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Italian
Concerto in G major, D.82
Ed. Enrica Bojan
Over the beautiful second
movement Tartini wrote "I know you have no mercy" using his secret code.
With the outer movements this concerto is a first class representative
of the 18th century concerto. Carefully edited from Tartini's autograph
and checked against the only other known source.
From the preface:
The critical edition of this concerto
in G major D.82 was prepared by collating two sources: the autograph
manuscript DVII 1902 n.77 kept at Padua in the Music Archive of the
Basilica Antoniana, the only source mentioned by Dounias in his
catalogue, and a manuscript in several parts from Berkeley (California),
Music Library of the University of California, It.911.
Excerpts (click
image to enlarge)
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First Movement
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Second Movement
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Third Movement
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The study of Tartini's score poses
problems concerning the instrumental ensemble, usually not specified by
the composer. One must bear in mind that Tartini's concertos were
generally performed in the Basilica del Santo during solemn ceremonies.
Tartini probably would have played the solo part (he had been "first
violinist and concertmaster" since 1721) Documentary evidence and
studies show that he had at his disposal a large orchestra accustomed to
perform on such occasions. This meant that detailed musical annotations
were not required in the score. The matter of Tartini's instrumental
ensemble is still unsolved. Musicologists tend to conclude that the
number of players and instruments depended on availability and the
occasion of the performance.
The contra-position of instrumental
groups, which aims to create a stylistic dialogue of sound intensities,
recalls the structures of the concerti grossi by Arcangelo Corelli.
In the autograph score we do not have a
part for a keyboard instrument as basso continuo, which is known to have
been present. There is no sign of it in the scores and when basso is
mentioned, it refers to the part and not the instrument; no figures are
present. Studies tend to exclude the use of the clavichord, but some
elements external to the original score, as well as other documents not
strictly of musical nature, seem to confirm the use of the organ,
especially in view of the fact that the concertos were written to be
performed in the Basilica del Santo, a religious environment where the
organ was sovereign. However there is a consensus suggesting that basso
continuo would accompany the passages marked Tutti, whilst it would be
silent in those marked Soli.
In Tartini's autograph, at the beginning
of the second movement, we have a "coded motto", which Dounias
deciphered to "So che pietà non hai". According to the most recent
studies this is neither a literary nor a melodramatic quotation, but
simply a syllabic adherence to the melodic line of the principal violin.
It is not yet clear why Tartini chose such a cryptic way to distinguish
his passages. However the same verse appears in Rosmira, Aria II, 2, an
opera compiled by Vivaldi from several composers performed at Klagenfurt
in 1738. It may be that Tartini knew the libretto or the score of the
opera and that this is a musical quotation using the same melodic
material or simply a personal annotation of the passage to be relating
to the aria. For this edition the autograph score has been followed
faithfully, any amendments have been limited to modernisation of the
graphical image. The variations in the Berkeley source are listed in the
textual notes following the introduction. No dynamic indications have
been added, as these should be evident to the careful performer. The
eighteenth century practice of using a flat sign to naturalize a sharp,
has been replaced with a natural to conform with modern practice. The
ties and slurs have been kept and the rare parts missing in the original
have been inserted in square brackets ([ ]).
The embellishments have been transcribed
from the original, without suggestions for their execution. The
eighteenth century rules for routine execution of embellishments and
cadenzas on the crowned points, still constitutes one of the unsolved
matters in the study of Tartini's style in spite of the great violinist
having compiled the Traité des agrémens for use in his school. This
edition aims to offer a critical text faithful to the original both
musically and historically, thus enabling a performance as close as
possible to the original practices and style of the composer.
Enrica Bojan
Translation Annelisa Evans
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