(Joo-sep’-pa Tär-te’-ne) 1692–1770
Italian composer and theorist

Tartini was born in Pirano and studied law at Padua, where he was appointed primo violino e capo di concerto (‘first violin and concertmaster’) at the Basilica in 1721. In 1728 he founded a school of violinists there which became known as the Scuola della Nazioni (‘School of Nations’), as it attracted students from all over Europe. Tartini’s musical reputation for fiery gestures and virtuoso passagework has been romanticized because of the fame of his violin sonata, The Devil’s Trill (1713). Yet his sonatas and concertos are often more noteworthy for their ‘singing’ style, which anticipates the classical period. Many of his pieces carry poetic mottos, sometimes in code and mainly drawn from Metastasio’s opera librettos, establishing their intended character. His most important theories are contained in the published Trattato di musica secondo la vera scienza dell’armonia (‘Second Treatise on the True Science of Harmony’, 1754) and Traité des agréments de la musique (‘Treatise on the Charms of Music’, 1771).

Recommended Recording:
Five Violin Sonatas, Fabio Biondi, Rinaldo Alessandrini et al (Opus 111)

Introduction | Late Baroque | Classical
Personalities | Georg Philipp Telemann | Late Baroque | Classical