The Four Seasons, especially "Spring" (Great Music)

THE FOUR SEASONS, especially "Spring" (Vivaldi, Italian, 1725)

Vivaldi's Four Seasons is, as the name suggests, a suite of four violin concertos, each on the theme of one of the seasons, together running around 42 minutes. Each concerto is further divided into three movements, in every case going fast - slow - fast. For many, the most familiar of these 12 movements is the first movement of "Spring," the first concerto, heard as the theme music for many a snooty drama series on PBS or the BBC.

• Each of the four concertos has an associated sonnet about the season. The first begins:

        Springtime is upon us.
        The birds celebrate her return with festive song,
        and murmuring streams are
        softly caressed by the breezes. 

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(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)