TO PLAY THE VIOLIN WELL,
ONE MUST ALSO BE ABLE TO SING

Variously described in the literature as a composer, violinist, teacher and music theoretician, Giuseppe Tartini was an extremely versatile artist. And in each of his fields of endeavour, he left an indelible mark. As a composer, Tartini can largely be grouped amongst those of the Italian pre-classical period, i.e., the phase during which, successively, Vivaldi’s oeuvre and significance were digested and built upon, in which process Tartini’s virtuoso art of violin playing certainly made a significant contribution. About his playing, the following was written in 1739: “In its extreme purity of intonation – such that not even the minutest of notes is obscured – and its perfect solidity, it is surpassed by nothing I have ever heard.” However, it was not only this virtuoso’s mesmerising violinistic craft, but as well, his thoroughly chequered life story, that lead the observer quickly to discern parallels to another violin superstar – Niccolo Paganini, ‘the devil’s violinist.’ And like him, Tartini also seemed to have been thoroughly acquainted with Beelzebub, as witness the assertion, already in the first edition of his Sonata in G minor, dubbed ‘il trillo del diavolo,’ that the work’s wild solo part had been inspired, and taught to the composer by Satan himself. “One night, I dreamed that I made a pact with the devil for my soul. My every wish was his command, and my new servant knew all of my wishes in advance. I then decided to present him with my fiddle and see what could do with it. I can hardly describe the amazement with which I heard him play, to complete perfection, a sonata so exquisitely beautiful that it surpassed my wildest expectations. I was enraptured, enchanted; I caught my breath, and awoke. Then, I reached for my violin and attempted to recreate these tones. But to no avail. The piece I wrote thereupon may be the best work I have ever composed, but it is far beneath what I heard in my dream.” Admittedly, Tartini employed such anecdotes to create his own myth (which, in turn, doubtless promoted sales of his works), but it is nevertheless beyond dispute that his life story, about which an abundance of information is available, contains a number of quite incredible caesuras that are fully at odds with the norms of his time, and which are worthy of note.
Giuseppe Tartini is born to wealthy and very pious parents on 26 February 1692 at Pirano. It is the wish of the boy’s parents that he lead the life of a clergyman. In his native Pirano, Tartini receives fundamental instruction in music, rhetoric and the humanities. At Padua, he enrols as a student of law, but spends most of his time perfecting his fencing skills. In 1710, following the death of his father, he breaks out of the rigid canon of rules to which he has been subject, and, entirely unexpectedly, marries. Forced to leave Padua, Tartini enters the Convent of St Francis of Assisi. Here, in the coming three years, he learns to play the violin. Autodidactically. From 1714 onwards, Tartini earns a living as violinist in the opera house of Ancona. Hearing the great violinist, F.M. Veracini, makes such an impression on him that he once again immerses himself in self-devised technical studies. In 1721 Tartini returns to Padua as ‘primo violino e capo di concerto.’ Many performing appearances in Venice and other Italian cities follow, as well as a stay of a few years in Prague.
In 1727, Tartini founds at Padua his own violin school, to which pupils from all over Europe come to study. In 1730, works of his are published for the first time, by Le Cène: 12 Concertos, Op. 1. Following a stroke which results in a paralysis with a direct effect on his violin playing, Tartini devotes himself increasingly to theoretical reflections, publishing them in a number of treatises. Although these thoughts, in which he draws connections between music and physical and mathematical principles, are primarily greeted with scepticism by his contemporaries, this clearly does not stop him from risking further such publications. In 1770, Following the death of his wife, Tartini dies on 26 February at Padua, the city which he has not left since 1726.
As a composer, Tartini devoted himself almost exclusively to instrumental music, and in particular to his own instrument, the violin. This resulted in more than 125 concertos for violin and strings, more than 200 violin sonatas, a few trio sonatas, as well as ‘sonate a quattre’ and two flute concertos. Whilst many precise details are known concerning Tartini’s life, dating his works is, due to a great scarcity of printed sources, extremely complicated. The violin concertos were catalogued in 1935 by Minos Dounias, which explains why their work numbers are preceded by the abbreviation, ‘D.’ However, a truly scientific edition of Tartini’s works still does not exist.
That, in the present recording, the Concerto in A major, D.96, has four movements is due to a peculiarity of the autograph manuscript itself. Here, Tartini notated two different slow movements, without indicating a preference for either. It is for this reason that, in addition to the Adagio, a 16-measure long Largo is included, for which there is a kind of ‘programme’: “A rivi a fonti a fiumi – correte amare lagrime – sin tanto che sonsumi – l’acerbo mio dolor” (like brooks, springs, rivers – run, bitter tears – until I consume – my immense pain). Musicologists have situated the A major Concerto in the composer’s so-called middle period, which extends roughly from 1735 through 1750 and is above all characterised by increased sentiment; the musical language becomes more melodious and spare, with the pure virtuosity of the early period (between 1721 and 1735) receding into the background. The Concerto in B-flat major opens with a Largo. The fugato-like ritornello sections give the first movement a strong, contrapuntal orientation, with a striking motif in the form of an octave leap. The concluding Allegro avoids typically baroque sequences, a reference to preclassical models. The Concerto in G major, D. 78, also contains a Largo with a title (‘se per me’), in which the first part is varied and heavily ornamented. The Presto is organised primarily along rhythmic lines. The recording on this CD, with the unforgettable Salvatore Accardo as soloist, confirms, with its distinctive aural qualities, as well as its lyricism, a motto of Tartini’s: “Per bon sonare, bisogna bon cantare” (To sound good, one must also be able to sing).

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