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Niccolò Paganini

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Niccolò Paganini
<tr valign="top"><th style="text-align:right;">Died</th> <td>May 27, 1840
Nice, France</td></tr>
Niccolò Paganini
Born October 27, 1782
Genoa, Italy

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. Although eighteenth century Europe had seen several extraordinary violinists, Paganini was the preeminent violin virtuoso of the nineteenth century.

Contents

[edit] Life of Paganini

Nicolò 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 Mercury poisoning by the mercury compound used regularly. The disease caused him to lose the ability to playing violin, and he retired in ca.1834. He died in Nice on May 27, 1840.

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

Niccolò Paganini

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.

[edit] Paganini and the evolution of violin technique

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.

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. At around the same period, the 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 such as Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)and Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770). Although the role of the violin in music has been drastically changed through this period, progress on violin technique was slow up to this point.

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 said 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 popularized them and brought them in regular compositions.

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. 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 Josef Joachim, and Eugène Ysaÿe, almost half a century later.

[edit] Influence on music and composition

Image:Paganinitomb.jpg

The writing of violin music was also dramatically changed through Paganini. Even in his youth, he was able to imitate other sounds (such as horn, flute, birds, and even people having sex) 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.

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, amongst others, wrote well-known variations on its theme.

[edit] 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

[edit] Works inspired by Paganini

Paganini: 24 Caprices by Elliot Fisk

[edit] 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.

[edit] External links

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