Biography:

Giuseppe Tartini was born 8 April 1692 in Pirano, Istria, south of Triest.  His father was of Florentine origin and had settle in Pirano tpwards 1685 and was a successful trader.  Giuseppe learnt music and violin at the Capo d'Istria and in 1709 he attended the University of Padua where he studied theology, philosophy and literature although his father preferred he enter the priesthood.  At the age of 18 he eloped with Elizabeth Premazone, a fellow student and the niece of cardinal Giorgo Comaro, bishop of Padua who ordered Tartini's arrest.  The couple kept their marriage a secret for three years but once discovered Tartini was forced to flee Padua leaving his wife who was sent to a convent.

Giuseppe probably travelled to Rome and was offered refuge by the Monastery of Assisi where he studied with the famous Czech nusician Bohuslav Ceznohorsky.  In 1715 Tartini was found by some pilgrims from Padua and they told him of his wife who had been pardoned by the cardinal so he returned to her not before perfecting his violin playing with Gasparo Visconti in Cremona.  In 1716 he was invited to enter a contest with Francesco Maria Veracini at the Palace Pisano-Mocegino in Venice, but finding himself unready he went to Ancona for further study.  Whilst there Tartini wrote his Arte dell' Arco and he discovered the acoustic phenomenon of resultant tones, which he dubbed terzo sono and it is from this time he began his career as a composer.

Returning to Padua in 1721 Tartini was appointed the first violin and maestro de cappella at the Cappella del Santo which was a posting he held for the rest of his life.  Count Kinsky invited Tartini to Prague in 1723 to attend the coronation of Charles VI and he reamined as a member of Kinsky's orchestra until 1726.  Tartini returned home via Venice and in 1728 he established a violin school in Padua which he name Scuolla delle Nazioni.  He took in student from all over Europe and many of the later 18th century's most famous performers were taught by Tartini including Pasqualino, Carminati, Bini, Lombardini, Ferrari, Capuzzi, Girolamo Asconio Giustiniani, Graun, Naumann and Holzbogen.  Tartini's closet friend and disciple was Pietro Nardini.  The influence of Tartini's compositions spread to France, England and Germany but throughout the remaining twenty years of his life Tartini concentrated on his theory more than composition.  Between 1739 and 1741 Tartini visited many Italian cities including Naples and Rome where he composed Miserere at Pope Clement XII's request.

Tartini died on February 26, 1770 after a long illness and an elaborate funeral ensued at the church of St. Catherine put on by the city of Padua.

Works:

Tartini composed more than 130 Concerti for violin, two Concerti for flute and two Cello concerti as well as over 170 Sonatas for violin, with or without continuo, some 50 Sonatas a Tre and 4 Sonatas a Quatre.  Only some 20 conerti and 50 sonatas were ever published so the remainder exist only in the forms of manuscripts.  Due to the lack of chronology in the manuscripts, a catalogue of Tartini's concerti was drawn up by Minos Doumias, numbered according to their keys.  It was possible for some of the works published during Tartini's lifetime to be dated a little more accurately and Doumias has divided the remainder on style, sorting the concerti into three main periods: prior to 1735, 1735-1750 and after 1750.

Selected recorded discography:

Until the arrival of the compact disc in 1983, much of Tartini's repertoire was difficult to locate on out of print LP records.  A resurgence of interest in baroque music spearheaded by new original instrument recordings in the 1980s and 1990s has made a good selection of Tartini's music available.
 

