Vivaldi’s Orchestra

1720 was far from modern, so they did not have instruments such as the saxophone in those days. But several instrument families were already in existence and well developed. An example would be the violin family. Many instruments in this group were invented and widely used back then. Other families had existing members but were still developing, replacing the old models with new ones. An interesting case would be the harpsichord. This instrument looked somewhat similar to a piano, and was played in a similar way. However, in its early stages, the harpsichord was all white keys and only one black one, or all black keys with one white one!!! The harpsichord’s design was still in turmoil until Johann Sebastian Bach set it straight. Some instruments had their design experimented on bizarrely then. Johann Sebastian Bach had set the design straight, so the instrument was not so crazy any more. He was around during Vivaldi’s time and I would not be very surprised at all if they met at some point in their lives. Some instrument families had no existing members but came into existence very shortly, and yet others had some time to wait until they were invented. An instrument that was invented way after that time is the saxophone. I learnt quickly that some Internet sources aren’t reliable at all, since one informed me that Antonio Vivaldi had made pieces for the saxophone, but could not have, because Mr. Howard soon told me that the saxophone was invented one hundred years or more after Vivaldi’s time!!!

What Vivaldi most certainly did have were violins, and their siblings, the cellos. Vivaldi was a violinist, and got into high places because he was so good at playing the violin. Violas were around that time too, as well as the enormous double bass. This monster instrument was so big; you had to stand up to play it, often on tiptoe!!! It had a small spike to prevent the bottom of the instrument getting scraped while playing. All classical members of the violin family were in existence at that time, and are still widely used today.

Another old instrument family that existed then. It was the woodwind family, a family that is still widely used today. A lot of people are familiar with this diverse family. The huge bassoon was played in the orchestra in those days, and is still in use today. This giant stick of an instrument is too long to play in the same posture as the clarinet, and is too long to hold sideways like a flute; chances are you’ll turn around and smash it, an object, or accidentally whack a person in the face. It is also too heavy to play in either of these postures. Mr. Howard informed me that you at to play it in an unusual posture; sitting down, playing a little diagonally so your thigh can help support it. Alternatively, you could play standing using a neck strap, or you could use a spike to support it while you sit down and play, rather similar to a cello. It was also kept in a way similar to a flute or clarinet; in a case, which is shorter but wider than the bassoon, so you have to disassemble it and put it in the case.

Vivaldi also used the lute. This instrument looked a little similar to a banjo or guitar. Lutes are also similar to banjos and guitars (but not electric varieties), because it was made almost entirely out of wood. It was also played in a similar way to guitars and banjos; you can strum the strings, or pluck them.