Giuseppe Tartini
Baroque composer and violinist known for the Devil's Trill Sonata.
Giuseppe Tartini was a Baroque composer and violinist. He is best remembered for his Violin Sonata in G Minor, known as the Devil's Trill Sonata. A prolific composer, he wrote over a hundred pieces for the violin, mostly violin concertos, and also made contributions to music theory. Born in Pirano, a town on the Istrian peninsula within the Republic of Venice, he was the son of a Florentine father and a mother from an old aristocratic local family. His parents initially intended him for the Franciscan order, and he received basic musical training before studying violin in Capodistria. He later studied law at the University of Padua, where he also became skilled at fencing. Following his father’s death, he married a woman of whom his father had disapproved due to her poverty and age; this led to a charge of abduction from a powerful cardinal, forcing Tartini to flee to a monastery in Assisi. There, he studied under Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský. After hearing Francesco Maria Veracini play in 1716, Tartini was dissatisfied with his own skill and retreated to Ancona to practice intensively. His improvement led to an appointment as Maestro di Cappella at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio in Padua in 1721, a post that allowed him to perform elsewhere. He spent time in Prague as chapel master for Count Kinsky. Tartini was the first known owner of a 1715 Stradivarius violin, later known as the Lipinski Stradivarius, and also owned a 1711 Stradivarius. In 1726, he founded a violin school that attracted students from across Europe. Later in life, he focused on the theory of harmony and acoustics, publishing treatises on a mathematical basis. His most famous work, the Devil’s Trill Sonata, was inspired, according to legend, by a dream of the Devil playing the violin. He composed at least 135 violin concertos and over 100 violin sonatas, along with sacred works such as a Miserere and a Stabat Mater. He died of gangrene in Padua in 1770.
- died
- 26 February 1770
- field
- Composer, violinist, music theorist
- nationality
- Italian (Republic of Venice)
- known_for
- Devil's Trill Sonata; discovery of sum and difference tones
Lore & Background
Tartini was born in Pirano to Gianantonio and Caterina Zangrando. His parents intended him to become a Franciscan friar, and he received basic musical training. He studied violin at the collegio delle Scuole Pie in Capodistria and later studied law at the University of Padua, where he also became skilled at fencing. Cardinal Giorgio Cornaro charged Tartini with abduction, prompting him to flee to the monastery of St. Francis in Assisi, where he studied under Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský. Tartini became increasingly interested in the theory of harmony and acoustics, publishing treatises from 1750 onward. He died of gangrene on 26 February 1770 in Padua.
Reader's Guide
Giuseppe Tartini’s significance rests on a dual legacy as both a composer and a practical music theorist. As a composer, he was extraordinarily prolific, producing well over a hundred violin concertos and a similar number of violin sonatas. His most celebrated work, the Violin Sonata in G Minor, known as the Devil’s Trill Sonata, remains a cornerstone of the violin repertoire, famous for its technically demanding double stop trills and the legend that the Devil inspired it in a dream. Beyond composition, Tartini founded a violin school in 1726 that attracted students from across Europe. His theoretical contributions are equally notable: he is credited with discovering sum and difference tones—an acoustical phenomenon particularly useful for tuning double stops on string instruments, which he called the “terzo suono.” He published this research in a 1754 treatise on harmony. His later treatise on ornamentation, though published in French translation in 1771 when its influence was waning, was the first dedicated text on the subject and later provided crucial insight for historically informed violin performance. Tartini’s manuscripts, which are difficult to date because he never dated them and frequently revised earlier works, are preserved in sixty-two volumes at the Biblioteca comunale Luciano Benincasa in Ancona. His hometown of Piran commemorates him with a statue in Tartini Square, and his birthday is celebrated with a concert in the main cathedral.
Did You Know?
- Tartini was born in Pirano in the Republic of Venice (now Piran, Slovenia).
- His parents intended him to become a Franciscan friar.
- Cardinal Giorgio Cornaro charged Tartini with abduction, prompting him to flee to the monastery of St. Francis in Assisi.
- He died of gangrene on 26 February 1770 in Padua.
- His Devil's Trill Sonata is noted for its technically demanding double stop trills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Giuseppe Tartini?
Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770) was an Italian Baroque-era composer, virtuoso violinist, and music theorist born in Pirano, then part of the Republic of Venice (today's Slovenia). He is best known for his violin sonatas and concertos, especially the Violin Sonata in G Minor.
What is the Devil's Trill Sonata?
The Devil's Trill Sonata is Tartini's Violin Sonata in G Minor, a notoriously virtuosic piece that remains a staple of the advanced violin repertoire. Its dramatic nickname comes from a popular legend linking the work to a supernatural dream, though the story is almost certainly apocryphal.
What is the legend behind the Devil's Trill Sonata?
Tartini reportedly told his student Gaetano Brunetti that the devil appeared in his dreams, played the sonata on a violin, and he transcribed it upon waking. No contemporary documentation supports the tale, and most scholars treat it as a later embellishment designed to boost the piece's fame.
What did Tartini contribute to music theory?
He is credited with identifying sum and difference tones, the faint pitches the ear perceives when two frequencies interact. This early insight into acoustic phenomena helped lay groundwork for later work in the physics of sound and music acoustics.
How prolific was Tartini as a composer?
He produced well over a hundred works for the violin, the bulk of them concertos, alongside sonatas, trios, operas, and sacred pieces. His theoretical writings further cement his reputation as one of the most industrious figures of the late Baroque.
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