At the present time Vivaldi's music is enjoying a renewed life. His music is played in the concert halls and on the radio, and has been extensively recorded. Public interest in the composer is tremendous; yet until recently there has not been any book in English to which the reader could turn for information on his life and work.

Marc Pincherle's book fills this need perfectly. His aim is to present the life and music of Vivaldi to those generally musical readers who do not claim specialized knowledge. He has made wide use of contemporary writings which are delightfully evocative of the Venice in which Vivaldi lived and worked. He follows the events of the composer's life and then proceeds to a detailed consideration of his music, discussing Vivaldi the violinist, the symphonist, the composer of concertos, of opera and of sacred music. Finally he describes the incalculable influence that Vivaldi exercised on Italian, French, English, and German composers, and most especially on the music of Bach.