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Niccolo Paganini and the evolution of violin technique: citation needed for retrospective (200 yr) medical diagnosis
 
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{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
{{Short description|Italian violinist and composer (1782–1840)}}
| Name = Niccolò Paganini
{{redirect|Paganini|other uses|Paganini (disambiguation)}}
| Img = NiccoloPaganini.jpeg
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
| Background = non_performing_personnel
<!-- please do not add an infobox without gaining consensus on the talk page, per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Classical music/Style guidelines#Biographical infoboxes]]-->
| Birth_name = Niccolò Paganini
[[File:Paganini.jpeg|thumb|Paganini in 1836 by John Whittle]]
| Born = {{birth date|1782|10|27|mf=y}}<br> <small>[[Genoa]], [[Republic of Genoa]]
'''Niccolò''' (or '''Nicolò''') '''Paganini''' ({{IPA|it|ni(k)koˈlɔ ppaɡaˈniːni|lang|It-Niccolò Paganini.ogg}}; 27 October 1782{{spaced ndash}}27 May 1840) was an Italian [[violin]]ist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin [[virtuoso]] of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His [[24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)|24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op. 1]] are among the best known of his compositions and have served as an inspiration for many prominent composers.
| Died = {{death date and age|1840|5|27|1782|10|27|mf=y}} <br><small>[[Nice]], [[France]]
| Genre = [[Romantic music|Romantic]]
| Occupation = [[Composer]], [[violin]]ist
| Years_active = ''[[fl. ca.]]'' 1793-1840
| Notable_instruments = '''Violin'''<br>Antonio Amati 1600<br>Nicolò Amati 1657<br>''Paganini-Desaint'' 1680 Stradivari<br>''Maia Bang'' Stradivari&nbsp;1694<br>Guarneri-filius Andrea 1706<br>''Vuillaume'' 1720c Bergonzi <br>''Hubay'' 1726 Stradivari<br>''Comte&nbsp;Cozio di Salabue'' 1727<br>''[[Il Cannone Guarnerius]]'' 1764<br>
'''Viola'''<br>''Countess of Flanders'' 1582 da&nbsp;Salò-di&nbsp;Bertolotti<br>''Mendelssohn'' 1731 Stradivari<br>
'''Cello'''<br>''Piatti'' 1700 Goffriller<br>''Stanlein'' 1707 Stradivari<br>''Ladenburg'' 1736 Stradivari


==Biography==
'''Guitar'''<br>''Grobert of Mirecourt'' 1820<br>
[[File:Niccolò Paganini ritratto giovanile.jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of a young Paganini]]
}} <!-- instruments are listed by "sobriquet/date/luthier," or "luthier/date" if no sobriquet -->


===Childhood===
'''Niccolò''' (or '''Nicolò''') '''Paganini''' ([[October 27]], [[1782]] &ndash; [[May 27]], [[1840]]) was an [[Italy|Italian]] [[violin]]ist, [[viola|violist]], [[guitar]]ist, and [[composer]]. He is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest violinist who ever lived. Although nineteenth century Europe had seen several extraordinary violinists, Paganini was the preeminent violin virtuoso of that century—it was rumored by his contemporaries that he had [[Deal with the Devil|sold his soul to the devil]] for his unbelievable ability.
Niccolò Paganini was born in [[Genoa]] (then capital of the [[Republic of Genoa]]) on 27 October 1782, the third of the six children of Antonio and Teresa (née Bocciardo) Paganini.<ref name=Sugden>{{cite book |last1=Sugden |first1=John |author-link=John Sugden |title=Paganini |date=1986 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |isbn=071190264X |ol=911994M}}</ref>{{rp|11}} Antonio Paganini was an unsuccessful [[ship chandler]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Martens |first1=Frederick H. |title=Little Biographies: Paganini |date=1922 |publisher=Breitkopf |location=New York City |ol=13550064M |page=6}}</ref> but he managed to supplement his income by working as a musician and by selling [[mandolin|mandolins]].{{r|Sugden|p=11}} At the age of five, Paganini started learning the mandolin from his father and moved to the violin by the age of seven. His musical talents were quickly recognized, earning him numerous scholarships for violin lessons. The young Paganini studied under various local violinists, including Giovanni Servetto and Giacomo Costa, but his progress quickly outpaced their abilities. Paganini and his father then traveled to [[Parma]] to seek further guidance from [[Alessandro Rolla]]. But upon listening to Paganini's playing, Rolla immediately referred him to his own teacher, [[Ferdinando Paer]] and, later, Paer's own teacher, [[Gasparo Ghiretti]].


=== Early career ===
Niccolò Paganini was born in [[Genoa]], [[Italy]], on [[October 27th ]] [[1782]], to Antonio and Teresa, Bocciardo, Paganini. Paganini first learned to play the [[mandolin]] from his father at the age of five, moved to the violin by the age of seven, and began composing before he turned eight. He gave his first public concert at the age of 11. In his early teens he studied under various teachers, including [[Giovanni Servetto]] and [[Alessandro Rolla]], but he could not cope well with his success; and at the age of 16 he was [[gambling]] and drinking. His career was saved by an unknown lady, who took him to her [[Estate (house)|estate]] where he recovered and studied the violin for three years. He also played the guitar during this time.
The French invaded northern Italy in March 1796, and the political situation in Genoa became unstable. The Paganinis sought refuge in their country property in Romairone, near [[Bolzaneto]]. It was in this period that Paganini is thought to have developed his relationship with the guitar.{{r|Sugden|p=18}} He mastered the guitar, but preferred to play it in exclusively intimate, rather than public concerts.<ref>P.J. Bone: ''The Guitar and Mandolin''. Schotts, UK 1954.</ref> He later described the guitar as his "constant companion" on his concert tours. By 1800, Paganini and his father traveled to [[Livorno]], where Paganini played in concerts and his father resumed his maritime work. In 1801, the 18-year-old Paganini was appointed first violin of the [[Republic of Lucca]], but a substantial portion of his income came from freelancing. His fame as a violinist was matched only by his reputation as a gambler and philanderer.


In 1805, Lucca was annexed by [[Napoleon]]ic France, and the region was ceded to Napoleon's sister, [[Elisa Bonaparte]]. Paganini became a violinist for the Baciocchi court, while giving private lessons to Elisa's husband, [[Felice Pasquale Baciocchi|Felice]] for ten years. During this time, his wife and Paganini were also carrying on a romantic affair.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Bargellini|first=Sante|date=1934|journal=The Musical Quarterly|volume=XX|issue=4|pages=408–418|doi=10.1093/mq/xx.4.408|issn=0027-4631|title=Paganini and the Princess}}</ref> In 1807, Baciocchi became the [[Grand Duchess of Tuscany]] and her court was transferred to [[Florence]]. Paganini was part of the entourage but, towards the end of 1809, he left Baciocchi to resume his freelance career.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}
At the end of three years he resumed his travels and his violin playing, returning to Genoa in 1804, where he set to work on some compositions. At this time he became interested in a little girl, Catarina Calcagno, to whom he gave lessons on the violin. She was then about seven years of age, and a few years later she became well known as a concert violinist. [http://www.closelinks.com/facts.php?id=2200]


=== Travelling virtuoso ===
He reappeared when he was 23, becoming director of music to [[Napoleon]]'s [[sister]] [[Elisa Bonaparte|Elisa Baciocchi, Princess of Lucca]], when he wasn't touring. He soon became a legend for his unparalleled mastery of the violin, with debuts in [[Milan]] in 1813, [[Vienna]] 1828, and both [[London]] and [[Paris]] in 1831. Paganini was one of the first musicians, if not the first, to tour as a solo artist, without supporting musicians. He became one of the first superstars of public concertizing. He made a fortune as a touring musician, and was uncanny in his ability to [[charm]] an audience.
[[File:Nicolo Paganini by Richard James Lane.jpg|thumb|upright|1831 bulletin advertising a performance of Paganini]]
For the next few years, Paganini returned to touring in the areas surrounding Parma and Genoa. Though he was very popular with the local audience, he was still not very well known in the rest of Europe. His first break came from an 1813 concert at [[La Scala]] in Milan. The concert was a great success. As a result, Paganini began to attract the attention of other prominent, though more conservative, musicians across Europe. His early encounters with [[Charles Philippe Lafont]] and [[Louis Spohr]] created intense rivalry.


In 1827, [[Pope Leo XII]] honoured Paganini with the [[Order of the Golden Spur]].<ref name="pd1900">David, Paul. "Paganini, Nicolo", Grove (ed.) ''A Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1900), Vol. II, pp. 628–632.</ref><ref>''[[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' (1911), Vol. XX, p. 459, "Paganini, Nicolo".</ref> His fame spread across Europe with a concert tour that started in Vienna in August 1828, stopping in every major European city in Germany, Poland, and Bohemia until February 1831 in Strasbourg. This was followed by tours in Paris and Britain. His technical ability and his willingness to display it received much critical acclaim. In addition to his own compositions, theme and variations being the most popular, Paganini also performed modified versions of works (primarily concertos) written by his early contemporaries, such as [[Rodolphe Kreutzer]] and [[Giovanni Battista Viotti]].
Paganini's signature violin, ''[[Il Cannone Guarnerius|Il Cannone]]'' fabricated in 1742 by [[Giuseppe Antonio Guarnieri|Giuseppe Antonio Guarnieri del Gesù]], was his favourite. He named it "The Cannon" because of the powerful and explosive resonance he was able to produce from it. Its strings are nearly on the same [[Plane (mathematics)|plane]], as opposed to most violins, the strings of which are distinctly arched to prevent accidentally bowing extra strings. The stringing of ''Il Cannone'' may have allowed Paganini to play on three or even four strings [[double stop|at once]]. ''Il Cannone'' is now in the hands of the City of Genoa, where it is exhibited in the town hall. It is taken out and played by its curator once monthly, and periodically loaned out to virtuosi of today.


