At the beginning of October, Giulia Manfredini and Agnese Pavanello visited the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin –  Preußischer Kulturbesitz, to conduct an in-depth study of manuscripts from the Tartinian school. The visit offered them the opportunity to engage closely with the physical characteristics of these documents: from watermarks and paper quality to handwriting features, all crucial for understanding the provenance and history of each manuscript.

During their research, they consulted numerous manuscripts by Tartini’s students, as well as autographs by Giuseppe Tartini and other related composers, including Johann Gottlieb Naumann, and cross-referenced these with historical library inventories. In this context, Giulia Manfredini focused on manuscripts central to her doctoral thesis, examining the relationships between student copies and the transmission practices of the Tartinian school. Agnese Pavanello, meanwhile, studied Tartini’s autographs and other sources of his music held in the same library, comparing handwriting and material characteristics to understand their organization and history.

The visit proved invaluable not only for the meticulous verification of sources but also for understanding how Tartini’s school spread and how copying practices helped consolidate his musical legacy. Every detail, from watermarks to script traits, contributes to a larger puzzle that illuminates the life and dissemination of Tartini’s music and that of his students.

As a small curiosity, they also came across a student copy of the Venetian song “Biondina in gondoletta”, copied by one of Tartini’s students. This charming discovery illustrates the fascinating trajectories of music in the 18th century, traveling from Venice to Prussia. For a playful touch, they posed for a photo in front of the Wien reading room – proving that even in Berlin, manuscripts (and researchers!) can take a brief “Viennese detour” on their long journeys.