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Italian Baroque composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, and Catholic priest. Born in Venice, Vivaldi revolutionized Baroque music through instrumental concertos. He composed over 500 concertos, 46 operas, and sacred choral works while teaching at Venice's Ospedale della Pietà orphanage. His iconic violin cycle 'The Four Seasons' pioneered programmatic music, though he died impoverished in Vienna.

• Nicknamed 'Il Prete Rosso' (The Red Priest) for his fiery hair and priesthood, though asthma prevented him from saying Mass.
• Accused of scandalous relations with singer Anna Girò; though unproven, rumors contributed to his later career decline.
• Impoverished at death: Buried in a pauper's grave in Vienna after creditors seized his assets. Cause of death recorded as 'internal inflammation'.
• His music was nearly forgotten for 200 years until 20th-century rediscovery, sparked by Bach's transcriptions of his concertos.
• Innovated ritornello form and pioneered solo violin concertos, directly influencing Bach and shaping concerto standards.