Paganini was born in Genoa m
Italy. He was given a violin by his parents, who cherished hopes
he would become a great virtuoso - something his father sought to
encourage by locking the boy in a room to practise for hours at a
time. At the age of 11 he made his first public appearance,
performing a set of his own variations to a rapt audience; at 13
he made His first tour.
In 1801 Paganini moved to Lucca
and soon became leader of the new national orchestra. There he was
persuaded by his lover to take up the guitar, and wrote several
delightful compositions, including 12 sonatas for violin and
guitar. In 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte's sister. Princess Elisa, was
installed m Lucca. Paganini improvised for her a piece on two
strings of his violin, intending to represent a pair of lovers; he
commemorated Napoleon's birthday with his Sonata Napoleone
for performance entirely on one string.
Paganini left Lucca m 1809 and
toured Italy, mesmerizing audiences with his brilliant
musicianship, performing any piece of music at sight. In order to
show off his abilities he composed pieces ot exceptional
difficulty, one such being the 24 Caprices for solo violin,
whose technical demands are so great that for a long time they
were thought of as unperformable except by their composer. He
turned his hand to orchestral works as well, writing
numerous violin concertos and the
Le streghe (Witches' Dance) variations for violin and
orchestra. An aura of mystery began to surround Paganini. With his
unkempt appearance and wild stare, he was thought by many to
derive his uncanny gifts from a pact with the devil, and was
dubbed "the devil's son."
In 1824 Paganini started a
liaison with Antonia Bianchi. When the relationship later
faltered, he gained custody of their son, Achille. Paganini gave
triumphant performances in Vienna, Berlin, and Pans
from 1 828 to 1831, but his
experiences in London were less happy. Exorbitant ticket pricing
gave rise to a furore of protest conducted through the pages of
The Times. The admission prices were reduced, and The Times
was forced to acknowledge Paganini's genius, although a
reputation for meanness was less easily dispelled. From 1834
increasing illness put an end to Paganini's playing career. He
developed an interest in gambling and even bought a stake in a
Parisian casino, before succumbing in 1 840 to cancer of the
larynx.
Paganini's influence was
twofold. For other performers he provided a model of technical
brilliance and advanced the cult of the virtuoso; for composers he
pointed to the possibilities of including virtuoso elements m
their music. Chopin's dazzling Etudes owe a debt to Paganmi;
Brahms and Schumann were also admirers. A final indication of his
appeal is the range of composers who have composed variations
based on his Caprice Nо. 24 in A minor, including Brahms,
Rachmaninov, Lutoslawski, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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