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The remarkable international career of Niccolò Paganini -- regarded in legend as the greatest virtuoso violinist ever -- did not begin untilrelatively late in
life. Born in Genoa in 1782, Paganini received his first musical instruction from his father, a devoted amateur musician.Niccolò's rapid progress on the
violin, however, was such that his father (who was in fact a mandolinist, and thus little suited to train hisprecocious son) was soon compelled to send his
son to Giacomo Costa, maestro di capella of the Cathedral at San Lorenzo, for furtherstudy. Although he quickly gained some ...read more
The remarkable international career of Niccolò Paganini -- regarded in legend as the greatest virtuoso violinist ever -- did not begin untilrelatively late in
life. Born in Genoa in 1782, Paganini received his first musical instruction from his father, a devoted amateur musician.Niccolò's rapid progress on the
violin, however, was such that his father (who was in fact a mandolinist, and thus little suited to train hisprecocious son) was soon compelled to send his
son to Giacomo Costa, maestro di capella of the Cathedral at San Lorenzo, for furtherstudy. Although he quickly gained some local fame and even
embarked on a minor tour of Italy in 1797, it would be many years beforePaganini consented to perform outside his native land.
Paganini began composing seriously after his initial tour of Italy in 1797. He performed little during the initial years of the nineteenthcentury, preferring
instead to devote his time to composition and romance (happily combining the two when he met a Florentine noblewoman,to this day anonymous, with a
passion for the guitar). In 1805 he resumed his active musical career, accepting the directorship of theorchestra at Lucca, and in 1813 he embarked on a
series of concert tours throughout the Italian peninsula.
In 1825, after nearly 30 years of intensive practice and self-scrutiny, Paganini felt he had developed his skills sufficiently to put them ondisplay for all of
Europe, and he left Italy for an extensive European tour (Vienna debut 1828, Paris 1831, London 1831). His astoundingtechnical prowess amazed
audiences of the day, and many fanciful legends arose to explain his remarkable abilities (one of the more popularheld that he was in league with
demonic powers, a legend rather supported by his gaunt, pale features). He died in 1840 from cancer of thelarynx, having all but ended his concert
career in 1834.
Paganini's impact on nineteenth century music cannot be overestimated: he set an entirely new standard of technical virtuosity; he wasamong the first
musicians to champion the music of Berlioz (having commissioned, but never performed, Harold in Italy); and theinspirational effect that his works would
have on the young Franz Liszt -- who set out to duplicate Paganini's achievements on the piano --would alter both the course of music and the life of the
young Liszt forever. Paganini's own compositions, including an unidentified number ofviolin concertos (some six are extant) and numerous chamber
works, have more or less been abandoned. The concertos are written in theItalian operatic style of the day, oscillating between lyric charm and ferocious
technical display, and are the only works of his which remainin the repertory (though many of the shorter works, by comparison, are gems and deserve
to be played more). « hide |
Similar Bands: Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms |
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| LPs |  | Guitar Music: Sonatas/Ghiribizzi/Three Caprices
2001
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 | La Primavera in A Major, MS. 73
1850
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 | Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor, MS 60
1830
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| Maestosa Sonata Sentimentale, MS. 51
1830
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| Violin Conncerto No. 5, MS. 78
1830
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 | Variations on 'God Save the King', Op.9
1829
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| Violin Concerto No. 3 in E Major, MS 50
1826
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| Violin Concerto No.2 in B Minor, Op.7
1826
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 | Variations on Nel cor più non mi sento, MS 44
1821
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 | Ghiribizzi, MS 43
1820
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 | Paganini: 24 Caprices, Op. 1, MS 25
1819
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 | 6 Duets for Violin and Guitar, MS 110
1819
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 | Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 9
1818
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 | Violin Concerto No.6 in E Minor, Op.post.
1815
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| Le streghe, Op. 8, MS19
1813
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| Caprice no. 24
1809
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| Grand Sonata in A Major, MS 3
1803
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| Compilations |  | Best of Paganini
1999
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Contributors: Doctuses, rockandmetaljunkie, TRMshadow, GamamJ, beefshoes, SandwichBubble,
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