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Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini, (October 27, 1782 – May 27, 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist and composer. He is one of the most famous violin virtuosi, and is considered one of the greatest violinists who ever lived, with perfect intonation and innovative techniques. He is also widely regarded as the first ever virtuoso violinist.

Life of Paganini

Niccolò Paganini was born in Genoa, Italy, on 27 October 1782, to Antonio and Teresa (née Bocciardo) Paganini. According to his biographer Peter Lichtenthal, 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 12. In his early teens he studied under various teachers, including Giovanni Servetto and Alessandro Rolla, but he could not cope well with his success; at the age of 16 he was gambling and drinking. His career was saved by an unknown lady, who took him to her estate where he recovered and studied the violin for three years. He also played the guitar during this time.

He reappeared when he was 23, becoming director of music to Napoleon's sister 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.

A pervading myth about Paganini is that he sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for his fearsome technique, a rumor which he delighted in and may have even started himself. During a performance his eyes would roll into the back of his head while playing, revealing the whites. His swaying stance, long unruly hair and thin, gaunt stature would add to this rumor. He played so intensely that women would faint and men would break out weeping.

Paganini's signature violin is known as Cannone Guarnerius, its name given by Paganini to reflect the "cannon" sound it produced. Its strings are nearly on the same plane, as opposed to most violins, the strings of which are distinctly arched to prevent accidentally bowing extra strings. The stringing of the Cannone may have allowed Paganini to play on three or even four strings at once.

In Paris in 1833, he commissioned a viola concerto from Hector Berlioz, who produced Harold in Italy for him, but Paganini never played it.

His health deteriorated due to cancer of the larynx. The disease caused him to lose the ability to speak, but he played his violin until his final hours. The last night before his death it is said he could be heard improvising wildly on his violin. He died in Nice on 27 May, 1840.

He left behind a series of sonatas, caprices, six violin concerti, string quartets, and numerous guitar works.

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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.

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.

Paganini and the development of violin technique

The Israeli violinist Ivry Gitlis once said, "Paganini is not a development ... there were all these before Paganini and then there was Paganini." Though some of these violinistic techniques employed by Paganini were already present in his time, progress on violin technique was slow up to this point. Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) was considered the father of violin technique, transforming the role of the violin from a continuo instrument to a solo instrument. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), with his Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006) firmly established the polyphonic capability of the violin. 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). 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 and also critical for violinists.

Paganini brought forth new techniques for violinists and composers. The writing of violin music was drastically changed through Paganini. His music often called for a wide range of advanced fingering and bowing techniques that proved sensational to audiences and challenging to colleagues of the period. His concert music often called for a combination of staccato, harmonics, pizzicato (on both hands), and wide musical intervals (as much as a major tenth). 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 and color of the instrument to levels previously unknown. Paganini was also a virtuoso guitarist, composing over 200 works for the instrument.

thumb, 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 may have been a result of Marfan syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. His fingering techniques, such as harmonic double-stops, parallel octaves (and tenths), and left-hand pizzicato, were considered almost impossible in his day but are now routine exercises for aspiring violinists. Such leaps in the evolution of violin techniques are only paralleled by the likes of Josef Joachim, and Eugène Ysaÿe, almost half a century later.

Paganini's Solo Caprice No.24 for violin in A minor has been an object of interest for a number of composers. Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Boris Blacher George Rochberg and Witold Lutosławski, amongst others, wrote well-known variations on its theme.

Listing of compositions

* 24 caprices, for solo violin, Op.1
** No. 1 in E major (The arpeggio)
** No. 2 in B minor
** No. 3 in E minor
** No. 4 in C minor
** 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
** No. 14 in E-flat major
** No. 15 in E 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
** No. 24 in A minor (Tema con variazioni)
* Concerto for violin No. 1, in D major, Op. 6 (1817)
* Concerto for violin No. 2, in B minor, Op. 7 (1826) (La Campanella, 'The little bell')
* Concerto for violin No. 3, in E major (1830)
* Concerto for violin No. 4, in D minor (1830)
* Concerto for violin No. 5, in A minor (1830)
* Concerto for violin No. 6, in E minor (1815?) — last movement completed by unknown hand.
* 12 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)
** 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
** 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
* 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

Works inspired by Paganini

* Arban the Carnival of Venice
*Boris Blacher — Variations on a Theme of Paganini (based on the 24th Caprice)
*Johannes Brahms — Paganini Variations, Op.35 (1862-63), for solo piano (2 books), based on the 24th Caprice
*Frédéric Chopin — Souvenir de Paganini for solo piano (1829, posthumous)
*Franz Lehár — Paganini, 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)
*Andrew Lloyd Webber — Variations for cello and orchestra, originally written for cello and rock band
*Andrew Lloyd Webber — Variations (based on the 24th Caprice, cello and jazz/rock band)
*Andrew Lloyd Webber — Song & Dance - the Dance part is a reworked version of Variations
*Witold Lutosławski — Paganini Variations (1941) on the 24th Caprice, originally for two pianos, later arranged in a version for piano and orchestra
*Jason Becker — 5th Caprice.
*Steve Vai — "Eugene's Trick Bag" from the movie Crossroads. Based on 5th Caprice.
*Yngwie J. Malmsteen — Far Beyond The Sun
*Uli Jon Roth — "Scherzo Alla Paganini" and "Paganini Paraphrase"
*Michael Angelo Batio's "No Boundaries"
*Nathan Milstein — Paganiniana, an arrangement of the 24th Caprice, with variations based on the other caprices
*Sergei Rachmaninoff — Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43 (1934), a set of twenty four variations for piano and orchestra on the 24th Caprice
*George Rochberg — Caprice Variations (1970), 50 variations for solo violin
*Robert Schumann — Studies after Caprices by Paganini, Op.3 (1832; piano); 6 Concert Studies on Caprices by Paganini, Op.10 (1833, piano)
*Karol Szymanowski — Trois Caprices de Paganini, arranged for violin and piano, Op.40 (1918)
*Philip Wilby — Paganini Variations
*Bela Fleck — "Moto Perpetuo (Bluegrass version)", from Fleck's 2001 album Perpetual Motion, which also contains a more standard rendition of the piece
*Eugène Ysaÿe — Paganini variations for violin and piano
* Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco capriccio diabolico hommage to paganini for classical guitar. about paganini apparently making a pack with the devil hence the name "diabolico"
* Michael Fath — "24th Caprice" on solo electric guitar

Paganini: 24 Caprices by Elliot Fisk

Bibliography

* Leopold Auer, Violin playing as I teach it, Stokes, 1921 (reprint Dover, 1980).
* Alberto Bachmann, An Encyclopedia of the violin, Da Capo, 1925.
* 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.

Life of Paganini

Paganini and the development of violin technique

Listing of compositions

Works inspired by Paganini

See also

Bibliography

External links