The Four Seasons by Vivaldi: a listening guide for kids
Updated 2026-11-11
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, printed in 1725. Each concerto paints one season in sound: birds and a thunderstorm in spring, heat and hail in summer, a harvest party and a hunt in autumn, and ice and a warm fire in winter. The best first piece for a child is the opening of “Spring,” which lasts about three and a half minutes.
All four together run about 40 minutes. There is no need to play them in one sitting.
Quick facts
- Composer: Antonio Vivaldi, from Venice, Italy
- Printed: 1725, in a set of twelve concertos
- Played by: a solo violin, a small string orchestra, and a harpsichord
- Length: about 10 minutes for each season
- Shape: each season has three parts, fast, then slow, then fast
The poems behind the music
Each concerto came with a poem. Nobody knows for sure who wrote the poems, and many people think Vivaldi wrote them. Lines from the poems are printed in the music at the exact spots they describe. Where the poem says a dog barks, the violas bark.
Music that tells a story or paints a scene in this way is called program music.
Spring
First part. The orchestra plays a bright, bouncing tune. Then three violins trill and chirp back and forth. Those are the birds. Soft, running notes follow, and they are a brook. Low, shaking notes bring a thunderstorm, with quick flashes from the solo violin. Then the birds come back.
Second part. A goatherd sleeps in a meadow. The solo violin plays his dream. The violas play two short notes over and over. That is his dog.
Third part. A country dance. The low strings hold one long note under the tune, the way a bagpipe does.
Summer
First part. The music is slow and heavy with heat. Then the solo violin calls out as a cuckoo, a dove, and a goldfinch. A wind rises, and a shepherd worries about the storm.
Second part. The air is still. Buzzing notes are flies and gnats. Low rumbles of thunder break in.
Third part. The storm arrives. The whole orchestra pours down fast notes as hail. It is one of the wildest parts of the four concertos.
Autumn
First part. The harvest is in, and the village dances. As the party goes on, the solo violin stumbles and slides. The dancers are growing sleepy.
Second part. Everyone sleeps. The music is soft and almost still.
Third part. The hunt sets out at dawn. The strings copy the sound of hunting horns. Fast notes show the animal running.
Winter
First part. Short, shaking notes shiver in the cold. A harsh wind blows through the solo violin. Listen for quick, stamping notes, where people stamp their feet to keep warm, and for fast chattering notes that stand for teeth.
Second part. A person sits by the fire while rain falls outside. The solo violin plays a warm, calm tune. The other strings pluck the raindrops.
Third part. Someone walks on ice with slow, careful steps. The violin slips and tumbles. Then the winds return and fight each other to the end.
Where to start
Play these three short parts first. Each one is under four minutes.
- “Spring,” first part, for the birds and the storm
- “Winter,” second part, for the fire and the rain
- “Summer,” third part, for the hail
Things to do together
Guess the season. Play the start of one concerto with no hint. Ask which season it is and why.
Bird watch. In the first part of “Spring,” raise a hand each time the birds sing. In “Summer,” try to tell the cuckoo from the other birds.
Move with the weather. Flutter for the birds. Crouch for the thunder. Shiver, stamp, and slide for winter.
Four boxes. Fold a sheet of paper into four. Draw one season in each box while its music plays. A listening journal page works for a single part.
Find the solo. A concerto sets one player against the group. Ask your child to point when the solo violin plays alone.
Print and play
Read Vivaldi for kids for the story of the red-haired priest who taught music at a girls’ school in Venice. Print the Vivaldi fact sheet for your child to fill in.
For winter music from other composers, see Christmas classical music for kids. More guides are listed in classical music listening guides for kids.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.