Sonata in G minor, GT 2.g05 ‘The Devil’s Trill’

• Tartini, Giuseppe

• Vieuxtemps, Henri

Italian composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), the first known owner of a Stradivarius violin, composed at least 135 violin concerti and at least 100 violin sonatas in his lifetime, among a few other works not for the violin. While the fact that he never dated his manuscripts nor cataloged revisions makes it very difficult to catalog his works, scholars have created systems to at least categorize his output based on the stylistic characteristics of his music. The most famous of Tartini’s works is best known as the DEVILS’S TRILL SONATA (SONATA FOR VIOLIN in G Minor, GT 2.g05/ B.g5). Tartini claimed to be inspired by a dream related to French astronomer Jérôme Lalande where the devil offered to teach Tartini, with the dream ending in an awe-inspiring performance by the devil of great virtuosity and brilliance. On waking, Tartini attempted to recreate what he heard the devil play. While Tartini claimed to have written the work in 1913, it may have been composed as late as the 1740s based on its stylistic maturity. Reprint of the arrangement for string quartet by Henri Vieuxtemps.

• M367691 / 36-M367691 DEVIL TRILL STR 4TET PTS $6.95Buy Now