A short message about the Italian violinist Nicolo Paganini. Love Stories: The Maestro and the Changing Muses

Niccolò Paganini (Italian: Niccolò Paganini; October 27, 1782 - May 27, 1840) was an Italian virtuoso violinist and composer.

One of the most bright personalities musical history XVIII-XIX centuries. Recognized genius of world musical art.

Already from the age of six, Paganini played the violin, and at the age of nine he gave a concert in Genoa, which was a huge success. As a boy, he wrote several works for the violin, which were so difficult that no one but himself could play them.

At the beginning of 1797, Paganini and his father undertook the first concert tour across Lombardy. His fame as outstanding violinist grew extraordinary. Soon getting rid of his father's strict ferula, he, left to himself, led a stormy life, which affected both his health and reputation. However, the extraordinary talent of this violinist aroused envious people everywhere, who did not neglect any means to damage Paganini's success in any way. His fame increased even more after traveling through Germany, France and England. In Germany, he even received the title of baron. In Vienna, no artist enjoyed such popularity as Paganini. Although the fee at the beginning 19th century far inferior to the current ones, but nevertheless Paganini left behind several million francs.

For the last five months, Paganini could not leave the room, his legs were swollen, and he was so exhausted that he could not take the bow in his hand, the violin lay nearby, and he fingered its strings with his fingers.

Paganini's name was surrounded by some kind of mystery, which he himself contributed to, talking about some extraordinary secrets of his game, which he would reveal only at the end of his career. During Paganini's lifetime, very few of his works were printed, because the author was afraid that by printing many of his virtuoso secrets might be discovered. The mystery of Paganini aroused such superstition that the Bishop of Nice, where Paganini died, refused a funeral mass, and only the intervention of the pope changed this decision.

The unsurpassed success of Paganini lay not in the deep musical talent of this artist, but in the extraordinary technique, in the impeccable purity with which he performed the most difficult passages, and in the new horizons of violin technique discovered by him. Working diligently on the works of Corelli, Vivaldi, Tartini, Viotti, he was aware that the rich means of the violin had not yet been fully guessed by these authors. The work of the famous Locatelli "L'Arte di nuova modulazione" led Paganini to the idea of ​​using various new effects in violin technique. The variety of colors, the wide use of natural and artificial harmonics, the rapid alternation of pizzicato with the arco, the amazing skillful and varied use of staccato, the wide use of double and triple strings, the remarkable variety of use of the bow, the playing of entire pieces on one string (fourth) - all this led to surprise the audience, who got acquainted with hitherto unheard of violin effects. Paganini was a true virtuoso, possessing the highest degree a strong personality, basing his playing on original techniques, which he performed with unmistakable purity and confidence. Paganini possessed a precious collection of Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati violins, of which he bequeathed his wonderful and most beloved violin by Guarneri hometown Genoa, not wanting any other artist to play it.

Biography

early years

Niccolo Paganini was the third child in the family of Antonio Paganini (-) and Teresa Bocciardo, who had six children. His father was at one time a loader, later had a shop in the port, and during the census of the population of Genoa, carried out on the orders of Napoleon, he was called "mandolin holder".

When the boy was five years old, his father, noticing his son's abilities, began to teach him music, first on the mandolin, and from the age of six on the violin. According to the memoirs of the musician himself, his father severely punished him if he did not show due diligence, and this subsequently affected his already poor health. However, Niccolo himself became more and more fond of the instrument and practiced diligently, hoping to find still unknown combinations of sounds that would surprise listeners.

As a boy, he wrote several works (not preserved) for the violin, which were difficult, but he himself successfully performed them. Soon, Niccolo's father sent his son to study violinist Giovanni Cervetto ( Giovanni Cervetto). Paganini himself never mentioned that he studied with Cervetto, but his biographers, such as Fetis, Gervasoni, mention this fact. From 1793 Niccolo began to play regularly at divine services in Genoese churches. At that time in Genoa and Liguria there was a tradition to perform in churches not only spiritual, but also secular music. Once he was heard by the composer Francesco Gnecco, who undertook to advise young musician. In the same year, he was trained by Giacomo Costa, who invited Niccolò to play in the cathedral. San Lorenzo, of which he was Kapellmeister. It is not known whether Paganini attended school, perhaps he learned to read and write later. In his letters to adulthood, meet spelling mistakes, however, he had some knowledge of literature, history, mythology.

