The Devil's Trill Sonata is a famous work for solo violin by Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), famous for being extremely technically demanding, even today. Giuseppe Tartini. ...

The story behind "Devil's Trill" starts with a dream. Tartini dreamed that the devil appeared to him and asked to be his servant. At the end of their lessons Tartini handed the devil his violin to test his skill - the devil immediately began to play with such virtuousity that Tartini felt his breath taken away. When the composer awoke he immediately jotted down the sonata, desperately trying to recapture what he had heard in the dream. Although succesful with his audience, Tartini later admitted that the piece was still far from what he had heard in his dream.