The formidable storm and its destiny.

Adagio

His weary limbs are deprived of rest
Fear of lightning and scary thunder
And flies and hornets swarming.

Presto

Alas, his fears come true:
Thunder and lightning are raging in the skies.
And the hail cuts down the great wheat.

Autumn (Concerto No. 3 in F major)

Allegro

The peasant celebrates by dancing and singing
The pleasure of the rich harvest,
And full of Bacchus liquor
They end their rejoicings with a sleep.

Adagio molto

All are led to abandon the dances and the songs
By the air which, now sweet, gives pleasure
And by the season, which invites many
To find their pleasure in a sweet sleep.

Allegro

All are led to abandon the dances and the songs
By the air which, now sweet, gives pleasure
And by the season, which invites many
To find their pleasure in a sweet sleep.

Winter (Concerto No. 4 in F minor)

Allegro non molto

Frozen and shivering in the icy snow,
Under the battering of a terrible wind
Run stamping your feet every moment,
Teeth chattering in the cold.

Largo

Spend calm and happy moments by the fire
While outside the rain sprinkles everyone.

Allegro

Walking on the ice with hesitant steps,
By being careful, lest you fall.
Jump in haste, slip, and fall to the ground,
Get back on the ice and run,
In case the ice cracks and opens.
To hear, leaving their screened house, Sirocco,
Boreas, and all the winds in battle...
It’s winter, but it brings joy.