How and why did Vivaldi's Spring Allegro become synonymous with "high class" in movies?
Vivaldi has been used a lot in film, and the Four Seasons is probably his most famous and popular work. Often, in films, you will hear the first party of Vivaldi's Spring (specifically the Allegro) -- where it is often used to protray a "high class" setting, it is used for this purpose in Fantastic Four (2015), in Flubber (1997), and in Pretty Woman (1990).
I'm interested in how this arose historically (what the first movie to use Spring to communicate this to the audience was), and why producers, directors, and editors often choose this piece specifically to communicate that.
Best Answer
When you think of a bunch of stuffy, old, multibillionaires, do you imagine them moshing to Slayer in tshirts, or sitting back in their over-dressed long coats and such, listening to Classical music? The visual is strong, and so the natural background is one of many well-regarded Classical composers, showing they understand and appreciate finer things. Whether it's Vivaldi's Spring or Stravinsky's Firebird, both could be appropriate. However, it's safe to say that 95% of the people who could name a single upbeat, bright and airy Classical piece are going to say "Vivaldi's Spring". I mean, Mussorgsky's stuff was too dark, Bach's stuff was too heavy, Chopin was a bit boring, etc... Additionally, The Four Seasons is in the Public Domain, so there are no licensing issues. In short, it is the perfect piece of music for a High Society party.
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