There’s a famous saying about messing up, which is “An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it. ” by Orlando Battista. So, I’m correcting mine. During Music and the Brain, Victor Wooten spoke about how a bassist he admired appeared to him in his dream and taught him how to play like him. This immediately reminded me of “The Devil’s Trill Sonata,” which was composed by Giuseppe Tartini.
The “Violin Sonata in G minor” became widely known as the “Devil’s Trill Sonata” because Tartini claimed that the Devil appeared to him in a dream bargaining for his soul. Tartini made a deal that he would teach him the violin instead. At the end of the lesson, Tartini handed his violin to the Devil, who played with such skill and virtuosity, that Tartini was left amazed. When he woke up, he desperately tried to record down what he heard. The piece became well known, but Tartini was disappointed because he knew that the final product never amounted to what he witnessed.
The stories of Wooten and Tartini suggest a correlation between problem solving and dreams. A study here shows that most people have dreams relative to their problems, and often find its solution in them. It mentions Tartini’s piece as an example, as well as Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.”
Now, I heard Paganini to my left and proceeded to stick with that name when asking my question, but he does have some sort of relevance. Niccolò Paganini is one of the most famous violinists of all time, and rumor was that he played so well because he was in a pact with the Devil. One of his best known pieces is the “Caprice No. 24.”
On the other side of the musical spectrum lies the Charles Daniels Band. Their 1979 hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” tells a story of how a boy named Johnny is challenged by the Devil in playing the fiddle. If Johnny wins, he is rewarded a violin; if he loses, he forfeits his soul.
I guess we can all conclude that the Devil is a violin virtuoso.
Clarissa, I’m glad you decided to post this up because I honestly had no clue what you were referring to last night and I would have forgotten to look it up. I think the story behind Tartini’s piece “Devil’s Trill Sonata” makes the piece even more interesting to listen to because I knew it had some sort of a mysterious background. As I was listening to the videos you posted, I found it amazing that he could remember so much detail from his dream. I can understand why he’d be disappointed though, because in his dream it sounded so beautiful but it’s so difficult to really remember a lot from a dream. Either way, I think that the “Devil’s Trill Sonata” sounded amazing. I also like how you included Paganini in your post since that is technically who you referred to, and how you included another devil inspired piece. Great post 🙂
Very interesting exploration of the Devil’s trill!