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

97 INTRODUCTION [Padua 24 August 1751] [...] The bearer of the present letter is Monsieur Bertau, a violin amateur and, fortunately for me, a student of mine. I say fortunately for me, as among those noble people I have met and served, I treasure this one above all: not so much for his condition, distinguished by both birth and fortune, as for the qualities of his soul, which are truly unique. He, a native of Lyon, is coming there to enjoy Bologna for the second time. May Your Reverence take care to introduce him to the city intimately and to provide him with those musical and erudite pleasures for which he shall remember you, me and Bologna. [...] 158 He took great pains to find a music and instrument teacher for the son of an acquain- tance who had been forced to move to Bologna. In the letter, Tartini speaks of teaching “in the name of charity”, i.e. free of charge, as he himself was offering the youth: [...] I am taking the liberty of duly recommending to Your Reverence the son of the bearer of the present letter, who is, and will be my student again in due time. Signor Valentino Laitech, 159 who is the bearer, has been lately working in leather, and since he is not earning here in Padua enough money to support himself and his son, he is coming there, where he is offered a much better situation than here. Consequently, given that he has to take his son with him, it is necessary to provide him with a violin teacher there who, with the same charity with which I shall teach him again in due time, will teach him clearly the fundamental principles of music, which he is lacking due to the negligence of his first teacher. I therefore beg Your Reverence with all my heart to contribute, as much as you can, to this great favour, for which you shall earn distinct merit with God, as also shall he who takes him on as his student at this time. When the young man is accomplished, we shall think about what is convenient for me, and meanwhile may Your Reverence act as a generous father towards the father and the son, in accordance with your excellent Christian heart. [...] 160 Letters of recommendation addressed to Martini and to Balbi were also written on be- half of other Paduan students, who were not violinists: [Padua 2 January 1756] [...] Within the next week, two young gentlemen shall arrive there, highly recommended by me to the Most Illustrious Signor Dottor Balbi and to Your Reverence. One of them has graduated in medicine here; his name is Giuseppe Bertozzi, and he is a nobleman from Friuli. The other, whose name is Antonio Puiati, is the son of the Most Illustrious Signor Giuseppe Puiati, leading professor of medicine in this university […] They are two most honest young men of particular talent and with an equal will to study. They therefore deserve to be given particular attention, and I, acting for both parties with conviction, have taken the liberty of 158 Letter 79. 159 Alternatively, this could be read as “Laidech”: the spelling has been corrected and is difficult to read. 160 Letter 127.