A less well-known fact about these pieces is that as well as the music, \u2018The Four Seasons\u2019 consists of a set of sonnets: one for each season. It is unclear whether or not Vivaldi wrote these himself\u2013or even whether they were written before or after the music\u2013but they are clearly designed as a part of the work and contain allusions to elements that appear in the music: the dog who barks in the second movement of \u2018Spring\u2019; the birds that sing; the languorous heat of Summer. The relevant lines of the sonnet for this movement are written out above the relevant bars – knowing what each phrase is designed to represent adds a whole new dimension to the music!<\/p>\n