Pietro Nardini (12 April 1722 – 7 May 1793) was an Italian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist, a transitional musician who worked in both the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and Classical era traditions.

Life

Nardini was born in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

and at the age of 12 became a pupil of

Giuseppe Tartini Giuseppe Tartini (8 April 1692 – 26 February 1770) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era born in Pirano in the Republic of Venice (now Piran, Slovenia). Tartini was a prolific composer, composing over a hundred pieces for the ...

in Padua. In 1740 he moved to Lucca. He was invited to the court of

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

in Vienna more than once. In 1762 he moved to Stuttgart, where he joined the court of Charles Eugene, Duke of Württemberg and performed at his summer residence Ludwigsburg Palace. He was appointed conductor, succeeding Niccolò Jommelli. In 1765 he traveled to the courts of Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and

Prince Francis Xavier of Saxony Franz Xavier of Saxony () (25 August 1730 – 21 June 1806) was a Saxon prince and member of the House of Wettin. He was the fourth but second surviving son of Augustus III, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, and Maria Josepha of Austria. Li ...

. In 1770 he moved back to Italy to assist the suffering Tartini. The next year he became

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

, succeeding Carlo Antonio Campioni in Florence. The rest of his life he stayed at the court of Leopold II,

Grand Duke of Tuscany Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation), se ...

, but performed in Naples, Pisa and Rome. Pietro Nardini

As a friend of

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist, and music theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer grün ...

, he witnessed the arrival of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

on his first visit to Italy and his attempts to find a sustainable position in 1770–1771. He also met the Bohemian composer Václav Pichl, Kapellmeister to Ferdinand Karl, Archduke of Austria-Este, governor of Lombardy. In 1778 he was invited by

Catherine the Great Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

. Nardini is mentioned in English writer Hester Lynch Piozzi's ''Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey Through France, Italy, and Germany'' (1789) as playing a solo at a concert Mrs Piozzi and her husband, Gabriele Piozzi, gave in Florence in July 1785. Though Nardini was not a prolific composer, his works are known for their sentimental but melodious tunes and usefulness in technical studies. Among the best known are the Sonata in D major and the Concerto in E minor. He was a teacher to many students: Bartolomeo Campagnoli, , Thomas Linley the younger, and perhaps Giuseppe Cambini and Gaetano Brunetti. Nardini died in Florence on 7 May 1793, aged 71.

Recordings

*''Overtures and Flute Concertos'', Auser Musici, Carlo Ipata, director, Agorà Musica AG 157.1 (2002) Nardini's Concerto per Violino in mi minore (Violin Concerto in E minor), was recorded by

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman (; born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zukerman. He began his musica ...

, violin, and members of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, on CBS Masterworks, in the 1970s, now available in "

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

, Nardini & Viotti: Italian Violin Concertos", ETERNA 2009. A Concerto for Violin in F major, Op. 1, No. 3 was performed on a

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...

violin by Andrea Cappelletti with the European Community Chamber Orchestra in 1992. The recording was released in 1998 on Koch Schwann Musica Mundi 3-8711-2 under the title, ''Tribute to Stradivarius: Virtuoso Violin Concertos''. A Violin Concerto in E minor performed by Mischa Elman and the Chamber Orchestra of the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...

, Vladimir Golschmann conducting, was digitally remastered and appeared in 1993 on Vanguard Classics OVC 8033 as part of ''The Mischa Elman Collection''. Four violin concertos (in C major, G major, D major, and A major) were recorded in 2001, featuring Mauro Rossi as performer and conductor, on Dynamic CDS392. His Six String Quartets are performed by Quartetto Eleusi on Brilliant Classics."Nardini: Complete String Quartets, Cat: 94438"
February 2013, Brilliant Classics The ensemble Ardi Cor Mio performed four violin sonatas from manuscripts in various European museums and recorded them in 2007 on Tactus TC 721401.

Henryk Szeryng Henryk Bolesław Szeryng (usually pronounced ''HEN-r-ik SHEH-r-in-g'') (22 September 19183 March 1988) was a Polish- Mexican violinist. Early years He was born in Warsaw, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy Jewish family. The surname ...

plays Nardini, Vieuxtemps,

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

. Violin Concerto in E minor. SWR Sinfonieorchester, Hans Rosbaud. Ensemble Alraune recorded the duets for two violas on NovAntiqua Records. The Austrian Eduard Melkus recorded the Violin Concerto in E-flat major with the Capella Academica, Vienna, conducted by August Wenzinger on Archiv Produktion 198370 in February 1966.

References

External links

*
"Nardini, Pietr"
Tesori Musicali Toscani, Auser Musici (in Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nardini, Pietro Italian male classical composers Italian Classical-period composers Italian classical violinists Italian male classical violinists Pupils of Giuseppe Tartini 1722 births 1793 deaths 18th-century Italian composers 18th-century Italian male musicians