The next stop in October was Berkeley, California. The Jean Gray Hargrove Music Library holds a remarkable collection of music related to Tartini and his school, including a copy of the Regole per ben suonare il violino, of which we are preparing a digital edition. Cristina Cassia is mainly responsible for this edition project and took the chance to examine the manuscript’s material details – watermarks, corrections, and other features.

Having  several days at our disposal, we explored much of the collection, comparing papers, watermarks, and bindings. This helped us correct some information in the Duckles-Elmer catalogue and gather new data, especially on anonymous compositions.

The days went by quickly, but the work was both useful and rewarding. The library staff was exceptionally kind. John Shepard, head of the Music Library, did his best to give us access to the sources despite reduced staff and limited consultation hours.

It was also exciting to discover a completely new environment. Even the squirrels, the flora (magnificent cacti!), and the fauna (Steller’s Jay!) were unfamiliar to us. Thanks to the kindness of a colleague from UC Davis, we even had a chance to see some of San Francisco and to dip our feet in the ocean. It was a true immersion in the old and new worlds and a long, deep Tartinian immersion, of course!

From left: Cristina Cassia, John Shepard (Head of Music Library), Agnese Pavanello