L'Estro Armonico (Harmonic Inspiration), Op. 3, is a collection of twelve concertos for one, two and four violins written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1711. It augmented the reputation of Vivaldi as Il Prete Rosso (The Red Priest). Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot described the set as "perhaps the most influential collection of instrumental music to appear during the whole of the eighteenth century".

The collection was mostly put together in chronological order. These concerti are often called concerti grossi due to their use of a concertino-style ensemble (solo cello is often used).

List of Concerti

These works are laid out in the following movements:

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 1 in D major for four violins and strings, RV 549:

1. Allegro
2. Largo e spiccato
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 2 in G minor for two violins, cello and strings, RV 578:

1. Adagio e spiccato
2. Allegro
3. Larghetto
4. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 3 in G major for violin and strings, RV 310:

1. Allegro
2. Largo
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 4 in E minor for four violins and strings, RV 550:

1. Andante
2. Allegro assai
3. Adagio
4. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 5 in A major for two violins and strings, RV 519:

1. Allegro
2. Largo
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 6 in A minor for a violin and strings, RV 356:

1. Allegro
2. Largo
3. Presto

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 7 in F major for four violins, cello and strings, RV 567:

1. Andante
2. Adagio
3. Allegro – Adagio
4. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 8 in A minor for two violins and strings, RV 522:

1. Allegro
2. Larghetto e spiritoso
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 9 in D major for violin and strings, RV 230:

1. Allegro
2. Larghetto
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 10 in B minor for four violins, cello and strings, RV 580:

See also: Keyboard concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach § Concerto in A minor, BWV 1065

1. Allegro
2. Largo – Larghetto
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 11 in D minor for two violins, cello and strings, RV 565:

1. Allegro – Adagio e spiccato – Allegro
2. Largo e spiccato (aka Siciliano)
3. Allegro

L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Concerto No. 12 in E major for violin and strings, RV 265:

1. Allegro
2. Largo e spiccato
3. Allegro

Transcriptions

Johann Sebastian Bach later reworked six concertos from this set for a variety of instrumentations:

• Concertos Nos. 3, 9 and 12 were arranged for solo keyboard, BWVs 978, 972 and 976.
• Concertos Nos. 8 and 11 became Bach's Concerti for solo organ, BWVs 593 and 596.
• Concerto No. 10 was reworked into the Concerto for Four Harpsichords and Strings, BWV 1065.

Recordings

CD Title	Record Label	Recording Date
Antonio Vivaldi: Concertos	Discover	1994
Antonio Vivaldi: L'estro armonico, 12 Concerti Op. 3	Philips
Antonio Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico, 12 Concerti Op. 3 [own recording]	Vanguard	1957 [own recording]
Antonio Vivaldi: Meisterwerke Zum Kennenlernen	Art of Classics	1991
Classical Top 1000	Classic Mania
Concerti Virtuosi	Analekta
Karajan Conducts Vivaldi & Bach	Deutsche Grammophon	2003
L'Estro Armonico	Digital Concerto
Masters of Classical Music: Vivaldi	Delta
Music for Double Bass & String Quartet	Gallo	1998
The World's Greatest Composers: Vivaldi (Collector's Edition Music Tin)	Madacy Entertainment	2008
The World's Greatest Composers: Vivaldi (Collector's Edition)	Madacy Entertainment	2008
Vivaldi: Concerti	Rivo Alto	1996
Vivaldi: Concerto a Quattro Violini; L'Estro Armonico	Zig Zag Territoires	2007
Vivaldi: Concertos Opp. 3, 4, 8 & 9 (Box Set)	Decca	2006
Vivaldi: Concertos (Box Set)	Archiv Produktion	1987
Vivaldi: Concertos	FSM Adagio
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico Concertos Op. 3 Nos. 1–6	Brilliant
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico Op. 3, Vol. 1 (Hybrid SACD)	Arts	2002
Vivaldi: L'estro armonico Op.3/1-6	Arte Nova	1995
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Nos.1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11	Naxos	1991
Vivaldi: L'estro Armonico, Op. 3, Vol. 1: Concertos No. 1-6 (DVD Audio)	Arts	2003
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico, Op. 3, Vol. 1	Arts	2002
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico: Concertos Nos. 1 – 7	Point Classics	1994
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico	Bongiovanni	1997
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico	Chandos	2002
Vivaldi: L'estro Armonico	Disky	2000
Vivaldi: L'estro Armonico	London	1994
Vivaldi: L'Estro Armonico	London	1998
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Box Set)	Naxos	1993
Vivaldi: The Masterworks (Box Set)	Brilliant

Notes

1. ^ Quoted by H. C. Robbins Landon, Vivaldi: voice of the baroque, p. 42, University Of Chicago Press (1996), ISBN 978-0-226-46842-6
2. ^ Allmusic