Paganini's travels also brought him into contact with eminent guitar virtuosi of the day, including [[Ferdinando Carulli]] in Paris and [[Mauro Giuliani]] in Vienna.<ref>Thomas F. Heck: ''Mauro Giuliani, a life for the Guitar'' (doctoral dissertation). GFA Reference, US 2013.</ref>
[[Image:Niccolo Paganini.jpg|thumb|left|Niccolò Paganini]]
In Paris in 1833, he commissioned a [[viola concerto]] from [[Hector Berlioz]], who produced ''[[Harold in Italy]]'' for him, but Paganini never played it.


===Late career and health decline===
His health deteriorated due to [[mercury poisoning]] by the [[Mercury (element)#Medicine|mercury compound]] used at that time to treat syphilis.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} The disease caused him to lose the ability to play violin, and he retired in ca.1834. He died of throat cancer in [[Nice]] on 27 May, 1840.
Throughout his life, Paganini was no stranger to chronic illnesses. Although no definite medical proof exists, it has been later theorized that he might have been affected by [[Marfan syndrome]]<ref>{{cite journal|first=Myron R.|last=Schoenfeld|url=http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/239/1/40|title=Nicolo Paganini – Musical Magician and Marfan Mutant?|date=2 January 1978|volume=239|number=1|pages=40–42|journal=[[The Journal of the American Medical Association]]|pmid=336919|doi=10.1001/jama.239.1.40|access-date=19 January 2010|archive-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103083712/http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=357475|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pedrazzini|first=Alessio|title=Niccolò Paganini: the hands of a genius|pmid=25948024|journal=Acta Biomedica|year=2015|volume=86|issue=1|pages=27–31}}</ref> or [[Ehlers–Danlos syndrome]].<ref>{{cite journal | pmid = 11694491 | volume=175 | issue=5 | title=Creativity and chronic disease. Niccolo Paganini (1782–1840) | date=November 2001 | journal=West J Med | pages=345 | pmc=1071620 | doi=10.1136/ewjm.175.5.345| last1=Wolf | first1=P. }}</ref> His frequent concert schedule, as well as his extravagant lifestyle, may have affected his health. Paganini was diagnosed with [[syphilis]] as early as 1822, and his remedy, which included [[Mercury (element)|mercury]] and [[opium]], came with serious physical and psychological side effects. In 1834, while still in Paris, he was treated for [[tuberculosis]].


In September 1834, Paganini put an end to his concert career and returned to Genoa. Contrary to popular beliefs involving his wishing to keep his music and techniques secret, Paganini devoted his time to the publication of his compositions and violin methods. He accepted students, of whom two enjoyed moderate success: violinist [[Camillo Sivori]] and cellist Gaetano Ciandelli. Neither, however, considered Paganini helpful or inspirational. In 1835, Paganini returned to Parma, this time under the employ of [[Archduchess]] [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie Louise]] of Austria, Napoleon's second wife. He was in charge of reorganizing her court orchestra, but he eventually conflicted with the players and court, so his visions never saw completion. In Paris, he befriended the 11-year-old Polish virtuoso [[Apollinaire de Kontski]], giving him some lessons and a signed testimonial. It was widely put about, falsely, that Paganini was so impressed with de Kontski's skills that he bequeathed him his violins and manuscripts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kontski, Apollinaire de. [Apolinary Katski] (1826–1879) Autograph Musical Quotation, Inscribed to a Tolstoy |url=https://www.schubertiademusic.com//items/details/5528-kontski-apollinaire-de-apolinary-katski-%E2%80%93-autograph-musical-quotation-inscribed-to-a-tolstoy |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Schubertiade Music & Arts |language=en}}</ref>
He left behind a series of [[violin sonata|sonatas]], [[Capriccio (music)|caprices]], six [[violin concerto|violin concerti]], [[string quartets]], and numerous [[classical guitar|guitar]] works.


===Final years, death, and burial===
The orchestral parts of Paganini's works are polite, unadventurous in scoring, and supportive. Critics of Paganini find his concerti long-winded and formulaic: one fast ''rondo'' finale could often be switched for another. During his public career, the violin parts of the concertos were kept secret. Paganini would rehearse his [[orchestra]] without ever playing the full violin solos. At his death, only two had been published. Paganini's heirs have cannily released his concertos one at a time, each given their second debut, over many years, at well-spaced intervals. There are now six published Paganini violin concerti (although the last two are missing their orchestral parts). His more intimate compositions for guitar and string instruments, particularly the violin, have yet to become part of the standard repertoire.
[[File:Paganinitomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Paganini in [[Parma]], Italy]]
In 1836, Paganini returned to Paris to set up a casino. Its immediate failure left him in financial ruin, and he auctioned off his personal effects, including his musical instruments, to recoup his losses. At Christmas of 1838, he left Paris for Marseille and, after a brief stay, traveled to Nice where his condition worsened. In May 1840, the Bishop of Nice sent Paganini a local parish priest to perform the [[last rites]]. Paganini assumed the sacrament was premature, and refused.<ref name="pd1900" />


A week later, on 27 May 1840, the 57-year-old Paganini died from internal hemorrhaging before a priest could be summoned. Because of this, and his widely rumored association with the devil, the Church denied his body a Catholic burial in Genoa. It took four years and an appeal to the Pope before the Church let his body be transported to Genoa, but it was still not buried. His body was finally buried in 1876, in a cemetery in Parma. In 1893, the Czech violinist [[František Ondříček]] persuaded Paganini's grandson, Attila, to allow a viewing of the violinist's body. After this episode, Paganini's body was finally reinterred in a new cemetery in Parma in 1896.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eliza |date=2023-05-26 |title=The Turbulent Life During Niccolò Paganini’s Last Years |url=https://interlude.hk/on-this-day-27-may-niccolo-paganini-died/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |language=en-US}}</ref>
Paganini developed the genre of concert variations for solo violin, characteristically taking a simple, apparently naïve theme, and alternating lyrical variations with a ruminative, improvisatory character that depended for effect on the warmth of his phrasing, with bravura extravagances that left his audiences gasping.


==Personal life==
==Niccolo Paganini and the evolution of violin technique==
[[File:Franz Krüger - Parade auf dem Opernplatz - Henriette Sontag, Niccolò Paganini - IMGP5955.JPG|thumb|right|[[Henriette Sontag]] and Niccolò Paganini. Detail of ''Parade on Opernplatz in 1822'' by [[Franz Krüger]]]]
Though having no shortage of romantic conquests, Paganini was seriously involved with a singer named Antonia Bianchi from Como, whom he met in Milan in 1813. The two gave concerts together throughout Italy. They had a son, Achille Ciro Alessandro, born on 23 July 1825 in [[Palermo]] and baptized at San Bartolomeo's. They never legalized their union and it ended around April 1828 in Vienna. Paganini brought Achille on his European tours, and Achille later accompanied his father until the latter's death.


Throughout his career, Paganini also became close friends with composers [[Gioachino Rossini]] and [[Hector Berlioz]]. Rossini and Paganini met in Bologna in the summer of 1818. In January 1821, on his return from Naples, Paganini met Rossini again in Rome, just in time to become the substitute conductor for Rossini's opera ''[[Matilde di Shabran]]'', upon the sudden death of the original conductor. Paganini's efforts earned great gratitude from Rossini.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ztab1 |url=http://www.voutsadakis.com/GALLERY/ALMANAC/Year2010/Oct2010/10272010/2010oct27a.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=www.voutsadakis.com}}</ref>
The Israeli violinist [[Ivry Gitlis]] said in Bruno Monsaiegnon's film, [[The Art of Violin]], "Paganini is not a development ... there were all these [violinists before Paganini] and then there was Paganini." Though some of these violinistic techniques employed by Paganini were already present, most accomplished violinists of the time focused on intonation and bowing techniques (the so-called ''right-hand techniques'' for string players), the two issues that are most fundamental for violinists even in the present day.


Paganini met Berlioz in Paris in 1833 and they continued to correspond. He commissioned a piece from the composer, but was not satisfied with the resultant four-movement piece for orchestra and viola obbligato, ''[[Harold en Italie]]''. He never performed it; instead, it was premiered a year later by violist [[Chrétien Urhan|Christian Urhan]]. He did, however, write his own ''Sonata per Gran Viola'' Op. 35 (with orchestra or guitar accompaniment). Despite his alleged lack of interest in ''Harold'', Paganini often referred to Berlioz as the resurrection of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]] and, towards the end of his life, he gave large sums to the composer. They shared an active interest in the guitar, which they both played and used in compositions. Paganini gave Berlioz a guitar, which they both signed on its [[sound box]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=SoundOn Player |url=https://player.soundon.fm/p/erveroworka-La-Campanella-Paganini-Guitar-Pdf-23 |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=player.soundon.fm}}</ref>
[[Arcangelo Corelli]] (1653-1713) was considered the father of violin technique, transforming the role of the violin from a [[basso continuo|continuo]] orchestra and ensemble instrument to a solo instrument. At around the same period, the [[Sonatas and partitas for solo violin (1001-1006)|Sonaten und Partiten]] for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006) of [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] (1685-1750) firmly established the polyphonic capability of the violin. Other notable violinists included [[Antonio Vivaldi]] (1678-1741) and [[Giuseppe Tartini]] (1692-1770). Although the role of the violin in music had been drastically changed through this period, progress on violin technique was slow up to this point.


