Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi ( Venice , 1678 . March 4 - Vienna , 1741 . July 28 ) Italian Baroque composer , violinist , music teacher , impresario and priest . Antonio Vivaldi was a 17th and 18th century composer who’s become one of the most renowned figures in European classical music.

Vivaldi composed hundreds of concerti (the plural term for a concerto). Nearly 500 have survived. A concerto is a work for orchestra and soloist, with the orchestra playing accompaniment to the soloist's melodies. The solo can be any instrument. Vivaldi wrote concerti for keyboard, flute, oboe, bassoon, violin, cello, and mandolin solos, among others. The concerto was a popular way for a talented musician to show off their skills. 

Vivaldi became the concerto king. His skills as a violinist and composer gave him the tools to refine and develop the concerto form. Under Vivaldi's influence, the concerto obtained the three movement 'fast-slow-fast' structure it still retains today. He also perfected the use of the ritornello, or a refrain played by the full orchestra that alternates with solo sections.