The first public concert (or, as they said then, the academy) Niccolo gave on July 31, 1795 at the Genoese theater of Sant'Agostino. The proceeds from him were intended for Paganini's trip to Parma to study with the famous violinist and teacher Alessandro Rolla. The concert included Niccolo's "Variations on a Theme of Carmagnola", a piece that could not fail to appeal to the pro-French Genoese audience at the time. In the same year, the philanthropist Marquis Gian Carlo Di Negro took Niccolò and his father to Florence. Here the boy performed his "Variations ..." to the violinist Salvatore Tinti, who, according to the first biographer of the musician Conestabile, was struck by the incredible skill of the young musician. A concert given by Niccolò at the Florentine theater made it possible to raise the missing funds for a trip to Parma. On the day when Paganini's father and son visited Roll, the latter was ill and was not going to see anyone. In the room next to the sick man's bedroom, on the table were the sheet music of Rolla's concerto and a violin. Niccolo took the instrument and played from the sheet the piece he had created the day before. Surprised, Rolla went out to the guests and, seeing that a boy was playing his concerto, declared that he could no longer teach him anything. According to the composer, Paganini should have sought advice from Ferdinando Paer (Ferdinando Paer). Paer, busy staging operas not only in Parma, but also in Florence and Venice, having no time for lessons, recommended the young violinist to the cellist Gaspare Ghiretti. Ghiretti gave Paganini lessons in harmony and counterpoint; at the time of these lessons, Niccolo, under the guidance of a teacher, composed, using only pen and ink, "24 four-voice fugues." In the autumn of 1796 Niccolo returned to Genoa. Here, in the house of the Marquis Di Negro, Paganini performed, at the request of Rodolphe Kreutzer, who was on a concert tour, the most difficult pieces from the sheet. famous violinist was amazed and "predicted an unusual glory for this young man."

The beginning of an independent career. Lucca

1808-1812 years. Turin, Florence

Foreign tours

His fame increased even more after traveling through Germany, France and England. In Germany, he bought the title of baron, which was hereditary. In Vienna, no artist enjoyed such popularity as Paganini. Although the amount of the fee in early XIX century was far inferior to the present, but nevertheless Paganini left behind several million francs.

Music

The name of Paganini was surrounded by a certain mystery, which he himself contributed to, speaking about some extraordinary secrets of his game, which he would reveal only at the end of his career. During Paganini's lifetime, very few of his works were printed, which his contemporaries explained by the author's fear of discovering many of the secrets of his virtuosity. The mysteriousness and unusualness of Paganini's personality evoked the assumption of his superstition and atheism, and the Bishop of Nice, where Paganini died, refused a funeral mass. Only the intervention of the pope destroyed this decision, and the ashes of the great violinist finally found peace only towards the end of the 19th century.

The unsurpassed success of Paganini lay not only in the deep musical talent of this artist, but also in the extraordinary technique, in the impeccable purity with which he performed the most difficult passages, and in the new horizons of violin technique discovered by him. Working diligently on the works of Corelli, Vivaldi, Tartini, Viotti, he was aware that the rich means of the violin were not yet fully guessed by these authors. The work of the famous Locatelli "L'Arte di nuova modulazione" led Paganini to the idea of ​​using various new effects in violin technique. Variety of colors, wide use of natural and artificial harmonics, rapid alternation of pizzicato with arco, surprisingly skillful and varied use of staccato, wide use of double notes and chords, a remarkable variety of use of the bow, compositions for performance on the G string, dedicated to Princess Elisa Baciocchi " love scene”on the strings la and mi - all this surprised the audience, who got acquainted with hitherto unheard of violin effects. Paganini was a true virtuoso, possessing an extremely bright personality, basing his playing on original technical techniques, which he performed with infallible purity and confidence. Paganini possessed a precious collection of Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati violins, of which he bequeathed his wonderful and most beloved and famous violin by Guarneri to his native city of Genoa, not wanting any other artist to play it.

Artworks

• 24 Caprices for violin solo, Op.1, 1802-1817
  • No. 1, E major
  • No. 2, B minor
  • No. 3, E minor
  • No. 4, C minor
  • No. 5 in A minor
  • No. 6, G minor
  • No. 7 in A minor
  • No. 8, E flat major
  • No. 9, E major
  • No. 10, G minor
  • No. 11, in C major
  • No. 12, A flat major
  • No. 13, B Flat Major
  • No. 14, E flat major
  • No. 15, E minor
  • No. 16, G minor
  • No. 17, E flat major
  • No. 18, in C major
  • No. 19, E flat major
  • No. 20, D major
  • No. 21, in A major
  • No. 22, F major
  • No. 23, E Flat Major
  • No. 24 in A minor
• Six Sonatas for Violin and Guitar, Op. 2
  • No. 1, in A major
  • No. 2, in C major
  • No. 3, D minor
  • No. 4, in A major
  • No. 5, D major
  • No. 6 in A minor
• Six sonatas for violin and guitar Op. 3
  • No. 1, in A major
  • No. 2, G major
  • No. 3, D major
  • No. 4 in A minor
  • No. 5, in A major
  • No. 6, E minor
• 15 quartets for violin, guitar,

This gloomy-looking man, player and rowdy, was completely transformed by picking up a violin. Even those who thought that his fame as the best violinist in the world was inflated had to put up with it when they happened to hear him play. For people who did not understand music, he arranged real performances with onomatopoeia - "buzzed", "mumbled" and "talked" with strings.