==Playing style==
The first exhaustive exploration of violin technique was found in the 24 caprices of [[Pietro Locatelli]] (1693-1746), which at the time of writing, proved to be too difficult to play, although they are now quite playable. Rudimentary usage of harmonics and left hand [[pizzicato]] could be found in the works of [[August Durand]], who allegedly invented these techniques. Whilst it was questionable whether Paganini pioneered many of these "violinistic" techniques that made him famous, it was certain that he was the one who popularized them and brought them into regular compositions.
===Instruments===
[[File:Strad-hubay-view.jpg|thumb|Views of the ''Hubay'' 1726 [[Stradivarius|Stradivari]]]]
Paganini was in possession of a number of fine stringed instruments, including 11 [[Stradivarius|Stradivari]] at the time of his death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Parker|first=Roger|chapter=Paganini, Nicolò|editor-last=Latham|editor-first=Alison|title=The Oxford Companion to Music|location=Oxford and New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2002|pages=921–922|isbn=978-0-19-866212-9}}</ref> More legendary than these were the circumstances under which he obtained (and lost) some of them. While Paganini was still a teenager in [[Livorno]], a wealthy businessman named Livron lent him a violin, made by the master [[luthier]] [[Giuseppe Guarneri]], for a concert. Livron was so impressed with Paganini's playing that he refused to take it back. This particular violin came to be known as ''[[Il Cannone Guarnerius]]'' ("The Cannon of Guarnieri") because of its powerful voice and resonance.<ref name="Menuhin">[[Yehudi Menuhin]] and Curtis W. Davis. ''The Music of Man''. Methuen, 1979.</ref>


[[File:Bartolomeo giuseppe guarneri, violino cannone, appartenuto a niccolò paganini, cremona 1743.JPG|left|thumb|upright|''[[Il Cannone Guarnerius]]'' on exhibit at the [[Palazzo Doria-Tursi]] in Genoa, Italy]]
Paganini was capable of playing three octaves across four strings in a hand span, a seemingly impossible feat even by today's standards. His flexibility and exceptionally long fingers may have been a result of [[Marfan syndrome]] or [[Ehlers-Danlos syndrome]].{{citeneeded}} His fingering techniques included double-stops, parallel octaves (and tenths), and left-hand pizzicato, which are now routine exercises for aspiring violinists. Such leaps in the violin technique development were only paralleled by the likes of [[Joseph Joachim|Josef Joachim]], and [[Eugène Ysaÿe]], almost half a century later.
Other instruments associated with Paganini include the ''Antonio [[Amati]]'' 1600, the ''[[Nicolò Amati]]'' 1657, the ''[[List of Stradivarius instruments|Paganini-Desaint]]'' 1680 Stradivari, the [[Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri|Guarneri-filius]] ''Andrea'' 1706, the ''[[Le Brun Stradivarius|Le Brun]]'' 1712 Stradivari, the ''[[Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume|Vuillaume]]'' c.&nbsp;1720 [[Carlo Bergonzi (luthier)|Bergonzi]], the ''Hubay'' 1726 Stradivari, and the ''Comte&nbsp;Cozio di Salabue'' 1727 violins; the ''Countess of Flanders'' 1582 [[Gasparo da Salò|da&nbsp;Salò-di&nbsp;Bertolotti]], and the ''Mendelssohn'' 1731 Stradivari violas; the ''Piatti'' 1700 [[Matteo Goffriller|Goffriller]], the ''Stanlein'' 1707 Stradivari, and the ''Ladenburg'' 1736 Stradivari cellos; and the ''Grobert of Mirecourt'' 1820 (guitar).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mediatheque.cite-musique.fr/ClientBookLineCIMU/recherche/NoticeDetailleByID.asp?ID=0161650 |title=Mediatheque.cite |publisher=Mediatheque.cite-musique.fr |access-date=12 November 2011 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928073632/http://mediatheque.cite-musique.fr/clientbooklinecimu/recherche/NoticeDetailleByID.asp?ID=0161650 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


Of his guitars, there is little evidence remaining of his various choices of instrument. The aforementioned guitar that he gave to Berlioz is a French instrument made by one Grobert of [[Mirecourt]]. The luthier made his instrument in the style of [[René François Lacôte|René Lacôte]], a more well-known Paris-based guitar-maker. It is preserved and on display in the [[Musée de la Musique]] in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guitare Nicolas Grobert - E.375 |url=https://collectionsdumusee.philharmoniedeparis.fr/0161650-guitare-nicolas-grobert.aspx?_lg=fr-FR |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=collectionsdumusee.philharmoniedeparis.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
==Influence on music and composition==
[[Image:Paganinitomb.jpg|thumb|left|Tomb of Paganini in [[Parma]], [[Italy]]]]
The writing of violin music was also dramatically changed through Paganini. Even in his youth, he was able to imitate other sounds (such as flatulence, flute, birds) with his violin. Though highly colourful and technically imaginative, Paganini's composition was not considered truly polyphonic. [[Eugène Ysaÿe]] once criticised that the accompaniment to Paganini's music was too "guitar like", lacking any character of polyphonism. Nevertheless, he expanded the [[timbre]] of the instrument to levels previously unknown.


Of the guitars he owned through his life, there was an instrument by Gennaro Fabricatore that he had refused to sell even in his periods of financial stress, and was among the instruments in his possession at the time of his death.
Paganini was also the inspiration of many prominent composers. Both "La Campanella" and the A minor caprice (Nr. 24) have been an object of interest for a number of composers. [[Franz Liszt]], [[Johannes Brahms]], [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]], [[Boris Blacher]], [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], [[George Rochberg]] and [[Witold Lutosławski]], among others, wrote well-known variations on its theme.


===Violin technique===
In performance Paganini enjoyed playing tricks, like tuning one of his strings a semitone high, or playing the majority of a piece on one string after breaking the other three. He astounded audiences with techniques that included harmonics, double stops, pizzicato with the left as well as the right hand, and near-impossible fingering and bowings.
[[File:David d'Angers - Paganini.jpg|thumb|Bust of Niccolò Paganini by [[David d'Angers]] (1830–1833)|242x242px]]
The Israeli violinist [[Ivry Gitlis]] once referred to Paganini as a phenomenon rather than a development. Though some of the techniques frequently employed by Paganini were already present, most accomplished violinists of the time focused on intonation and bowing techniques. [[Arcangelo Corelli]] (1653–1713) was considered a pioneer in transforming the violin from an ensemble instrument to a solo instrument. Other notable violinists included [[Antonio Vivaldi]] (1678–1741) and [[Giuseppe Tartini]] (1692–1770), who, in their compositions, reflected the increasing technical and musical demands on the violinist. Although the role of the violin in music drastically changed through this period, progress in violin technique was steady but slow.


Much of Paganini's playing (and his violin composition) was influenced by two violinists, [[Pietro Locatelli]] (1693–1746) and [[August Duranowski]] (Auguste Frédéric Durand) (1770–1834). During Paganini's study in Parma, he came across the 24 Caprices of Locatelli (entitled ''L'arte di nuova modulazione – Capricci enigmatici'' or ''The art of the new style – the enigmatic caprices''). Published in the 1730s, they were shunned by the musical authorities for their technical innovations, and were forgotten by the musical community at large. Around the same time, Durand, a former student of [[Giovanni Battista Viotti]] (1755–1824), became a celebrated violinist. He was renowned for his use of harmonics, both natural and artificial (which had previously not been attempted in performance), and the left hand [[pizzicato]] in his performance.<ref>[[Richard Taruskin]], ''[[Oxford History of Western Music]]'' Volume 5: ''Music in the Nineteenth Century''. [[Oxford University Press]], 2009.</ref> Paganini was impressed by Durand's innovations and showmanship, which later also became the hallmarks of the young violin virtuoso. Paganini was instrumental in the revival and popularization of these violinistic techniques.
==Listing of compositions==
* 24 [[Capriccio (music)|caprices]], for solo violin, Op.1
** No. 1 in E major (''The Arpeggio'')
** No. 2 in B minor
** No. 3 in E minor (''La Campanella'')
** No. 4 in C minor
** [[Fifth Caprice|No. 5 in A minor]]
** No. 6 in G minor (''The Trill'')
** No. 7 in A minor
** No. 8 in E-flat major
** No. 9 in E major (''The Hunt'')
** No. 10 in G minor
** No. 11 in C major
** No. 12 in A-flat major
** [[No. 13 in B-flat major (Devil's Laughter)|No. 13 in B-flat major (''Devil's Laughter'')]]
** No. 14 in E-flat major
** No. 15 in E minor
** [[Caprice_No._16_in_G_minor|No. 16 in G minor]]
** No. 17 in E-flat major
** No. 18 in C major
** No. 19 in E-flat major
** No. 20 in D major
** No. 21 in A major
** No. 22 in F major
** No. 23 in E-flat major
** [[24th Caprice|No. 24 in A minor]] (''Tema con variazioni'')
* [[Violin Concerto No. 1 (Paganini)|Concerto for violin No. 1]], in D major, Op. 6 (1817)
* [[Violin Concerto No. 2 (Paganini)|Concerto for violin No. 2]], in B minor, Op. 7 (1826) (''[[La Campanella]]'', 'The little bell')
* [[Violin Concerto No. 3 (Paganini)|Concerto for violin No. 3]], in E major (1830)
* [[Violin Concerto No. 4 (Paganini)|Concerto for violin No. 4]], in D minor (1830)
* [[Violin Concerto No. 5 (Paganini)|Concerto for violin No. 5]], in A minor (1830)
* [[Violin Concerto No. 6 (Paganini)|Concerto for violin No. 6]], in E minor (1815?) &mdash; last movement completed by unknown hand.
* 6 sonatas, for violin and guitar, Op. 2 and 3
** Op. 2, No. 1 in A major
** Op. 2, No. 2 in C major
** Op. 2, No. 3 in D minor
** Op. 2, No. 4 in A major
** Op. 2, No. 5 in D major
** Op. 2, No. 6 in A minor
** Op. 3, No. 1 in A major
** Op. 3, No. 2 in G major
** Op. 3, No. 3 in D major
** Op. 3, No. 4 in A minor
** Op. 3, No. 5 in A major
** Op. 3, No. 6 in E minor
* 18 Centone di Sonate, for violin and guitar
* Arranged works
** Introduction, theme and variations from Paisiello's 'La bella molinara' (''Nel cor più non mi sento'') in G major (Violin Solo)
** Introduction, theme and variations from Paisiello's 'La bella molinara' (''Nel cor più non mi sento'') in A major (Violin Solo with violin and cello accompaniment)
** Introduction and variations on a theme from Rossini's 'Cenerentola' (''Non più mesta'')
** Introduction and variations on a theme from Rossini's 'Moses' (''Dal tuo stellato soglio'')
** Introduction and variations on a theme from Rossini's 'Tancredi' (''Di tanti palpiti'')
** Maestoso sonata sentimentale (Variations on the Austrian National Anthem)
** Variations on ''[[God Save the King]]''
* Miscellaneous works
** I Palpiti
** Perpetuela (Sonata Movimento Perpetuo)
** La Primavera
** Theme from "Witches' Dance"
** Sonata con variazioni (''Sonata Militaire'')
** Napoleon Sonata
** Hai Un Bel Pirla
** Variations, ''Le Streghe''
** Cantabile in D major
** Moto Perpetuo in C major
** Romanze in A minor
** Tarantella in A minor
** Grand sonata for violin and guitar, in A major
** Sonata for Viola in C minor
** Sonata in C for solo violin
** 60 Variations on Barucaba
* 12 Quartets for Violin, Guitar, Viola and Cello, opus 4
** No. 1 in A minor
** No. 2 in C major
** No. 3 in A major
** No. 4 in D major
** No. 5 in C major
** No. 6 in D major
** No. 7 in E major
** No. 8 in A major
** No. 9 in D major
** No. 10 in A major
** No. 11 in B major
** No. 12 in A minor
** No. 13 in F minor
** No. 14
** No. 15 in A Major


