Tartini’s Re-Formulation Strategies in Alternative Concerto Movements

Abstract

This chapter focuses on alternative movements in Giuseppe Tartini’s concertos. As is evident from existing autograph scores and from sources from Tartini’s circles, the violinist later composed new movements for some concertos, probably on the occasion of new performances, and in particular the central ones. This study addresses the question of why Tartini changed the formal arrangement of an existing work and whether the new movements were intended as true substitutions or mere alternatives. The aim of this preliminary investigation is to provide a first frame of reference for the study of Tartini’s works characterized by a non-univocal/variable formal arrangement and to contribute to the analysis of the works in question and their transmission.