Nicolo Paganini
Nicolo Paganini was one of six children born to Teresa and Antonio Paganini in Genoa, Italy, on October 27, 1782. His father taught him before he was 6 years old, then he studied with G. Serviette, Giacomo Costa, Alessandro Rolla, and Gaspare Ghiretti. He began to perform in public and composed his first sonata in 1790 and, a few years later, commenced on a course of self-training so rigorous that he often played 15 hours a day. In 1797 he started his concert tours, during which he found great success. From 1805 to 1808 he was the court solo violinist at Lucca, appointed by Napoleon’s sister Elisa Bacciocchi. In 1809 Nicolo became a free-lance soloist performing his own music, performing concerts throughout Italy.
In early 1828 Paganini embarked upon a six and a half year tour. Starting in Vienna, he traveled through Germany, Bohemia, Poland, England, Scotland, and finally ended in Paris, France. His performing career made him wealthy and he developed an excessive lifestyle, including gambling and love affairs. His debts reached a point that he pawned his violin to pay them. A French merchant loaned him a Guarneri violin for a performance and then refused to take it back after the concert. Paganini's skill as a performer was so great that it was rumored he had sold his soul to the devil to obtain it.
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 fingerings and bowings.
His compositions included 24 caprices (published in 1820) for unaccompanied violin that are among the most difficult works ever written for the instrument. He also wrote 12 sonatas for violin and guitar; 6 violin concerti; and 6 quartets for violin, viola, cello, and guitar.
Antonia Bianchi, a singer who toured with Paganini in 1825, bore him a son, Cyrus Alexander on July 23, 1825. Although they were never married, he did lavish affection on his son for the rest of his life.
He commissioned Hector Berlioz to write his symphony Harold in Italy. 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 where he died on May 27, 1840.
Sources: paganini.com and britannica.com (Material here includes direct quotations from both sources.)
In early 1828 Paganini embarked upon a six and a half year tour. Starting in Vienna, he traveled through Germany, Bohemia, Poland, England, Scotland, and finally ended in Paris, France. His performing career made him wealthy and he developed an excessive lifestyle, including gambling and love affairs. His debts reached a point that he pawned his violin to pay them. A French merchant loaned him a Guarneri violin for a performance and then refused to take it back after the concert. Paganini's skill as a performer was so great that it was rumored he had sold his soul to the devil to obtain it.
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 fingerings and bowings.
His compositions included 24 caprices (published in 1820) for unaccompanied violin that are among the most difficult works ever written for the instrument. He also wrote 12 sonatas for violin and guitar; 6 violin concerti; and 6 quartets for violin, viola, cello, and guitar.
Antonia Bianchi, a singer who toured with Paganini in 1825, bore him a son, Cyrus Alexander on July 23, 1825. Although they were never married, he did lavish affection on his son for the rest of his life.
He commissioned Hector Berlioz to write his symphony Harold in Italy. 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 where he died on May 27, 1840.
Sources: paganini.com and britannica.com (Material here includes direct quotations from both sources.)
CapriceJascha Heifetz Caprice No. 24
(Auer Edition with Schumann accompaniment) Jascha Heifetz, violin Emanuel Bay, piano |
ConcertoConcerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6, Allegro maestoso
National Orchestra of Russia Vladimir Spivakov, conductor Maria Dueñas, violin |
Quartet
Quartet 15 for viola, violin, cello, and guitar. I. Maestoso
Aurelien Petillot, viola
Helen Bravenec, violin
Julia Cory, cello
Isaac Bustos, guitar
Aurelien Petillot, viola
Helen Bravenec, violin
Julia Cory, cello
Isaac Bustos, guitar