Niccolo Paganini
(born October 27, 1782,
Genoa
, republic of Genoa [Italy]?died May 27, 1840,
Nice
, France) was an Italian composer and principal
violin
virtuoso of the 19th century. A popular idol, he inspired the
Romantic
mystique of the virtuoso and revolutionized violin technique.
After initial study with his father, Paganini studied with a local violinist, G. Servetto, and then with the celebrated Giacomo Costa. He made his first appearance in 1793 and then studied with Alessandro Rolla and Gaspare Ghiretti at
Parma
. In 1797, accompanied by his father, he toured Lombardy, where with each concert his reputation grew. Gaining his independence soon after, he indulged excessively in gambling and
romantic
love affairs. At one point he pawned his violin because of gambling debts; a French merchant lent him a
Guarneri
violin to play a concert and, after hearing him, gave him the instrument.
Britannica Quiz
Composers & Their Music
Between 1801 and 1807 he wrote the
24
Capricci
for unaccompanied violin, displaying the novel features of his technique, and the two sets of six
sonatas
for violin and guitar. He reappeared in
Italy
as a violinist in 1805 and was appointed director of
music
at Piombino by
Napoleon
’s sister,
Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi
. He later gave recitals of his own
compositions
in many towns in Italy and about 1824 formed his long attachment with the singer Antonia Bianchi.
In 1828 Paganini experienced great success in Vienna, and his appearances in Paris and London in 1831 were equally sensational. His tour of England and Scotland in 1832 made him a wealthy man. In 1833 he settled in Paris, where he commissioned
Hector Berlioz
to write his symphony
Harold en Italie
. Paganini thought that the challenge of its
viola
solo was too slight, however, and he never played it. Following the failure of the Casino Paganini, a gambling house in which he had invested, he went to Marseille in 1839, then to Nice.
Paganini’s romantic personality and adventures created in his own day the
legend
of a
Mephistophelean figure
. Stories circulated that he was in league with the devil and that he had been imprisoned for murder; his burial in
consecrated
ground was delayed for five years. He was long regarded as a miser, but a more accurate portrait would consider his desire to be free from a train of dependent followers and their importunities for his largesse. His gift of 20,000 francs to the struggling composer
Berlioz
was an act of generosity seemingly uncharacteristic; possibly Paganini, recognizing in “
Beethoven
’s successor” a worthy talent, thought it was his duty to come to the composer’s aid.
His violin technique, based on that of his works, principally the
Capricci
, the violin concertos, and the sets of variations, demanded a wide use of harmonics and pizzicato effects, new methods of fingering and even of tuning. In performance he improvised brilliantly. He was also a
flamboyant
showman who used trick effects such as severing one or two violin strings and continuing the piece on the remaining strings. His technical
innovations
were imitated by later virtuosi, notably
Pablo Sarasate
and
Eugene Ysaye
. His other works include 6 violin concertos, of which the first, in D major, is especially popular; 12 sonatas for violin and guitar; and 6 quartets for violin, viola, cello, and guitar. The influence of his virtuosity extended to orchestral as well as to piano music. His influence on
Franz Liszt
was immense. Themes from the
Capricci
inspired works by Liszt,
Robert Schumann
,
Johannes Brahms
, and
Sergey Rachmaninoff
.
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