Tartini: 30 Sonate piccole, Vol. 4

Featuring

Peter Sheppard Skærved
Giuseppe Tartini

Did you know?

1/7

Composer Biography

Giuseppe Tartini, a celebrated violinist and composer, was so influential that a 90-year-old former student of his was sought out in 1834 to hear him play Tartini's method on an old Amati violin.

Composition History

The manuscript for Tartini's Sonate piccole, held in the Library of the Basilica of San Antonio in Padua, is the only substantial example of his own handwriting.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Tartini's "true intention" for the Sonate piccole was for them to be played without a bassetto (cello) part, considering it a mere formality.

Performer Biography

Peter Sheppard Skærved, the violinist on this album, is known for his pioneering approach to music and has had over 400 works written for him by various composers.

Composition History

The complete set of Tartini's Sonate piccole, which are featured on this album, forms one of the largest integrated sets of sonatas for any instrument.

Recording & Production

This recording endeavors to capture a sound Tartini would have relished, focusing on the close proximity of the violin to highlight the grain and fiber of bow on string and the resultant harmonics.

Compositional Technique

Tartini's aesthetic of "nature-imitation" was built around the phenomenon of the "third sound," or "Tartini's notes," which is the real physical fundamental bass produced by any given interval.