Piran’s main square was named after him, but who was Giuseppe Tartini?
Giuseppe Tartini is one of Slovenia’s most famous sons, and definitely the most famous person to have come from the coastal town of Piran. The town’s main square is named in his honour and tourists can visit a museum dedicated to the maestro’s life and work in the house in which he was born which is located on the square. What’s more, a festival dedicated to his music takes place over the course of several weeks in Piran each year in spring.
Tartini was born in 1682 at which time Piran was part of the Republic of Venice; his father was from Florence and his mother was from an influential aristocratic Piranian family. HIs parents originally intended their son to become a friar, and so they arranged an education in music for Giuseppe but he went on to study law in Padua. After his father died, Giuseppe married Elisabetta, a young woman of a lower social rank of whom his father would likely not have approved.
However, a powerful Cardinal who greatly favoured Elisabetta, got wind of the marriage and put out an order to Giuseppe to be charged with abduction. Giuseppe fled to the monastery at Assisi, where he learned to play the violin. In just a short time he became highly skilled and was appointed to the post of Maestro di Capella at the Basilico di Sant’Antonio in Padua and even managed to negotiate a special contract that allowed him to perform elsewhere if he wished to.
Notably, Tartini was one of the first musicians to own a violin made by the great Antonio Stradivari. In 1726, he opened his own violin school which went on to attract students from all over Europe. From this he went on to become fascinated by acoustics and musical theory, publishing several important treatises on the subjects.
His most famous musical composition is the Devil’s Trill Sonata, so-called because of the complex trills which challenge even the most accomplished performers; in the 19th century a myth was even put about that Tartini actually had six digits on one hand, which was how he managed to play the piece.
The Tartini House in Piran is used for a variety of purposes but the first floor contains a memorial room where visitors can see some of the composer’s personal possessions, as well as his death mask.
The Days of Tartini Festival 2016 runs until 7 May.
