Sonata in G minor, ‘The Devil’s Trill’ (Tartini)
Movements
i Larghetto ma non troppo ii Allegro moderato iii Andante iv Allegro assai — Andante — Allegro assai
Notes
The Devil’s Trill Sonata is a work for solo violin (with figured bass accompaniment) by Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770). It is the composer’s best-known composition, notable for its technically difficult passages.
Tartini allegedly told the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande that he had dreamed that the devil had appeared to him and had asked to be Tartini’s servant and teacher. At the end of the music lesson, Tartini handed the devil his violin to test his skill, which the devil began to play with virtuosity, delivering an intense and magnificent performance. So singularly beautiful and executed with such superior taste and precision was the Devil’s performance, that the composer felt his breath taken away.
