A Fling with Vivaldi's Spring
III. Allegro pastorale
Le quattro stagioni, Op. 8: Concerto No. 1 in E major, RV 269 ("La primavera")
I'm Vivaldi, and I'd like to guide you through the III. Allegro pastorale movement of Spring (Four Seasons). You'll hear how long, steady notes in the low strings hum like a bagpipe while nymphs and shepherds dance lightly beneath the spring sky. On this site my fellow composers and I help you recognize our pieces whenever they play, so when you're ready, take a turn at the Trainer .
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Put Your Ears On The Low Notes First
My advice, my friend, is to start at the bottom of the sound, because this movement opens with a steady hum before any tune appears. The violas, cellos and basses hold long notes that hardly move, and that is my imitation of a bagpipe drone, a neighbor who keeps humming while everyone else dances. Once that hum has settled in, follow the solo violin and the other violins, because they carry the dancing tune on top of it. The continuo and the rest of the strings give the soloist a firm floor to dance on, so you can listen to the tune above and the drone below at the same time.A Name That Says Where To Put Your Feet
I called this movement Allegro pastorale because those two words give you the speed and the setting in one breath. Allegro tells the players to keep things lively, and pastorale points to the countryside, so together they signal a dance of country people. The sonnet that goes with the movement describes nymphs and shepherds dancing lightly to the sound of rustic bagpipes under the bright spring sky. I wanted you to feel that picture before reading a single word, and the title works like a sign on the village green announcing that there is dancing tonight.No Textbook Label, Just A Dance That Keeps Coming Back
Choosing the form for this movement was an adventure in itself, because I wanted it to feel like a village dance and not like a lesson. So I won't pin a strict textbook name on it, and I'll just tell you that you will hear a dance tune return again and again, with the soloist and the orchestra taking turns around it. I hear the movement in three sections, and I'll walk you through them one by one in the next paragraphs. Think of it as a dance with an easy beginning, a lively middle and an ending that brings everyone back to the home key of E major.Section 1: The Bagpipes Clear Their Throat
I begin in E major at a lively but relaxed Allegro pace, with the drone humming underneath and the dance tune floating on top. The mood is sunny and unhurried, the kind of music that makes you want to stroll toward the village green and see what is going on. Nothing here is dramatic, and that is on purpose, because after the birds and the thunder of the first movement and the sleepy calm of the second, I wanted the countryside to feel at ease. Listen for how the whole orchestra plays the tune together, so that you learn it well, because I am going to bring it back.Section 2: The Soloist Shows Off At The Party
In the middle the solo violin steps forward, and the music becomes more playful and more nimble while the tempo stays lively. The orchestra moves into the background for a while, as if the crowd had made a circle around one dancer. Here the mood changes from a shared tune to a personal performance, and you can hear the soloist adding little twists to the dance as if showing off for the nymphs and shepherds. The drone is still there underneath, so even when the violin sparkles you never lose the feeling of the bagpipes keeping the party going.Section 3: Everybody Back On The Village Green
In the last section the dance tune comes back, and it feels like seeing a familiar face after a few minutes of wandering the crowd. The soloist and the orchestra join together again, and the mood grows fuller and happier as the whole group dances at once. I finish in E major, the same bright key in which the movement began, so the ending feels like arriving home with the music exactly where it should be. That return is the whole story of the movement in a nutshell, because the dance begins in the sunshine, plays through its little adventures and comes back to the sunshine.The Dance Floor Is Yours
Now I invite you to hear this movement for yourself, so press play and let the music carry you off to that spring meadow. While you listen, keep in mind what we've talked about: the drone at the bottom, the tune on top and the soloist stepping out in the middle. You don't need to know anything about classical music to follow it, because the dance does most of the explaining. I hope the journey through my Allegro pastorale gives you as much joy as it gave me when I wrote it.---
So we've reached the end of the dance, and I hope you can still hear that bagpipe hum somewhere in the back of your mind. I always liked that Spring finishes with people dancing outdoors, because after the birds, the storm and the quiet nap, it feels like the natural way for the season to settle. Did you enjoy this listen guide to the Allegro pastorale of Spring? I'd love to think it gave you a few new things to listen for, and that the next time you hear the movement, the drone and the dancing tune will seem like old friends. There is still more to discover about Spring (Four Seasons), because the other two movements have their own stories to tell. The sonnets that go with the music are also worth a look, and so is the way the concertos were first printed and shared with the world. Music like this tends to give a little more each time you come back to it, and you never have to hurry. If you'd like to keep exploring, I invite you to click on the links provided and wander a little further into Spring (Four Seasons). I'd be glad to have you along.