Antonio Vivaldi : Autumn from The Four Seasons - Violin Concerto in F Op.8 No.3

This is the 3rd of 4 violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi representing the 4 seasons. If you are old enough, you may have heard the 3rd movement used in the BBC series of "Casanova". In Vivaldi's day there was a part called the Basso Continuo. This was played by the Cellos and (optionally) Double Basses, and it contained numbers and symbols above notes called a "figured bass" which indicated chords that a Harpsichord player would use to improvise an accompaniment. In order for the score to playback realistically we have created a full Harpsichord part, and a separate part for solo cello while the cello section (without no double basses) plays the main Basso Continuo part. Vivaldi required a single cello at times so as not to drown out the solo violin, and signified this with the word "solo" and all the cellos with the word "tutti" meaning "all".

Also in Vivaldi's day the tradition for Conertos was that the middle of the 3 movements would be for the string orchestra without the solo instrument, so we have suppressed the solo violin and solo cello for that movement. We have also written the Harpsichord part to play in arpeggios as indicated by Vivaldi's note "El Cembalo arpeggio". If your Italian is good you will see the phrases written by Vivaldi in the score which are the Autumnal events depicted by the music. The parts available for printing are Violin Solo, 1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Violas, Cello Solo, Basso Continuo (for cellos, and optional harpsichord and basses) and Harpsichord, and the conductor's Full Orchestral Score. MP3 and MIDI version can be downloaded using the links at the left, and we also have an arrangements of this work for Violin and Piano and for Piano Solo.