Another aspect of Paganini's violin techniques concerned his flexibility. He had exceptionally long fingers and was capable of playing three octaves across four strings in a hand span, an extraordinary feat even by today's standards.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Otte |first=Andreas |date=2014 |title=[Nicolò Paganini: Devil's violinist because of abnormal hands?--New investigations using a bronze cast from the right hand] |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25004620/ |journal=Archiv Fur Kriminologie |volume=233 |issue=5-6 |pages=181–191 |issn=0003-9225 |pmid=25004620}}</ref>
==Works inspired by Paganini==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=March 2007}}
The '''Caprice No. 24 in A minor''', Op.1 (''Tema con variazioni'') has been the basis of works by many other composers. For a separate list of these, see [[Caprice No. 24 (Paganini)]].


==Compositions==
Other works inspired by Paganini include:
{{Main|List of compositions by Niccolò Paganini}}
*[[Arban]] – ''Carnival of Venice''
*[[Aria (band)|Aria]] – ''Igra s Ogneom'' ("Play with Fire") from the [[Igra s Ogneom|album of the same name]].
*[[Bela Fleck]] − "Moto Perpetuo (Bluegrass version)", from Fleck's 2001 album ''[[Perpetual Motion (album)|Perpetual Motion]]'', which also contains a more standard rendition of the piece
*[[Cesare Pugni]] - borrowed Paganini's themes for the choreographer [[Marius Petipa]]'s ''Venetian Carnival Grand
*[[Eliot Fisk]] – transcribed all 24 Caprices for solo guitar
*[[Eugène Ysaÿe]] − ''Paganini variations'' for violin and piano
*[[Franz Lehár]] − ''Paganini'', a fictionalized operetta about Paganini (1925)
*[[Franz Liszt]] − Six ''Grandes Études de Paganini'', S.141 for solo [[piano]] (1851) (virtuoso arrangements of 5 caprices, including the 24th, and ''La Campanella'' from Violin Concerto No. 2)
*[[Witold Lutosławski]] – ''Variations on a Theme by Paganini'' ([[1941]]) for piano duo, and piano and orchestra ([[1978]])
*[[Frédéric Chopin]] − ''Souvenir de Paganini'' for solo [[piano]] (1829; published posthumously)
*[[Fritz Kreisler]] − ''Paganini'' Concerto in D Major (recomposed paraphrase of the first movement of the Op. 6 Concerto) for violin and orchestra
*[[George Rochberg]] − ''Caprice Variations'' (1970), 50 variations for solo violin
*[[James Barnes]] – ''Fantasy Variations on a Theme by Nicolo Paganini''
*[[Jason Becker]] − ''5th Caprice''
*[[Johannes Brahms]] - ''Varaitations on a theme by Paganini, op.35''
*[[Karol Szymanowski]] − ''Trois Caprices de Paganini'', arranged for violin and piano, Op.40 (1918)
*[[Luigi Dallapiccola]] – Sonatina canonica in mi bemolle maggiore su "Capricci" di Niccolo Paganini'', for piano ([[1946]])
*[[Marilyn Shrude]] − ''Renewing the Myth'' for alto saxophone and piano
*[[Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco]] − ''Capriccio Diabolico'' for classical guitar is a homage to Paganini, in reference to Paganini supposedly making a pact with the devil
*[[Michael Angelo Batio]] – ''No Boundaries''
*[[Nathan Milstein]] − ''Paganiniana'', an arrangement of the 24th Caprice, with variations based on the other caprices
*[[Pas de Deux]] The Carnival in Venice AKA The Fascination Pas de Deux from [[Satanella]]. Choreography by [[Marius Petipa]]. Music by [[Cesare Pugni]] on a theme by Nicolò Paganini.
*[[Philip Wilby]] - ''Paganini Variations'', for both wind band and brass band
*[[Robert Schumann]] − Studies after Caprices by Paganini, Op.3 (1832; piano); 6 Concert Studies on Caprices by Paganini, Op.10 (1833, piano). A movement from his piano work "Carnaval" (Op. 9) is named for Paganini.
*[[Steve Vai]] − "Eugene's Trick Bag" from the movie Crossroads. Based on 5th Caprice.
*[[Uli Jon Roth]] − "Scherzo Alla Paganini" and "Paganini Paraphrase"
*[[Yngwie J. Malmsteen]] − ''Far Beyond The Sun, Presto Vivace''


[[File:Paganinis all six violin concertos Nikolay Madoyan Conductor Karen Durgaryan camera recording from hall Armenian National Academic Theater Symphonic Orchestra - Paganini's Cantabile.webm|thumb|Paganini: all six violin concertos]]
==Fictional portrayals==
Paganini composed his own works to play exclusively in his concerts, all of which profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique. His [[24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)|24 Caprices]] were likely composed between 1805 and 1809, while he was in the service of the Baciocchi court. Also during this period, he composed the majority of the solo pieces, duo-sonatas, trios, and quartets for the guitar, either as a solo instrument or with strings. These chamber works may have been inspired by the publication, in Lucca, of the guitar quintets of Boccherini. Many of his variations, including ''Le Streghe'', ''[[Carnival of Venice (song)|The Carnival of Venice]]'', and ''Nel cor più non-mi sento'', were composed, or at least first performed, before his European concert tour. His [[:Category:Violin concertos by Niccolò Paganini|six violin concertos]] were written between 1817 and 1830.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Niccolo Paganini {{!}} Encyclopedia.com |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-history-composers-and-performers-biographies/niccolo-paganini |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=www.encyclopedia.com}}</ref>
[[Image:paganini.jpg|thumb|right|Vladimir Msryan as Paganini in 1982 Soviet TV series]]


Generally speaking, Paganini's compositions were technically imaginative, and the [[timbre]] of the instrument was greatly expanded as a result of these works. Sounds of different musical instruments and animals were often imitated. One such composition was titled ''Il Fandango Spanolo'' (The Spanish Dance), which featured a series of humorous imitations of farm animals. Even more outrageous was a solo piece ''Duetto Amoroso'', in which the sighs and groans of lovers were intimately depicted on the violin. There survives a manuscript of the ''Duetto'', which has been recorded. The existence of the ''Fandango'' is known only through concert posters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand Sonata for Guitar, Piano and Violin by Paganini |url=https://www.clearnote.net/Grand-Sonata-for-Guitar-Piano-and-Violin-by-Paganini_p_146.html |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Clear Note Publications |language=en}}</ref>{{listen|type=music|
Paganini's life inspired several films and television series. Most famously, in a highly acclaimed Soviet 1982 miniseries ''Niccolo Paganini'' the musician is portrayed by the Armenian stage master [[Vladimir Msryan]]. The series focuses on Paganini's persecution by the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Another Soviet cinematic legend, [[Armen Dzhigarkhanyan]] plays Paganini's fictionalized arch-rival, an insidious [[Jesuit]] official. The information in the series was generally accurate, however it also played to some of the myths and legends rampant during the musician's lifetime. In particular, a memorable scene shows Paganini's adversaries sabotaging his violin before a high-profile performance, causing all strings but one to break during the concert. An undeterred Paganini continues to perform on three, two, and finally on a single string.
|filename=CELLO ENCORES JOHN MICHEL-Paganini Variations on One String.ogg
|title=Variations on One String (Moses Fantasy)
|description=Performed by John Michell (cello) with a pianist}}[[Eugène Ysaÿe]] criticized Paganini's works for lacking characteristics of true polyphonism.<ref>Lev Solomonovich Ginzburg. ''Ysaye''. Paganiniana, 1980.</ref> [[Yehudi Menuhin]], on the other hand, suggested that this might have been the result of Paganini's reliance on the guitar (in lieu of the piano) as an aid in composition.<ref name="Menuhin" /> The orchestral parts for his concertos were often polite, unadventurous, and clearly supportive of the soloist. In this, his style is consistent with that of other Italian composers such as [[Giovanni Paisiello]], Gioachino Rossini, and [[Gaetano Donizetti]], who were influenced by the guitar-song milieu of Naples during this period.<ref>N. Till: Rossini, pp. 50–51. Omnibus Press, 1987.</ref>


