Vivaldi’s creative genius was not on a level with that of Bach, Mozart or Strauss, but it was considerable all the same. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians calls him "the most original and influential Italian composer of his generation" and continues: "He laid the foundations for the mature Baroque concerto. His contributions to musical style, violin technique and the practice of orchestration were substantial, and he was a pioneer of orchestral program music." He was a most prolific composer of Baroque orchestral music. His vast output totals over five hundreds concertos, which includes solo concertos for various instruments and orchestra, concerti grossi for groups of two or more soloists with orchestra, and ripieno concerti, that is, orchestral works without soloists. About half of Vivaldi’s solo concertos are for the violin, among which the most famous today are the Four Seasons. Other important concertos include twenty oboe concertos, thirty-nine bassoon concertos, as well as sixty-three concertos for orchestra without soloists. It is through his concertos that Vivaldi exerted profound influence on his contemporaries, including J. S. Bach, Handel, and Telemann.
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