Life
Trained at the height of the Baroque tradition, his long career led him to reach artistic maturity in an era of profound stylistic transition, in which the new rationalist ideals of Arcadia were established.
Martino Bitti was born in Genoa in 1656 and from a young age showed a great talent for the violin. His training took place in Italy, probably with masters linked to the northern violin schools. Over time, he established himself as one of the most gifted performers of his instrument, appreciated for his elegant phrasing and tonal richness.
The most significant part of his career took place in Florence, where he was called to collaborate with important musical institutions and to participate in performances promoted by the Medici court. Here he was able to develop a production that privileged instrumental music, a genre in which he found his maximum creative expression.
His sonatas and violin concertos are distinguished by the balance between formal rigor and inventive freedom, with clear melodic lines and brilliant sections that highlighted performance technique. His influence was also felt by subsequent generations of violinists, who continued to study and perform his works. He died in Florence on February 2, 1743.
Aneddoto
The court violinist
At the Medici court, Bitti was often invited to perform his sonatas before foreign guests, who were struck by his musical elegance.Works
Martino Bitti's repertoire includes numerous Sonatas for violin and basso continuo, regularly performed in Florentine academies. In these compositions, his ability to create lively dialogues between the solo instrument and the accompaniment emerges.
He also composed Violin Concertos that highlighted his technical mastery, combining lyrical sections with passages of great brilliance. These concertos were appreciated not only in Florence but also in other Italian cities where his music was disseminated and interpreted by fellow violinists.
Briciole di storia
of medicine