Paganini's "La Campanella" and the [[Caprice No. 24 (Paganini)|A&nbsp;minor Caprice (No.&nbsp;24)]] have inspired many composers, including [[Franz Liszt]], [[Robert Schumann]], [[Johannes Brahms]], [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]], [[Boris Blacher]], [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]], [[George Rochberg]], and [[Witold Lutosławski]], all of whom wrote variations on these works.
In 1989 German actor [[Klaus Kinski]] portrayed Paganini in the film ''[[Kinski Paganini]]''


==Legacy and influence==
Paganini is briefly referenced in "The Hunt For Red October" where the COB of the Submarine USS Dallas is telling an embarrassing story about the Sonar Operator listening to Pavarotti, in which the sonar operator replies "It was Paganini" and continues "Pavarotti is a tenor, Paganini was a composer."
===Inspired works===
[[File:Niccolo Paganini01.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Niccolò Paganini by Andrea Cefaly]]
{{see also|Variations on a Theme of Paganini (disambiguation)}}
Notable works inspired by compositions of Paganini include:<!-- alphabetical by composer, please -->
* [[Jason Becker]] – ''Caprice No. 5''
* [[Mike Campese]] – "Paganini", arrangement of Caprice No. 16 and various works.
* [[Julián Carrillo]] – "6 Sonatas dedicadas a Paganini" for solo violin.
* [[Alfredo Casella]] – ''[[Paganiniana (Casella)|Paganiniana]]'' Op. 65 (1942)
* [[Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco]] – ''Capriccio Diabolico'' for classical guitar is a homage to Paganini, and quotes "La campanella"
* [[Frédéric Chopin]] – ''Souvenir de Paganini'' for solo piano (1829; published posthumously)
* [[Ivry Gitlis]] – Cadenza for the 1st movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 Op. 7 "La Campanella" (1967)
* [[Johann Nepomuk Hummel]] – Fantasia for piano in C major "Souvenir de Paganini", WoO 8, S. 190.
* [[Fritz Kreisler]] – ''Paganini Concerto in D major'' (recomposed paraphrase of the first movement of the Op. 6 Concerto) for violin and orchestra
* [[Franz Lehár]] – ''[[Paganini (operetta)|Paganini]]'', a fictionalized operetta about Paganini (1925)
* [[Franz Liszt]] – Six ''Grandes Études de Paganini'', S. 141 for solo piano (1851) (virtuoso arrangements of 5 caprices, including the 24th, and ''La Campanella'' from Violin Concerto No.&nbsp;2)
* [[Yngwie Malmsteen]] – Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 4 is used in the opening of "Far Beyond the Sun" in [[Trial by Fire (Yngwie Malmsteen album)|''Trial by Fire'']]. Caprice No. 24 was used as a part of the solo in the song "Prophet of Doom" from the album ''[[War to End All Wars (album)|War to End All Wars]]''.
* [[Nathan Milstein]] – ''Paganiniana'', a set of variations based on the theme from Paganini's 24th Caprice in which the variations are based on motifs from other caprices
* [[Cesare Pugni]] – ''"Le Carnaval de Venise" pas de deux'' (aka ''"Satanella" pas de deux''). Based on airs from Paganini's ''Il carnevale di Venezia'', op. 10. Originally choreographed by [[Marius Petipa]] as a concert piece for himself and the ballerina [[Amalia Ferraris]]. First performed at the Imperial [[Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre]] of Saint Petersburg on {{OldStyleDate|24 February|1859|12 February}}.
* [[George Rochberg]] – ''Caprice Variations'' (1970), 50 variations for solo violin
* [[Michael Romeo]] – "[[The Dark Chapter|Concerto in B Minor]]" is an adaptation of Allegro Maestoso (first movement) of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7.
* [[Uli Jon Roth]] – "Scherzo alla Paganini" and "Paganini Paraphrase"
* [[Robert Schumann]] – Studies after Caprices by Paganini, Op. 3 (1832; piano); 6 Concert Studies on Caprices by Paganini, Op. 10 (1833, piano). A movement from his piano work ''[[Carnaval (Schumann)|Carnaval]]'' (Op. 9) is named for Paganini.
* [[Johann Sedlatzek]] (19th-century Polish flautist known as "The Paganini of the Flute") – "Souvenir à Paganini" Grand Variations on "The Carnival of Venice"
* [[Marilyn Shrude]] – ''Renewing the Myth'' for alto saxophone and piano
* [[Steve Vai]] – "Eugene's Trick Bag" from the movie ''[[Crossroads (1986 film)|Crossroads]]''. Based on Caprice Nr. 5
* [[Philip Wilby]] – ''Paganini Variations'' for both wind band and brass band
* [[August Wilhelmj]] – ''Paganini Concerto in D major'' (recomposed paraphrase of the first movement of the Op. 6 Concerto) for violin and orchestra
* [[Eugène Ysaÿe]] – ''Paganini Variations'' for violin and piano
The ''[[Caprice No. 24 (Paganini)|Caprice No. 24]] in A minor'', Op. 1, (''Tema con variazioni'') has been the basis of works by many other composers. Notable examples include [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s ''[[Variations on a Theme of Paganini]]'' and [[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]]'s ''[[Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini]]''.


===Memorials and other tributes===
==Bibliography==
[[File:1900 Imperial Cabinet Card of Fiorini Fake Daguerreotype of Niccolò Paganini.jpg|thumb|1900 Imperial Cabinet card of famous Fiorini fake [[daguerreotype]] of Paganini]]
* Leopold Auer, ''Violin playing as I teach it'', Stokes, 1921 (reprint Dover, 1980).
In 1904 the [[Genoa Conservatory]] was renamed the "Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini" in honor of the composer.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Dalla Scuola Gratuita di Canto al Conservatorio: la storia del “Paganini”|author=Salvatore Pintacuda|title=Il Paganini: Quaderno Del Conservatorio "N. Paganini" Di Genova. Numero Monografico La Store Del Conservatorio|publisher=Autorizzazione Tribunale di Genova via De Ferrari Editore|editor=Roberto Iovino|year=2017|url=https://www.conspaganini.it/sites/default/files/upload/doc/Pubblicazioni/WEB_Paganini%202017.pdf|issn=2465-0528|page=66}}</ref> The conservatory is also host to the [[Paganini Competition]] (''Premio Paganini''); an international violin competition created in 1954.
* Alberto Bachmann, ''An Encyclopedia of the violin'', Da Capo, 1925.
* Boscassi Angelo, ''Il Violino di Niccolò Paganini conservato nel Palazzo Municipale di Genova'', Fratelli Pagano, 1909.
* Yehudi Menuhin and William Primrose, ''Violin and viola'', MacDonald and Jane's, 1976.
* Yehudi Menuhin and Curtis W. Davis, ''The Music of man'', Methuen, 1979.
* John Sugden, ''Paganini'', Omnibus Press, 1980.
* Bruno Monsaingeon,''The Art of violin'', NVC Arts (on film), 2001.
* Masters of the Nineteenth Century Guitar, Mel Bay Publications.


In 1972 the State of Italy purchased a large collection of Niccolò Paganini manuscripts from the W. Heyer Library of Cologne. They are housed at the [[Biblioteca Casanatense]] in Rome.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.casanatense.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:la-musica&catid=38:il-patrimonio&Itemid=86&lang=en| title = Biblioteca Casanatense.| access-date = 24 March 2010| archive-date = 30 December 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191230053802/http://www.casanatense.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93:la-musica&catid=38:il-patrimonio&Itemid=86&lang=en| url-status = dead}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Paganini Competition]]


In 1982 the city of Genoa commissioned a thematic catalogue of music by Paganini, edited by Maria Rosa Moretti and Anna Sorrento, hence the abbreviation "MS" assigned to his catalogued works.<ref>Moretti, M.R. & Sorrento, A. (eds). ''Catalogo tematico delle musiche di Niccolò Paganini'' (Genoa: Comune di Genova, 1982).</ref>
*[[Robert Johnson (musician)]]

A [[minor planet]] [[2859 Paganini]] discovered in 1978 by Soviet astronomer [[Nikolai Chernykh]] is named after him.<ref>{{Cite book| last = Schmadel | first = Lutz D. | author-link = Lutz D. Schmadel | title = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names | page = 235 | edition = 5th | year = 2003 | publisher=Springer Verlag | location = New York | isbn = 978-3-540-00238-3}}</ref>

=== Fiorini daguerreotype ===
Although no photographs of Paganini are known to exist, in 1900 Italian violin maker [[Giuseppe Fiorini]] forged the now famous fake [[daguerreotype]] of the celebrated violinist.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kawabata |first=Mai |date=20 June 2013 |title=Paganini: The 'demonic' Virtuoso |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P1qJRimF6noC&q=Fiorini+Paganini&pg=PA1 |location=US|publisher=The Boydell Press |page=3 |isbn=978-1843837565 }}</ref> So well in fact, that even the great classical author and conversationalist Arthur M. Abell was led to believe it to be true, reprinting the image in the 22 January 1901 issue of the ''Musical Courier''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gegoux.com/fake.htm|title=Faked image of Nicolò Paganini|access-date=26 February 2017|author=Gegoux|archive-date=27 March 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970327033834/http://www.gegoux.com/fake.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Dramatic portrayals===
{{See also|List of composers depicted on film}}
Paganini has been portrayed by a number of actors in film and television productions, including [[Stewart Granger]] in the 1946 biographical portrait ''[[The Magic Bow]]'', Roxy Roth in ''[[A Song to Remember]]'' (1945), [[Klaus Kinski]] in ''[[Kinski Paganini (film)|Kinski Paganini]]'' (1989), and [[David Garrett (musician)|David Garrett]] in ''[[The Devil's Violinist]]'' (2013).

