The Trumpet Concerto For Two Trumpets Analysis

The Baroque style of music was in prominence from the beginning of the 17th century until the mid-18th century. Some primary features of this style, particularly in the later years, include an emphasis on polyphonic textures and a continuity throughout the entire piece. Most compositions were created for specific events and sometimes written for particular instruments. (Kamien, 2015). The Trumpet Concerto for 2 Trumpets, composed by Antonio Vivaldi, is one example of these late Baroque style compositions and one we can use to analyze: the common elements, the overall effect, and the composer’s possible perspective.

A concerto is a composition for an instrumental soloist along with a small group of the orchestra that usually follows a pattern of fast, slow, fast (Kamien, 2015, p.407). A movement is like a short story in a larger movie. Kamien (2015) states, "a movement is a piece that sounds fairly complete and independent but is part of a

Vivaldi wanted to go into priesthood, but due to illness he was unable to continue this pursuit. (Kamien, 2015, p. 126). He spent the rest of his life involved in many aspects of music: teaching, composing, and conducting. It is important to reflect on the composer’s history to gain insight into their perspective. Kamien (2015) describes Vivaldi as a virtuoso violinist which is why he mainly featured violins in his works (p.127). The piece Trumpet concerto for 2 trumpets was the only concerto he created featuring trumpets. (allmusic, n.d.). When listening to this piece, having movements of optimism surrounded by one of relative questioning, it makes one feel it is representative of his view of life. Just as life has its ups and downs, the concerto had a momentary slowdown but returned to an upbeat tone afterward. This possibly shows that his mindset was one of optimism and