Vivaldi C major concerto

Third movement

This movement has a festive and rhythmic character. The first 8 bars establish themselves in the key of C Major. It is very important to accentuate the first beat of every bar, which is vital for analyzing the 1 st solo. The trill, which we find in the initial attack, starts from the upper note, which can lead to the resolution on this note itself. Personally I think that this trill should be played without a resolution. In bar 183 (Ricordi Publisher), the repetition of the 1 st and 2 nd movements can be played in piano and with an echo effect.

The second solo starts on the 3 rd movement of bar 192, and not before. The difficulty of the 1 st quarter notes lies to bring out the low notes, of which these have to be played with the same intensity as the others. These notes constitute the melodic skeleton (see example 1, when practicing them). The Ricordi edition, which is widely spread in Italy, presents some errors in the printing:

•  The quarter notes of bar 194, should be B, A, G, F sharp.

•  The 1 st note of the 3 rd movement in bar 232 is C and not B as it is written.

Since the following passage has a very repetitive nature and so it can be boring. Therefore one should vary it by utilizing dynamic differences and varying the articulations. However anything you decide to do always remember to make changes in little progressions that go from the 3 rd movement of bar 201 to the 2 nd of bar 203. One must start with an immediate piano of the triplet passage, with the C's accentuated and a crescendo in the finale. Often it happens that one hears a late attack of the 3 rd solo and also with an excessive importance of the trills. It is important to be light and precise. The 1 st note of the 3 bars 211 – 213, is an appoggiatura. One must give it its importance and also diminish the sonority when proceeding to the principal note.

The 16ths, i.e. the triplet passage, are famous for their difficulty. Great technical control is required if one plays them at the initial speed. One must study them with great precision and maintain their precise rhythm. In order to achieve accuracy in the triplet passage, to slur the 1 st note with the proceeding one doesn't help. If one isn't sure of his technical capabilities, it would be better to tongue the 1 st note and slur the other three. Bars 218 to 221 are divided into 2 parts, i.e. one descending and the other ascending. It would have a positive effect if they are played with dynamic changes.

The last or the 4 th solo finishes in a virtuoso manner. From bars 229 to 230, the accompanist stops, and this allows the solo instrument to be more flexible. However one must note that it is not a cadence, so excessive freedom is not allowed. From bar 232, it is important to vary the dynamic degrees in accordance with the harmonic progressions.