In the Soviet 1982 miniseries ''Niccolo Paganini'', the musician was portrayed by the Armenian actor [[Vladimir Msryan]]. The series focuses on Paganini's relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. Another Soviet actor, [[Armen Dzhigarkhanyan]], played Paganini's fictionalized arch-rival, an insidious [[Jesuit]] official. The information in the series is generally spurious, and it also plays to some of the myths and legends rampant during the musician's lifetime. One memorable scene shows Paganini's adversaries sabotaging his violin before a high-profile performance, causing all strings but one to break during the concert. An undeterred Paganini continues to perform on three, two, and finally on a single string. In actuality, Paganini himself occasionally broke strings during his performances on purpose so he could further display his virtuosity.<ref>"Paganini, Niccolò." ''Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite.'' Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011.</ref> He did this by carefully filing notches into them to weaken them, so that they would break when in use.

In [[Don Nigro]]'s satirical comedy play ''Paganini'' (1995), the great violinist seeks vainly for his salvation, claiming that he unknowingly [[Deal with the Devil|sold his soul to the Devil]]. "Variation upon variation," he cries at one point, "but which variation leads to salvation and which to damnation? Music is a question for which there is no answer." Paganini is portrayed as having killed three of his lovers and sinking repeatedly into poverty, prison, and drink. Each time he is "rescued" by the Devil, who appears in different guises, returning Paganini's violin so he can continue playing. In the end, Paganini's salvation—administered by a god-like Clockmaker—turns out to be imprisonment in a large bottle where he plays his music for the amusement of the public through all eternity. "Do not pity him, my dear," the Clockmaker tells Antonia, one of Paganini's murdered wives. "He is alone with the answer for which there is no question. The saved and the damned are the same."

The musical ''Cross Road'', premiered 2022 and revived 2024, features Niccolo Paganini as a main character, played by [[Hiroki Aiba]] (2022 and 2024), Kenta Mizue (2022), and Kento Kinouchi (2024).<ref>{{Cite web |title=シアタークリエ ミュージカル『CROSS ROAD~悪魔のヴァイオリニスト パガニーニ~』 |url=https://www.tohostage.com/crossroad/ |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=www.tohostage.com}}</ref> The story is about his making a contract with the Devil of Music, [[Amduscias]], played by [[Akinori Nakagawa]] in both productions. The musical is by Bun-O Fujisawa, composed by Toshiyuki Muranaka. It was performed at Theater Creation in Tokyo, Japan, with a national tour in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yoshida |first=Sana |title=中川晃教、相葉裕樹が役を深め、新たな作品を魅せる ミュージカル『CROSS ROAD~悪魔のヴァイオリニスト パガニーニ~』ゲネプロレポート {{!}} SPICE - エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイス |url=https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/328220 |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=SPICE(スパイス)|エンタメ特化型情報メディア スパイス |language=ja}}</ref>

Another musical about Paganini has been produced in South Korea, called ''Paganini''. It focuses on his son, Achille.<ref>{{Cite web |title=더뮤지컬 |url=https://www.themusical.co.kr/Musical/Detail?num=2660 |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=www.themusical.co.kr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Service (KOCIS) |first=Korean Culture and Information |title=Musical 'Paganini' : Korea.net : The official website of the Republic of Korea |url=https://www.korea.net/Events/Performances/view?articleId=12813 |access-date=2024-07-11 |website=www.korea.net |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Auer |first1=Leopold |title=Violin Playing As I Teach It |date=1980 |orig-date=1921 |publisher=Dover |location=New York |isbn=0486239179 |lccn=79055749 |ol=4429295M}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bachmann |first1=Alberto |title=An Encyclopedia of the Violin |date=1975 |orig-date=1926 |publisher=Da Capo |location=New York |isbn=0306800047 |lccn=74020867 |ol=5057691M}}
* {{cite book |last1=Berford |first1=Tatiana |title=Николо Паганини: Стилевые истоки творчества |trans-title=The Stylistic Sources of Niccolò Paganini's Work|date=2010 |publisher=Novikov |location=St Petersburg |isbn=978-5-87991-089-6 |language=ru}}
* {{cite book |last1=Borer |first1=Philippe |author1-link=Philippe Borer |title=The Twenty-Four Caprices of Niccolo Paganini |date=1997 |publisher=Zurich University |location=Zurich}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Borer |first1=Philippe |author1-link=Philippe Borer |title=Some Reflections on Paganini's Violin Strings |journal=Proceedings of the International Conference on Violin Making |language=en, it |date=2004 |pages=85–98 |url=http://www.silkqin.com/03qobj/strings/pagstrings.pdf |access-date=11 August 2023}}
* {{cite book |last1=Boscassi |first1=Angelo |title=Il Violino di Niccolò Paganini conservato nel Palazzo Municipale di Genova |date=1909 |publisher=Fratelli Pagano |location=Napoli |url=https://archive.org/details/PaganiniViolin_201702/page/n1/mode/2up |language=it}}
* {{cite book |last1=de Courcy |first1=Geraldine I. C. |authorlink=Geraldine de Courcy |title=Paganini, the Genoese |date=1957 |publisher=University of Oklahoma |location=Norman |lccn=57005953 |oclc=890638 |ol=6221039M}}
* {{cite book |last1=Menuhin |first1=Yehudi |author1-link=Yehudi Menuhin |last2=Primrose |first2=William |author2-link=William Primrose |last3=Stevens |first3=Denis |author3-link=Denis Stevens |title=Violin and Viola |date=1976 |publisher=Macdonald and Jane's |location=London |isbn=0356047156 |lccn=76379117 |ol=4950946M}}
* {{cite book |last1=Prefumo |first1=Danilo |last2=Dellaborra |first2=Mariateresa |title=Paganini: la vita, le opere, il suo tempo |date=2020 |publisher=Libreria Musicale Italiana |location=Lucca |isbn=978-8855430487 |language=it}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pulver |first1=Jeffrey |title=Paganini, the Romantic Virtuoso |date=1970 |orig-date=1936 |publisher=Da Capo |location=New York |isbn=0306711990 |lccn=69011669 |oclc=65938 |ol=21254176M}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Archival records|title=Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation Collection on Nicolò Paganini|location= [[Music Division, Library of Congress]]|description_URL=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu021042}}
*{{IckingArchive|idx=Paganini|name=Niccolò Paganini}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.viola-in-music.com/nicolo-paganini.html Viola in music] - Niccolò Paganini
* {{IMSLP|Paganini, Niccolò}}
*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=Os2tQz3YyAw&mode=related&search= Nicolo Paganini Documentary - "Paganini's Daemon"] on YouTube
* [http://www.viola-in-music.com/nicolo-paganini.html Viola in music] – Niccolò Paganini
* {{IMSLP|id=Paganini%2C_Niccol%C3%B2|cname=Paganini}}
* [http://www.paganiniana.org.uk Nicolo Paganini Discography: Exhaustive list of recordings (coarse- and micro-groove records, CD, SACD, VHS & DVD) arranged under 12 instrumental sections; includes index of artists, selected album covers & detailed composition list] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104114607/http://www.paganiniana.org.uk/ |date=4 November 2008 }}
*[http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/2007/05/niccolo-paganini-devils-violinist.html] - The Human Marvels entry. J. Tithonus Pednaud
* {{MutopiaComposer|PaganiniN}}
*[http://www.closelinks.com/facts.php?id=2200 www.closelinks.com Free Family Tree]
* [http://www.ram.ac.uk/museum/exhibition/paganini-in-london Paganini in London] (Royal Academy of Music) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001201908/http://www.ram.ac.uk/museum/exhibition/paganini-in-london |date=1 October 2017 }}
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'''Images'''
{{Persondata
* [http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWireIndex=index&p=1&lang=EN&q=Paganini Images of Paganini] (Gallica)
|NAME= Paganini, Niccolò

|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Paganini, Niccolò
{{Niccolò Paganini}}
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[Composer]], [[violin]]ist
{{Romantic music}}
|DATE OF BIRTH= [[October 27]], [[1782]]
{{Romanticism|state=collapsed}}
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Genoa]], [[Italy]]
{{Portal bar|Classical music|Italy|Biography|Music}}
|DATE OF DEATH= [[May 27]], [[1840]]

|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Nice]], [[France]]
{{Authority control}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paganini, Niccolò}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paganini, Niccolo}}
[[Category:Niccolò Paganini| ]]
[[Category:1782 births]]
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[[Category:19th-century Italian classical composers]]
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[[Category:Chamber virtuosi of the Emperor of Austria]]
[[Category:Composers for the classical guitar]]
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Latest revision as of 05:40, 6 November 2024

Paganini in 1836 by John Whittle

Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (Italian: [ni(k)koˈlɔ ppaɡaˈniːni] ; 27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op. 1 are among the best known of his compositions and have served as an inspiration for many prominent composers.

