#1711

~ Portrait of a Woman by anonymous French artist. Previously attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau (c.1711) (detail)

~ The Spectator, London, England, May 2, 1711 (as reproduced in The Advertisements of the Spectator, 1909)

Nenio from Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

"A skilled kitsune wizard who is obsessed with gathering all of the knowledge of Golarion into an Encyclopedia Golarionnica that will include all of its history, objects, and persons. Afterward, she imagines that the resulting fame will lead to her becoming a rector at all of the universities of Absalom at the same time. Curiously, there are many gaps in her memory. She claims to have intentionally forgotten these things because they are irrelevant and not worth remembering. Nenio has little or no care for what is right or wrong; she is concerned only with the pursuit of knowledge and science."

Antonio Vivaldi

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was an Italian violin virtuoso and composer of baroque music (c. 1600-1750). Best known for his violin concertos, notably The Four Seasons, Vivaldi made a significant contribution to the evolution of instrumental music, influencing Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) amongst many others, particularly in the concerto form.

Early Life

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice on 4 March 1678. His father was a professional violinist (but had been a baker before that) who was a member of the orchestra of St. Mark's in Venice. Antonio, the eldest of six children, was taught by his father to play the same instrument. The family home still stands today on the Fondamenta del Dose canal. Antonio also studied to become a priest from 1693 and was ordained in 1703. Vivaldi had red hair which led to his nickname il prete rosso (‘the Red Priest'). The decision to join the priesthood did no harm to his musical career as, from 1709, Vivaldi also worked as a violin teacher in a Venetian orphanage for girls, the Conservatorio Pio Ospedale della Pietà. The Conservatorio attracted talented solo musicians to its regular orchestra and choir for which Vivaldi composed pieces for performance in special services like Lent. Vivaldi gained more time for composing when he was exempted from joining Mass on medical grounds; he had what he called stretezza di petto ('a tightness of the chest'), an ailment that never went away. Vivaldi returned frequently to the Conservatorio throughout his career and was appointed its concert director in 1735.