Scan 49
Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians Vol.5, 1925
6 lines. Read by computer on 12 September 2026. Printed page 23. See the scan on archive.org.
1the Monastery Chapel by the fame of his violin-playing. No member of the congregation knew who the wonderful artist was, as he always remained shrouded from view behind a heavy curtain. But the moment of his discovery and release came at last.
3It was on the 1st of August 1715, when the greatest number of Italians made a customary pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Francis to implore his grace, that the deacon in presenting incense to the Fathers inadvertently pulled aside the curtains concealing the entry to the choir, and revealed the figure of Tartini, who was instantly recognised by some Paduans present. The news quickly spread to Padua, where his wife languished for him. Under the circumstances the Cardinal's heart became softened, and he removed all obstacles to the reunion of the couple. Thus Tartini was now free to return to his home in Padua. Here he mixed with the most cultured and aristocratic people of his day, devoting himself entirely to music. His fame as a violinist began to spread, so that when Veracini visited Venice in 1716, Tartini was invited to compete with the eminent Florentine at the Palace of His Excellency Pisano-Mocenigo to honour the visit of the Elector of Saxony. But to his chagrin, Tartini discovered on hearing Veracini at Cremona before the contest, that that artist excelled him in many ways, especially in his management of the bow. Humiliated and mortified by the disclosure, he again left his wife — this time in the care of his brother Domenico at Pirano — and returned to Ancona, where he applied himself assiduously until he had obtained the perfection he desired. Whether he had any master at Ancona the authorities fail to state, but it may have been that he profited by the teaching of a certain obscure musician named Giulio Terni, whom Tartini stated to have been his first master, adding that he had studied very little until after he was thirty years of age. However this may be, it was before that age that he received an invitation to accept the post of first violin at the famous Cappella del Santo at Padua. The document which called him to the appointment is dated April 3, 1721, and states that the bearer is asked to conduct 'Signor Giuseppe Tartini, an extraordinary violinist, thither,' and that he shall have an annual stipend of 150 florins, also that any proof of his excellence in his profession shall be dispensed with. The latter was an exceptional favour, as the choir and players of the Chapel, numbering sixteen singers and twenty-four instrumentalists, was considered one of the finest in Italy, and the musicians were subjected to strict annual examinations. A further benefit was extended to Tartini by the granting to him of permission to play at other places besides the Chapel, but he availed himself of this privilege very rarely until 1723, when he accepted the invitation of a passionate musical devotee, the Chancellor of Bohemia — Count Kinsky — to come to Prague. With him went Antonio Vandini, the principal violoncellist of the Cappella del Santo, and they both assisted at the Festival held in honour of the Coronation of the German Emperor, Charles VI., at Vienna. In Prague Tartini created a veritable furore, remaining there from 1723 to 1725 as conductor of Count Kinsky's band. But success could not lighten the life of a man who was harassed by family worries, and uncongenial surroundings. His letters addressed to his brothers from Prague (see Lettere di Giuseppe Tartini, Dr. Hortis) reveal that his troubles were many. His family — and more especially his brother Domenico — seemed to be threatened with some terrible financial crisis, and Tartini was constantly called upon for aid, and writing to Domenico on August 10, 1725, the devout maestro feels he can do but little to alleviate his brother's miseries, and turns to God Almighty for help, praying 'that he may assist you and me … and teach me, and help me to remain in a place where the air, the food, and the people are equally distasteful to me. I see clearly I cannot live here without being reduced very shortly by so many ills, that I shall have to go constantly about with a physick bottle in my hands.' Under the circumstances he tells his brother that he is firmly resolved to return to his own country, 'for the skin is nearer than the purse.' At last in 1726 he left the abhorred atmosphere of the city of Prague for his beloved Padua, delaying his return only by a visit to one of his great admirers at Venice, his Excellency Michele Morosini di San Stefano. This dignitary interested himself in the misfortunes of Tartini's family, and advised him to apply to the Fisc of the Public Salt Works on behalf of his brother, all of which Tartini immediately posted on to Domenico, advising that in sending the application to the Fisc, 'it would be wise to present him with a barrel of that good black Moscato.'
5The year 1728 saw the installation of Tartini's school of violin-playing at Padua, an establishment whose excellence gained for it the title of 'School of the Nations,' while its prime instigator himself was known as the 'Master of Nations.' In a letter written by Tartini from Padua on Sept. 18, 1739, to the Padre Martini of Bologna, who was interesting himself on behalf of a youth, a protégé of Count Cornelio Pepoli, we can form an idea of students' fees for tuition at this school. 'The expenses,' he writes, 'for his board (not in my house, as I do not care to take scholars in my home, but) in the house of my assistant, would be fifty paoli a month, because living is dearer in Padua than in Venice. As for my own honorarium it will be two zecchini a month for
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