Biography

Portrait of a young Paganini

Childhood

Niccolò Paganini was born in Genoa (then capital of the Republic of Genoa) on 27 October 1782, the third of the six children of Antonio and Teresa (née Bocciardo) Paganini.[1]: 11  Antonio Paganini was an unsuccessful ship chandler,[2] but he managed to supplement his income by working as a musician and by selling mandolins.[1]: 11  At the age of five, Paganini started learning the mandolin from his father and moved to the violin by the age of seven. His musical talents were quickly recognized, earning him numerous scholarships for violin lessons. The young Paganini studied under various local violinists, including Giovanni Servetto and Giacomo Costa, but his progress quickly outpaced their abilities. Paganini and his father then traveled to Parma to seek further guidance from Alessandro Rolla. But upon listening to Paganini's playing, Rolla immediately referred him to his own teacher, Ferdinando Paer and, later, Paer's own teacher, Gasparo Ghiretti.

Early career

The French invaded northern Italy in March 1796, and the political situation in Genoa became unstable. The Paganinis sought refuge in their country property in Romairone, near Bolzaneto. It was in this period that Paganini is thought to have developed his relationship with the guitar.[1]: 18  He mastered the guitar, but preferred to play it in exclusively intimate, rather than public concerts.[3] He later described the guitar as his "constant companion" on his concert tours. By 1800, Paganini and his father traveled to Livorno, where Paganini played in concerts and his father resumed his maritime work. In 1801, the 18-year-old Paganini was appointed first violin of the Republic of Lucca, but a substantial portion of his income came from freelancing. His fame as a violinist was matched only by his reputation as a gambler and philanderer.

In 1805, Lucca was annexed by Napoleonic France, and the region was ceded to Napoleon's sister, Elisa Bonaparte. Paganini became a violinist for the Baciocchi court, while giving private lessons to Elisa's husband, Felice for ten years. During this time, his wife and Paganini were also carrying on a romantic affair.[4] In 1807, Baciocchi became the Grand Duchess of Tuscany and her court was transferred to Florence. Paganini was part of the entourage but, towards the end of 1809, he left Baciocchi to resume his freelance career.[citation needed]

Travelling virtuoso

1831 bulletin advertising a performance of Paganini

For the next few years, Paganini returned to touring in the areas surrounding Parma and Genoa. Though he was very popular with the local audience, he was still not very well known in the rest of Europe. His first break came from an 1813 concert at La Scala in Milan. The concert was a great success. As a result, Paganini began to attract the attention of other prominent, though more conservative, musicians across Europe. His early encounters with Charles Philippe Lafont and Louis Spohr created intense rivalry.

In 1827, Pope Leo XII honoured Paganini with the Order of the Golden Spur.[5][6] His fame spread across Europe with a concert tour that started in Vienna in August 1828, stopping in every major European city in Germany, Poland, and Bohemia until February 1831 in Strasbourg. This was followed by tours in Paris and Britain. His technical ability and his willingness to display it received much critical acclaim. In addition to his own compositions, theme and variations being the most popular, Paganini also performed modified versions of works (primarily concertos) written by his early contemporaries, such as Rodolphe Kreutzer and Giovanni Battista Viotti.

Paganini's travels also brought him into contact with eminent guitar virtuosi of the day, including Ferdinando Carulli in Paris and Mauro Giuliani in Vienna.[7]

Late career and health decline

Throughout his life, Paganini was no stranger to chronic illnesses. Although no definite medical proof exists, it has been later theorized that he might have been affected by Marfan syndrome[8][9] or Ehlers–Danlos syndrome.[10] His frequent concert schedule, as well as his extravagant lifestyle, may have affected his health. Paganini was diagnosed with syphilis as early as 1822, and his remedy, which included mercury and opium, came with serious physical and psychological side effects. In 1834, while still in Paris, he was treated for tuberculosis.

In September 1834, Paganini put an end to his concert career and returned to Genoa. Contrary to popular beliefs involving his wishing to keep his music and techniques secret, Paganini devoted his time to the publication of his compositions and violin methods. He accepted students, of whom two enjoyed moderate success: violinist Camillo Sivori and cellist Gaetano Ciandelli. Neither, however, considered Paganini helpful or inspirational. In 1835, Paganini returned to Parma, this time under the employ of Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, Napoleon's second wife. He was in charge of reorganizing her court orchestra, but he eventually conflicted with the players and court, so his visions never saw completion. In Paris, he befriended the 11-year-old Polish virtuoso Apollinaire de Kontski, giving him some lessons and a signed testimonial. It was widely put about, falsely, that Paganini was so impressed with de Kontski's skills that he bequeathed him his violins and manuscripts.[11]

Final years, death, and burial

Tomb of Paganini in Parma, Italy

In 1836, Paganini returned to Paris to set up a casino. Its immediate failure left him in financial ruin, and he auctioned off his personal effects, including his musical instruments, to recoup his losses. At Christmas of 1838, he left Paris for Marseille and, after a brief stay, traveled to Nice where his condition worsened. In May 1840, the Bishop of Nice sent Paganini a local parish priest to perform the last rites. Paganini assumed the sacrament was premature, and refused.[5]

A week later, on 27 May 1840, the 57-year-old Paganini died from internal hemorrhaging before a priest could be summoned. Because of this, and his widely rumored association with the devil, the Church denied his body a Catholic burial in Genoa. It took four years and an appeal to the Pope before the Church let his body be transported to Genoa, but it was still not buried. His body was finally buried in 1876, in a cemetery in Parma. In 1893, the Czech violinist František Ondříček persuaded Paganini's grandson, Attila, to allow a viewing of the violinist's body. After this episode, Paganini's body was finally reinterred in a new cemetery in Parma in 1896.[12]

Personal life

Henriette Sontag and Niccolò Paganini. Detail of Parade on Opernplatz in 1822 by Franz Krüger

Though having no shortage of romantic conquests, Paganini was seriously involved with a singer named Antonia Bianchi from Como, whom he met in Milan in 1813. The two gave concerts together throughout Italy. They had a son, Achille Ciro Alessandro, born on 23 July 1825 in Palermo and baptized at San Bartolomeo's. They never legalized their union and it ended around April 1828 in Vienna. Paganini brought Achille on his European tours, and Achille later accompanied his father until the latter's death.

Throughout his career, Paganini also became close friends with composers Gioachino Rossini and Hector Berlioz. Rossini and Paganini met in Bologna in the summer of 1818. In January 1821, on his return from Naples, Paganini met Rossini again in Rome, just in time to become the substitute conductor for Rossini's opera Matilde di Shabran, upon the sudden death of the original conductor. Paganini's efforts earned great gratitude from Rossini.[13]

Paganini met Berlioz in Paris in 1833 and they continued to correspond. He commissioned a piece from the composer, but was not satisfied with the resultant four-movement piece for orchestra and viola obbligato, Harold en Italie. He never performed it; instead, it was premiered a year later by violist Christian Urhan. He did, however, write his own Sonata per Gran Viola Op. 35 (with orchestra or guitar accompaniment). Despite his alleged lack of interest in Harold, Paganini often referred to Berlioz as the resurrection of Beethoven and, towards the end of his life, he gave large sums to the composer. They shared an active interest in the guitar, which they both played and used in compositions. Paganini gave Berlioz a guitar, which they both signed on its sound box.[14]

Playing style

Instruments

Views of the Hubay 1726 Stradivari

Paganini was in possession of a number of fine stringed instruments, including 11 Stradivari at the time of his death.[15] More legendary than these were the circumstances under which he obtained (and lost) some of them. While Paganini was still a teenager in Livorno, a wealthy businessman named Livron lent him a violin, made by the master luthier Giuseppe Guarneri, for a concert. Livron was so impressed with Paganini's playing that he refused to take it back. This particular violin came to be known as Il Cannone Guarnerius ("The Cannon of Guarnieri") because of its powerful voice and resonance.[16]

Il Cannone Guarnerius on exhibit at the Palazzo Doria-Tursi in Genoa, Italy

Other instruments associated with Paganini include the Antonio Amati 1600, the Nicolò Amati 1657, the Paganini-Desaint 1680 Stradivari, the Guarneri-filius Andrea 1706, the Le Brun 1712 Stradivari, the Vuillaume c. 1720 Bergonzi, the Hubay 1726 Stradivari, and the Comte Cozio di Salabue 1727 violins; the Countess of Flanders 1582 da Salò-di Bertolotti, and the Mendelssohn 1731 Stradivari violas; the Piatti 1700 Goffriller, the Stanlein 1707 Stradivari, and the Ladenburg 1736 Stradivari cellos; and the Grobert of Mirecourt 1820 (guitar).[17]

Of his guitars, there is little evidence remaining of his various choices of instrument. The aforementioned guitar that he gave to Berlioz is a French instrument made by one Grobert of Mirecourt. The luthier made his instrument in the style of René Lacôte, a more well-known Paris-based guitar-maker. It is preserved and on display in the Musée de la Musique in Paris.[18]

Of the guitars he owned through his life, there was an instrument by Gennaro Fabricatore that he had refused to sell even in his periods of financial stress, and was among the instruments in his possession at the time of his death.

Violin technique

Bust of Niccolò Paganini by David d'Angers (1830–1833)

The Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis once referred to Paganini as a phenomenon rather than a development. Though some of the techniques frequently employed by Paganini were already present, most accomplished violinists of the time focused on intonation and bowing techniques. Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713) was considered a pioneer in transforming the violin from an ensemble instrument to a solo instrument. Other notable violinists included Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) and Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770), who, in their compositions, reflected the increasing technical and musical demands on the violinist. Although the role of the violin in music drastically changed through this period, progress in violin technique was steady but slow.

Much of Paganini's playing (and his violin composition) was influenced by two violinists, Pietro Locatelli (1693–1746) and August Duranowski (Auguste Frédéric Durand) (1770–1834). During Paganini's study in Parma, he came across the 24 Caprices of Locatelli (entitled L'arte di nuova modulazione – Capricci enigmatici or The art of the new style – the enigmatic caprices). Published in the 1730s, they were shunned by the musical authorities for their technical innovations, and were forgotten by the musical community at large. Around the same time, Durand, a former student of Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755–1824), became a celebrated violinist. He was renowned for his use of harmonics, both natural and artificial (which had previously not been attempted in performance), and the left hand pizzicato in his performance.[19] Paganini was impressed by Durand's innovations and showmanship, which later also became the hallmarks of the young violin virtuoso. Paganini was instrumental in the revival and popularization of these violinistic techniques.

