Giuseppe Tartini - Lettere e documenti / Pisma in dokumenti / Letters and Documents - Volume / Knjiga / Volume II

454 170. Tartini to G.B. Martini From Signor Antonio Vandini I have learned about Your Reverence’s wish to have in your hands the book by Monsieur Le Serre of Geneva, 103 which contains his critique of my treatise on music, as well as two others: against d’Alembert, and against Geminiani. 104 I am convinced that in Italy there is no other book but the only one in my possession, which reached me purely by accident. I have no difficulty in forwarding it to Your Reverence so that you can read it and re-read at your leisure, and then send it back to me, as Your Reverence can clearly see that I need to have it at my disposal. You should therefore inform me about how you wish to be served by me, though I regret that I am not able to serve you in the present case in the best possible way, as I shall certainly do on any occasion that should arise, I being wholeheartedly, in conveying to you my most respectful and most cordial regards and always submitting myself to be Your Reverence’s most humble, devoted and obliged servant Giuseppe Tartini Padua, 9 October 1767 171. Tartini to G.B. Martini Your Reverence’s kindest letter found me convalescent from a long and perilous infirmity, which still forces me to rest. But even if you had found me in perfect health, I could not have served you in your urgent need of tobacco from Santa Giustina, for if it had still been possible to have any of it, you would have never lacked the provision thereof. This commerce has been forbidden there most rigorously, and woe betide if one resorts to imitations. There was here a musician of ours who carried out this trade of processing a tobacco that was allegedly similar to that of Santa Giustina. The product was not so (as I experienced first-hand) and the musician is no longer in the condition to carry on the trade. To sum up, on my part I have no solution, as I have nobody to rely on solidly for good stuff; and I assure Your Reverence that if I had found somebody to rely on, you would never be lacking in provisions for the rest of my life. However, Your Reverence’s need moves me to greater diligence; and I shall immediately set about it as 103 Jean-Adam Serre (1704-1788). See A. Cohen, “Serre, Jean-Adam”, in Ng, vol. 23. 104 Francesco Geminiani (1687-1792).