Giuseppe Tartini - Lettere e documenti / Pisma in dokumenti / Letters and Documents - Volume / Knjiga / Volume I

83 INTRODUCTION the “system” that Tartini was already developing at the time. From the letter it can be inferred that the violinist had sent to Bologna a manuscript treatise on music-theoretical matters that he wished to submit to Martini, as well as other Bolognese musicians, for examination. A first reply must have reached Tartini, who replied to the “objections” advanced by Martini. 83 This first source naturally prompts the first question: how did they meet? From the tone of the letter, it can be understood that the correspondence was by no means new and that there was already a certain familiarity between them. That a meeting had taken place before 1730 is likely, but not confirmed by the sources. We know that Tartini visited various Italian cities in the journeys undertaken at the beginning of his career: Venice, Milan, Livorno, Bologna, Naples, Palermo are the cities mentioned by Fanzago. 84 Unfortunately, we have no further detail on these journeys. It is common opinion among Tartinian biographers that the violinist, after his return from Prague in 1726, restricted his travels away from Padua to the bare minimum. Nonetheless, we have evidence of his presence in Parma in 1728, 85 of his activity as a musician in Camerino in 1735, 86 in Ferrara, 87 in Bergamo in 1740, 88 and in Rome. For singers and musicians of musical chapels to obtain leave of absence it was cus- tomary to resort to written requests, called “supplications”. 89 Tartini, however, had no obligation to notify or request authorisation for his absences. 90 On the other hand, this privilege granted by the Venerable Ark makes it clear that possible absences from Padua had already been anticipated at the time of his appointment. We may plausibly imagine a series of journeys that took him to play in religious functions outside Padua, probably together with his friend Antonio Vandini, first cellist at S. Antonio. Although Vandini does not seem to have had the same privilege of leaving Padua without authorisation, we find a discrepancy between the information of his many journeys and the two sole existing supplications. 91 This seems reasonable for short journeys (such as that to Bologna), but less so in the case of a journey to Camerino 83 Tartini provides answers to five “objections” in a series of sheets attached to the brief letter (Letter 5). 84 Fanzago also adds “other Italian cities”, see Fanzago, 1792: p. 15. 85 Petrobelli, 1966: pp. 109-124. 86 Letter 11. See Petrobelli, 1968: pp. 60, 150. 87 Letter 31. See Petrobelli, 1968: pp. 60, 150. 88 In Bergamo he injured his arm, as he himself states in the financial report (Document 185). 89 At S. Antonio, this type of request had to be addressed to the “Most Reverend Fathers and to the Most Illustrious Lordships” of the Presidency of the Venerable Ark of Saint Anthony, in cases of absence from Padua for personal reasons or to play in other musical chapels (the authorisation could be for short or long periods). 90 For an in-depth study of Tartini’s privileges, functions and salary in the Antonine chapel, see Frasson, 1974: pp. 99-109. 91 The supplications of the musicians of S. Antonio can be found in the register of the deliberations of the Venerable Ark in Boscolo-Pietribiasi: 1997.