Another aspect of Paganini's violin techniques concerned his flexibility. He had exceptionally long fingers and was capable of playing three octaves across four strings in a hand span, an extraordinary feat even by today's standards.[20]

Compositions

Paganini: all six violin concertos

Paganini composed his own works to play exclusively in his concerts, all of which profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique. His 24 Caprices were likely composed between 1805 and 1809, while he was in the service of the Baciocchi court. Also during this period, he composed the majority of the solo pieces, duo-sonatas, trios, and quartets for the guitar, either as a solo instrument or with strings. These chamber works may have been inspired by the publication, in Lucca, of the guitar quintets of Boccherini. Many of his variations, including Le Streghe, The Carnival of Venice, and Nel cor più non-mi sento, were composed, or at least first performed, before his European concert tour. His six violin concertos were written between 1817 and 1830.[21]

Generally speaking, Paganini's compositions were technically imaginative, and the timbre of the instrument was greatly expanded as a result of these works. Sounds of different musical instruments and animals were often imitated. One such composition was titled Il Fandango Spanolo (The Spanish Dance), which featured a series of humorous imitations of farm animals. Even more outrageous was a solo piece Duetto Amoroso, in which the sighs and groans of lovers were intimately depicted on the violin. There survives a manuscript of the Duetto, which has been recorded. The existence of the Fandango is known only through concert posters.[22]

Eugène Ysaÿe criticized Paganini's works for lacking characteristics of true polyphonism.[23] Yehudi Menuhin, on the other hand, suggested that this might have been the result of Paganini's reliance on the guitar (in lieu of the piano) as an aid in composition.[16] The orchestral parts for his concertos were often polite, unadventurous, and clearly supportive of the soloist. In this, his style is consistent with that of other Italian composers such as Giovanni Paisiello, Gioachino Rossini, and Gaetano Donizetti, who were influenced by the guitar-song milieu of Naples during this period.[24]

Paganini's "La Campanella" and the A minor Caprice (No. 24) have inspired many composers, including Franz Liszt, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Boris Blacher, Andrew Lloyd Webber, George Rochberg, and Witold Lutosławski, all of whom wrote variations on these works.

Legacy and influence

Inspired works

Portrait of Niccolò Paganini by Andrea Cefaly

Notable works inspired by compositions of Paganini include:

  • Jason BeckerCaprice No. 5
  • Mike Campese – "Paganini", arrangement of Caprice No. 16 and various works.
  • Julián Carrillo – "6 Sonatas dedicadas a Paganini" for solo violin.
  • Alfredo CasellaPaganiniana Op. 65 (1942)
  • Mario Castelnuovo-TedescoCapriccio Diabolico for classical guitar is a homage to Paganini, and quotes "La campanella"
  • Frédéric ChopinSouvenir de Paganini for solo piano (1829; published posthumously)
  • Ivry Gitlis – Cadenza for the 1st movement of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 Op. 7 "La Campanella" (1967)
  • Johann Nepomuk Hummel – Fantasia for piano in C major "Souvenir de Paganini", WoO 8, S. 190.
  • Fritz KreislerPaganini Concerto in D major (recomposed paraphrase of the first movement of the Op. 6 Concerto) for violin and orchestra
  • Franz LehárPaganini, a fictionalized operetta about Paganini (1925)
  • Franz Liszt – Six Grandes Études de Paganini, S. 141 for solo piano (1851) (virtuoso arrangements of 5 caprices, including the 24th, and La Campanella from Violin Concerto No. 2)
  • Yngwie Malmsteen – Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 4 is used in the opening of "Far Beyond the Sun" in Trial by Fire. Caprice No. 24 was used as a part of the solo in the song "Prophet of Doom" from the album War to End All Wars.
  • Nathan MilsteinPaganiniana, a set of variations based on the theme from Paganini's 24th Caprice in which the variations are based on motifs from other caprices
  • Cesare Pugni"Le Carnaval de Venise" pas de deux (aka "Satanella" pas de deux). Based on airs from Paganini's Il carnevale di Venezia, op. 10. Originally choreographed by Marius Petipa as a concert piece for himself and the ballerina Amalia Ferraris. First performed at the Imperial Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre of Saint Petersburg on 24 February [O.S. 12 February] 1859.
  • George RochbergCaprice Variations (1970), 50 variations for solo violin
  • Michael Romeo – "Concerto in B Minor" is an adaptation of Allegro Maestoso (first movement) of Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7.
  • Uli Jon Roth – "Scherzo alla Paganini" and "Paganini Paraphrase"
  • Robert Schumann – Studies after Caprices by Paganini, Op. 3 (1832; piano); 6 Concert Studies on Caprices by Paganini, Op. 10 (1833, piano). A movement from his piano work Carnaval (Op. 9) is named for Paganini.
  • Johann Sedlatzek (19th-century Polish flautist known as "The Paganini of the Flute") – "Souvenir à Paganini" Grand Variations on "The Carnival of Venice"
  • Marilyn ShrudeRenewing the Myth for alto saxophone and piano
  • Steve Vai – "Eugene's Trick Bag" from the movie Crossroads. Based on Caprice Nr. 5
  • Philip WilbyPaganini Variations for both wind band and brass band
  • August WilhelmjPaganini Concerto in D major (recomposed paraphrase of the first movement of the Op. 6 Concerto) for violin and orchestra
  • Eugène YsaÿePaganini Variations for violin and piano

The Caprice No. 24 in A minor, Op. 1, (Tema con variazioni) has been the basis of works by many other composers. Notable examples include Brahms's Variations on a Theme of Paganini and Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.

Memorials and other tributes

1900 Imperial Cabinet card of famous Fiorini fake daguerreotype of Paganini

In 1904 the Genoa Conservatory was renamed the "Conservatorio Niccolò Paganini" in honor of the composer.[25] The conservatory is also host to the Paganini Competition (Premio Paganini); an international violin competition created in 1954.

In 1972 the State of Italy purchased a large collection of Niccolò Paganini manuscripts from the W. Heyer Library of Cologne. They are housed at the Biblioteca Casanatense in Rome.[26]

In 1982 the city of Genoa commissioned a thematic catalogue of music by Paganini, edited by Maria Rosa Moretti and Anna Sorrento, hence the abbreviation "MS" assigned to his catalogued works.[27]

A minor planet 2859 Paganini discovered in 1978 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Chernykh is named after him.[28]

Fiorini daguerreotype

Although no photographs of Paganini are known to exist, in 1900 Italian violin maker Giuseppe Fiorini forged the now famous fake daguerreotype of the celebrated violinist.[29] So well in fact, that even the great classical author and conversationalist Arthur M. Abell was led to believe it to be true, reprinting the image in the 22 January 1901 issue of the Musical Courier.[30]

Dramatic portrayals

Paganini has been portrayed by a number of actors in film and television productions, including Stewart Granger in the 1946 biographical portrait The Magic Bow, Roxy Roth in A Song to Remember (1945), Klaus Kinski in Kinski Paganini (1989), and David Garrett in The Devil's Violinist (2013).

In the Soviet 1982 miniseries Niccolo Paganini, the musician was portrayed by the Armenian actor Vladimir Msryan. The series focuses on Paganini's relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. Another Soviet actor, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, played Paganini's fictionalized arch-rival, an insidious Jesuit official. The information in the series is generally spurious, and it also plays to some of the myths and legends rampant during the musician's lifetime. One memorable scene shows Paganini's adversaries sabotaging his violin before a high-profile performance, causing all strings but one to break during the concert. An undeterred Paganini continues to perform on three, two, and finally on a single string. In actuality, Paganini himself occasionally broke strings during his performances on purpose so he could further display his virtuosity.[31] He did this by carefully filing notches into them to weaken them, so that they would break when in use.

In Don Nigro's satirical comedy play Paganini (1995), the great violinist seeks vainly for his salvation, claiming that he unknowingly sold his soul to the Devil. "Variation upon variation," he cries at one point, "but which variation leads to salvation and which to damnation? Music is a question for which there is no answer." Paganini is portrayed as having killed three of his lovers and sinking repeatedly into poverty, prison, and drink. Each time he is "rescued" by the Devil, who appears in different guises, returning Paganini's violin so he can continue playing. In the end, Paganini's salvation—administered by a god-like Clockmaker—turns out to be imprisonment in a large bottle where he plays his music for the amusement of the public through all eternity. "Do not pity him, my dear," the Clockmaker tells Antonia, one of Paganini's murdered wives. "He is alone with the answer for which there is no question. The saved and the damned are the same."

The musical Cross Road, premiered 2022 and revived 2024, features Niccolo Paganini as a main character, played by Hiroki Aiba (2022 and 2024), Kenta Mizue (2022), and Kento Kinouchi (2024).[32] The story is about his making a contract with the Devil of Music, Amduscias, played by Akinori Nakagawa in both productions. The musical is by Bun-O Fujisawa, composed by Toshiyuki Muranaka. It was performed at Theater Creation in Tokyo, Japan, with a national tour in 2024.[33]

Another musical about Paganini has been produced in South Korea, called Paganini. It focuses on his son, Achille.[34][35]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sugden, John (1986). Paganini. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 071190264X. OL 911994M.
  2. ^ Martens, Frederick H. (1922). Little Biographies: Paganini. New York City: Breitkopf. p. 6. OL 13550064M.
  3. ^ P.J. Bone: The Guitar and Mandolin. Schotts, UK 1954.
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