anybody got info on the Devil's trill?

February 24, 2005 at 03:32 AM · Greetings,

must be another of my spelling students...

Have you googled it or the name Tartini?

Cheers,

Buri

February 24, 2005 at 05:22 AM · On the liner notes for the recording I have, it states that Tartini had a dream and the devil appeared. Out of curiosity, Tartini handed his violin to the devil to see what he would make of it. To his surprise, the devil proceded to perform the most exquisite music Tartini had ever heard. When he woke up he wrote down as much as he could remember.

February 24, 2005 at 04:58 PM · "According to Tartini, the misterious trill... came to him in a dream, played by the Devil himself! There is certainly a wicked playfulness in the snaking melody while, by contrast, the uncomplicated harpsichord accompaniment only serves to highlight the demonic quality of this curious piece. Although "The Devil's Trill" is easily Tartini's best known work, he never published it- some claim for fear of the Devil, whom he believed to be the sonata's true author."

In Classical Mood, "Myth & Magic", vol. 30.

June 16, 2005 at 07:02 PM · Tartini's most famous piece, a sontana in G Minor. It is siad that he made a deal with the devil in is sleep. In this dream Tartini had to give up his most presicious item for his skills as a violinst. When he woke up in the dream he rememberd seeing a demon. He was huge with wings of coal black. He was playing one of the most amazing sonata he had ever heard. He expiranced such amazement, admiration, and delight he was breathless. He woke up and tried to play the song he had heard in his dream, but in vain. The peice Tartini compossed was indeed the best he has ever done. He had called it The Devils Sonata. The former one that amazed him was so much better than his own he would have broken his violin and given up music if he could only have. Eventuall over time he did get it but died the next day.

June 16, 2005 at 09:28 PM · While most people have said all that there is to be said, there is just a little I might be able to add. The "Devil's Trill" sonata exists in many arrangements, but curiously there is no autograph manuscript in Tartini's own hand. The most commonly played arrangement is that by Fritz Kreisler, which you can get at any music store. But, if you want to go Baroque, there is a great edition by Hortus Musicus that is very helpful. Another fascinating tidbit about this piece is that Tartini used double trills in it at the very end. This is possibly the first ever time he used them in his compositions. Tartini was famous for two main things - his work on trills, and his work on doublestops. The section from which the piece derive's its name is truly difficult, requiring the performer to simultaneously trill on one string while continuing a melody on another string. The hauntingly beautiful beginning is utilized throughout many other Tartini compositions, but this is the first recorded time of its use in his works.

July 7, 2005 at 01:53 AM · I'd like to hear thoughts on favorite cadenzas for this piece. My favorite is from a rare engraved edition I have by Vieuxtemps. Just curious.

July 7, 2005 at 05:49 AM · I've been trying to hear thoughts for years. Unfortunately the CIA has lined the exterior of my rubber room with lead to thwart my endeavor in the interest of national security. They serve a mean meatloaf here, though, so life ain't all bad.

July 10, 2005 at 11:58 AM · Apparently Tartini dreamt that the devil played it at the foot of his bed one night.

Between you and me, that sort of thing is a sign of someone on acid but it is a nice piece and fun to play.

For a different kind of recording, I recommend Angele Dubeau with La Pieta on her CD, Infernal Violins.

Enjoy!

July 10, 2005 at 08:31 PM · Benjamin, it's OK if it wasn't the KGB lol

If tartini's story is true and he heared the sonata in his dreams, it would be a monumental demonstration of pure music, which was born from a human's subconcious. I prooves Nietzsche's apollinic theory.