LP RECORDINGS
Concertos & Sonatas:  Concerto in A major D.96  Concerto in B minor D.125  Concerto in C major D.2  Concerto in G major for Flute, Strings & Continuo  Concerto in D minor D.115  Sonata A Quatre in G major for String Orchestra  Concerto in D major for Cello, Strings & Continuo  Variations on a Theme by Corelli for Violin & Continuo Sonata a tre in D minor  Sonata in D minor for solo Violin  Sonata in A major "Pastoral" for Violin & Continuo  Sonata a tre in D major  Sonata in G minor Op.1 No.10	Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute), Piero Toso (violin), Severino Zannerini (cello), Edoardo Farina (harpsichord), Claudio Scimone/I Solisti Veniti & Italian Baroque Quartet	RS RZ 6538/1-3 (3 LP)
2 Concerti for Violin:  Concerto in E minor D.56  Concerto in G for Violin, Strings & Conitnuo D.83	Salvatore Accardo/English Chamber Orchestra	Philips 9502 089
CD RECORDINGS
CONCERTOS
Concerto For Violin	Franco Gulli (v), Milan Orchestra	Sarx 2004
Concertos for Violin  Concerto for Violin in G major, D 78  Concerto for Violin in D, D 15  Concerto for Violin in C, D 12	Beatrice Antonioni (v), Silvano Frontalini/Kaunas Chamber Orchestra	Bongiovanni GB 2177
Concerto for Violin in A, D 96  Concerto for Violin in E major  Symphony in A	Felix Ayo (v), Orchestra Rossini Di Pesaro	Dynamic CDS 92
3 Concerti for Violin (Vol. 2):  Concerto for Violin and BC in G, Op 1 no 4 "Devil's Trill"  Concerto for Violin in E, D 56  Concerto for Violin in B, D 125	Felix Ayo (v), Symphonia Perusina Orchestra	Dynamic CDS 131
12 Violin Concertos for Violin and Orchestra Op 1  Concerto for Violin in g, D 85  Concerto for Violin in e, D 55  Concerto for Violin in F, D 60  Concerto for Violin in D, D 15  Concerto for Violin in F, D 58  Concerto for Violin in A, D 89  Concerto for Violin in A minor, D 111  Concerto for Violin in A, D 91  Concerto for Violin in F, D 59  Concerto for Violin in G, D 71  Concerto for Violin in A, D 88  Concerto for Violin in D, D 18	Giovanni Guglielmo, Federico Guglielmo, Carlo Lazari (v); Giovanni Guglielmo/L'Arte del Arco	Dynamic CDS 160/1-3 (3 CDs)
3 Concertos for Violin (Vol. 1):  Concerto for Violin in G major, D 78  Concerto for Violin in C, D 12  Concerto for Violin in F, D 67	Felix Ayo (v), Felix Ayo/I Giovani Musici di Roma	Dynamic CDS 163
Concertos for Violin (Vol. 2)		Dynamic CDS 190
3 Concertos for Violin:  Concerto in E minor, D56  Concerto in A major, D96  Concerto in A minor, D113	Uto Ughi (v),Claudio Scimone/I Solisti Veniti	Erato ECD88096
3 Concertos for Violin:  Concerto for Violin in D, D 45A  Concerto for Violin in E, D 56  Concerto for Violin in G, D 86	Thomas Furi (v),Thomas Furi/Camerata Bern	Novalis 1500922
4 Concerti for Violin:  Concerto for Violin in E, D 56  Concerto for Violin in B, D 125  Concerto for Violin in G major, D 78  Concerto for Violin in A, D 96	Carlo Chiarappa (v), Accademia Bizantina	Denon 78969
5 Concerti for Violin:  Concerto for Violin in F, D 68  Concerto for Violin in G, D 83  Concerto for Violin in D, D 30  Concerto for Violin in A, D 95  Concerto for Violin in D, D 24	Andre Gertler (v), Edmond de Stoutz/Zurich Chamber Orchestra	Hungaroton HCD 31529
5 Concertos for Violin:  Concerto for Violin in D, D 15  Concerto for Violin in G major, D 78  Concerto for Violin in Bb, D 123  Concerto for Violin in Bb, D 80  Concerto for Violin in a, D 115	Gordon Nikolitch (v), Arie Van Beek/Auvergne Orchestra	Olympia OCD 475
Concertos for Violin (Vol. 2):  Concerto for Violin in C, D 12  Concerto for Violin in E, D 51  Concerto for Violin in Bb, D 117  Concerto for Violin in d, D 45	Gordon Nikolitch (v), Arie Van Beek/Auvergne Orchestra	Olypmpia OCD 476
Violin Concertos. Cello Concerto. Concerti Grossi  nos 3 & 5	Banchini,Gatti,Dieltiens/Ensemble 415	Harmonia Mundi 901548
SONATAS
Sonatas for Violin	Estournet/Pollet/Hirsch	Arts 47298
Sonata for Solo Violin (8)	Andrea Cappelletti	Koch 311262
Five sonatas for violin and basso continuo:  Sonata in G minor, op.2 n.7 (Brainard g 11)  Sonata in Bb major, op. posth (Brainard Bb 3) "Staggion bella"  Sonata in G minor, op.1 n.10 (Brainard g 10) "Didone abbandonata"  Sonata in A major, op.1 n.9 (Brainard A 15)  Sonata in G major, op.1 n.4 (Brainard G 17)	Fabio Biondi (violin), Maurizio Naddeo (violoncello), Rinaldo Alessandrini (harpsichord), Pascal Monteilhet (theorbo)	Opus III 59-9205
Devil's Trill and other sonatas:  Sonata in G minor, op 1/10 (Didone abbandonata); Sonata in C minor, op 1/8;  Sonata in F major, op 1/2; Pastorale in A major; Sonata in F major op 1/12;  Sonata in G minor (The Devil's Trill)	Elizabeth Wallfisch (v),Locatelli Trio	Hyperion 66430
Violin Sonatas Volume 2:   Sonata in D major, BD19;   Sonata in B flat major, BB1;  Sonata in A major, BA4;  Sonata in B flat major, BB5 (op 5 No 6)	Elizabeth Wallfisch (v), Richard Tunnicliffe (cello), Paul Nicholson (harpsichord) - Locatelli Trio	Hyperion 66485
10 Sonatas, Op 8:  Sonata No.1 in F major  Sonata No.2 in D Major  Sonata No.3 in G Minor  Sonata No.4 in C Major                                   Sonata No.5 in G Major  Sonata No.6 in E Flat Major  Sonata No.7 in A Major  Sonata No.8 in D Major  Sonata No.9 in F Minor  Sonata No.10 in A Major	Elizabeth Wallfisch (v), Richard Tunnicliffe (cello), Paul Nicholson (piano) - Locatelli Trio  * with Rachel Isserlis (v)	Hyperion 67021 (2CD)
Sonate del Tasso:  Sonata XV in G major for violin & basso continuo  Sonata XVII in D major for violin & basso continuo  Sonata XIX in D major for violin & basso continuo  Sonata XII in G major for violin & basso continuo	Jean Estournet (violin), Therese Pollet (violincello), Hans Ludwig Hirsch (claivembalo & organ)/Accademia Claudio Monteverdi	Venetia CVF 1
6 Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord	Guglielmo (v)/Coen (hrpchrd)	Musicaimmage101

Tartini Quartets Home Page  Founded in 1984 in Ljubljana, this internationally known string quartet bears the name of the famous Italian violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini. The members of the quartet are Crtomir Siskovic ( first violinist ), Romeo Drucker ( second violinist ), Alexander Miloshew ( violist ) and Milos Mlejnik ( violoncelist ). They all studied in musical schools in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria, Germany and USA. The first violinist Crtomir Siskovic performs on the precious violin "Abergavenny " made by Antonio Stradivari in 1724
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