Vivaldi Spring on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts G, B, B, B. Medium, 73 notes, in G major.
Goes up to high E, so it does not fit a 4-hole.
Vivaldi Spring
Bar 1 of 10
What are the notes for Vivaldi Spring?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- Tricky spot:G BBBAGhigh Dhigh Dhigh CBBBAGhigh Dhigh Dhigh CBhigh Chigh Dhigh CBAF♯DGBBBAGhigh Dhigh Dhigh C
- BBBAGhigh Dhigh Dhigh CBhigh Chigh Dhigh CBArestGhigh Dhigh CBhigh Chigh Dhigh Ehigh DGhigh Dhigh CBhigh Chigh Dhigh Ehigh DG
- high Ehigh Dhigh CBAGAGrest
Vivaldi's Spring starts with three quick B's, a dip through A and G, then a leap up to a long high D. That call is the opening of the first movement of Spring, the first of the four concertos in The Four Seasons. Here are its first 10 bars in G major, after a one-note pickup: the theme played loud, its soft echo, then a brighter answer that climbs to high E and settles back on G. The range is D to high E with a single F sharp, so a 6-hole or a 12-hole ocarina can play it.
What is the tricky spot in Vivaldi Spring?
The leap in the first bar, where two quick notes, A and G, spring straight up a fifth to the long high D. It comes back in every bar of the theme. On a 12-hole, Vivaldi Spring goes from G to high D: you lift the left ring, left middle, left index and left thumb. On a 6-hole, you lift the left index, right index and right thumb.
Practise A, G, high D on its own until the jump lands cleanly, then add the three B's in front. Say "tu-ku" for each pair of sixteenths so the tongue, not the fingers, keeps them even, and start well under full speed: the printing says Allegro, and our player begins at 96 beats a minute. Vivaldi marks the fourth bar "Piano" and the seventh "Forte", so play the echo softly and the answer full. The printing has a trill on the A just before the last note; leave it out until the notes are sure.
Which ocarina can play Vivaldi Spring?
A 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D and high E, so play Vivaldi Spring in this key on a 12-hole or 6-hole ocarina in C. On an ocarina in G or F, use the same fingerings: the tune sounds in a different key, which is fine when you play alone. Each linked chart has every fingering for its ocarina, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.
The 8 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| G | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| B | Cover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high D | Cover the left pinky and right thumb | |
| high C | Cover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb | |
| F♯ | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle and right pinky | |
| D | Cover every main hole but the right pinky | |
| high E | Cover the left pinky |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| G | Cover every hole but the left middle and right middle | |
| B | Cover the right middle, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high D | Cover the left thumb | |
| high C | Cover the left thumb and right thumb | |
| F♯ | Cover every hole but the left middle | |
| D | Cover every hole but the right middle | |
| high E | All holes open |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
When was Vivaldi's Spring first published?
In 1725, in Amsterdam. Vivaldi wrote The Four Seasons around 1718 to 1723, and the publisher Michel-Charles Le Cène printed them as the first four of twelve concertos in his Opus 8, Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione. In the solo violin's part the opening is headed "Giunt' è la Primavera", spring has come, and a few bars later "Canto de gl' Uccelli", the song of the birds, marks the solo that follows; each season came with a sonnet that the music illustrates. Our tabs follow that part's first 10 bars, moved from E major to G major. Vivaldi died in Vienna in 1741. We show the melody only. Music: Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), the opening theme of Spring, the first concerto of The Four Seasons, published 1725.