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

359 LETTERS not that these strings are played. And what condition is required on a taut string to play the Alamire, if not that it is played with the bow, so that it always produces an Alamire? Taut and played it may be, either alone, or at the same time as other taut strings and played on different notes, it will produce, always and for ever more, an Alamire. And therefore, to produce the 12th and the 17th it is enough for the string to be played, if we accept the French experiment. Hence the two, in your experiment, although played simultaneously, should, given the laws of nature, each one always does the same. But perhaps someone could say that the strings played at the same time awaken these sounds, but when mixed together they become less perceptible than the third sound. Whoever thought along these lines firstly would think it without any sufficient reason to think so; and would think against the common knowledge, that teaches us how in harmony one can listen at the same time to different sounds that are not confused and remain perceptible. They would perhaps be (as in the mentioned experiments they are) more feeble, but they would certainly remain perceptible; otherwise the experiment would not happen. Lack of time prevents us from continuing; although continuing would be an insult to your acumen, as it would be quite a serious insult to your kindness, if it also deprived us of the possibility of giving you the due thanks for receiving, as we have, that most precious chocolate sent to us and in no way deserved by us, who for other reasons declare ourselves to be obliged to obey you. Indeed we should be even more obliged to you, for giving us the valuable opportunity of dealing with things of the utmost merit, with the aim of discovering the truth, and of setting it out in complete clarity after your illustrious example. We shall therefore continue with the reflections undertaken, as well as confirming to you our servitude, while I, also on behalf of Signor Dottor Balbi, who equally gives you many thanks, presently pay my respects. 96. Tartini to G.B. Martini I had cleverly forgotten the enclosed reply to the penultimate letter written by Your Reverence in my bag, and I remembered about it only on receiving your last one. This is a blessing in disguise because from these last two letters written by Your Reverence I realise, and experience first-hand, that the most esteemed Signor Dottor Balbi (who is maybe too busy) has left the whole matter to Your Reverence and takes no part in this examination, not even in the slightest. God knows this displeases me, but one needs patience. Two things I must then say in this case to Your Reverence. One is that the said examination is not the business of the musician, but of the