Composer
Niccolò Paganini
The violinist so dazzling that people said he had sold his soul to the devil.
Niccolò Paganini was the most famous virtuoso of the 19th century, a violinist whose playing seemed so impossible that rumors spread he had sold his soul to the devil. He transformed what the violin could do, and his showmanship created the modern image of the touring star soloist.
Life in brief
Paganini was born in Genoa in 1782, the son of a dockworker who drove him to practice for hours. By his teens he was a sensation in Italy, and for a few years he served at the court of Napoleon's sister Elisa in Lucca. For much of his early career he toured within Italy, and his reputation as a wild genius grew, fed by tales of gambling, love affairs, and illness.
In 1828 he began a tour of Europe that caused a frenzy: in Vienna, Paris, and London audiences were stunned, and hats, gloves, and dishes were named after him. His gaunt figure, pale face, and long dark hair fueled the legend that his skill came from a deal with the devil, a story he did little to discourage. He grew immensely rich, but chronic illness gradually forced him to stop performing. He died in Nice in 1840; because he had refused the last rites, the Church would not allow him a Christian burial for years.
Music and style
Paganini wrote mainly for himself to play, and his music is a catalogue of astonishing techniques: lightning-fast runs, left-hand pizzicato, harmonics that make the violin whistle, playing on a single string, double stops, and ricochet bowing. Beneath the fireworks lies a gift for Italian operatic melody. He was also a fine guitarist and wrote much music for the guitar.
His treasured violin, made by Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesù" in 1743 and nicknamed Il Cannone ("the Cannon") for its power, is kept in his home city of Genoa.
Key works
- 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 (published 1820) - a set of dazzling studies that remain a summit of violin technique. See étude.
- Caprice No. 24 in A minor - a theme and variations whose tune has been borrowed by composers ever since. See theme and variations.
- Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major - brilliant and operatic. See concerto.
- Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor - its finale, "La Campanella" ("The Little Bell"), features the ringing of a bell.
- Moto perpetuo - a nonstop whirlwind of rapid notes.
Legacy
Paganini's example inspired a generation of Romantic virtuosos. Liszt, after hearing him, set out to do the same for the piano, and transcribed his Caprices and "La Campanella." Schumann arranged several Caprices as piano studies, while Brahms, Witold Lutosławski, and Rachmaninoff, in his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, all wrote variations on the 24th. He also commissioned Berlioz's Harold in Italy, for viola and orchestra.
Where to start listening: Caprice No. 24, then "La Campanella" and the eighteenth variation of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.