Was born future genius in the family of a small merchant in Genoa. His father unsuccessfully tried to teach music to his eldest son, Carlo. But when Niccolò grew up, his father gave up classes with Carlo, which he was undoubtedly happy about. How to grow a genius and a virtuoso? You can captivate and entertain a gifted child, as Mozart's father did. And you can lock him in the pantry until he learns a particularly difficult study. It was in this atmosphere that Niccolo was raised. The boy had practically no childhood, all his days were spent in endless exhausting music lessons. From birth, he had an amazingly sensitive ear, he immersed himself in the world of sounds and tried to repeat it with the help of a guitar, mandolin and violin.

Niccolò Paganini's first concert took place at the age of eleven. Concert of a child prodigy performing his variations famous works shocked the audience. The boy had noble patrons. Giancarlo de Negro, a merchant and music lover, even provided him with the opportunity to continue his studies with the cellist Ghiretti. The teacher forced a talented student to compose melodies without an instrument, to hear music in his head.

After completing his studies, Niccolo became more and more famous. He began to earn good money by giving concerts all over Italy. The musician promised to reveal the secret of his skill when he finished his career, and this only fueled the interest of the public. Everything about him seemed mysterious. His appearance is deathly pale skin, sunken eyes, a prominent hooked nose and an incredibly long fingers, jerky movements of a skinny figure. His violin playing is God or the devil, but it was definitely inhumanly good. His lifestyle and gambling addiction, which often kept him broke. And his detached, sublime state, when he stood on the stage, merging with the instrument together.

Traveling and performing, the maestro composed music. At that time (1801-1804) he lived in Tuscany and, walking along the sun-drenched streets, composed his famous violin caprices. For some time (1805-1808) Niccolo even became a court musician, but then returned to concerts again. A peculiar, easy and unconstrained manner of performance and virtuoso possession of the instrument soon made him the most popular violinist in Italy. For six years (1828-1834) he gave hundreds of concerts in European capitals. Paganini aroused admiration and delight among fellow musicians. Admiring lines were dedicated to him by Heine, Balzac and Goethe.

His creative way ended quickly and tragically. Due to tuberculosis, Paganini had to return to Italy, and coughing fits prevented him from talking. He returned to his native Genoa a deeply ill man. Terribly suffering from severe attacks, Niccolò lived for another three years. The musician died in Nice on May 27, 1840. The papal curia did not allow him to be buried in Italy for a long time because of his lifestyle. For two months the embalmed body lay in the room, for another year - in the basement of his house. He was reburied several times, and after 36 years Niccolò Paganini found peace in Parma. After the death of Paganini, mankind inherited 24 caprices, many variations on opera and ballet themes, six concertos for violin and orchestra, sonatas, sonatas for violin and guitar, variations and vocal compositions.

By the way, shortly before his death, Paganini revealed his secret of excellent violin playing. It consists in complete spiritual merging with the instrument. You have to look and feel the world through the instrument, store memories in the fretboard, become the strings and the bow yourself. It seems that everything is simple, but not everyone professional musician agree to sacrifice your life and personality to music.

"Evening Moscow" brings to your attention 7 amazing facts from the biography of the great maestro.

1. At concerts, Paganini put on a real show. To the public it produced so much strong impression that some passed out in the hall. He thought through every number and exit the smallest details. Everything was rehearsed: from a repertoire consisting entirely of his own compositions, to spectacular tricks, such as a broken string, an out-of-tune violin and "hello from the village" - imitating animal sounds. Paganini learned to imitate the guitar, flute, trumpets and horns and could replace the orchestra. The audience in love nicknamed him "Southern Sorcerer".

"All the best and highest in the world is connected with Christianity. The best musicians of our age write church hymns. There is not a single classical composer who would not write oratorios and masses. Mozart's Requiem, Bach's oratorios, Handel's masses testify that the Lord does not leave Europe and that our entire culture is built on the principles of Christian love and mercy. But then a violinist appeared, who turns off this road. With all his behavior, insatiable greed, the intoxicating poison of earthly temptations, Paganini sows anxiety on our planet and gives people to the power of hell. Paganini kills the Christ child.

3. For some, Paganini was an undoubted genius, for others - a convenient victim for attacks. Mysterious "well-wishers" sent letters to his parents describing the revelry and debauchery in which their son was allegedly mired. Rumors swirled around him, one more surprising than the other. For example, only the lazy did not know that Niccolo Paganini honed his skills not by exhausting studies in childhood and adolescence, but by entertaining himself with music while in prison. This legend turned out to be so tenacious that it even found its reflection in Stendhal's novel.

4. Newspapers often printed reports of Paganini's death. It all started with an accidental mistake, but journalists got a taste of it - after all, newspapers with a refutation were distributed in double and triple circulation, and the violinist's popularity only grew because of this. When Paganini died in Nice, the newspapers routinely printed his obituary with the note: "We hope that soon, as usual, we will publish a refutation."

5. In 1893, the coffin with the maestro was dug up again, because people allegedly heard strange sounds coming from the ground. In the presence of Paganini's grandson, the Czech violinist Frantisek Ondřicek, the rotten coffin was opened. There is a legend that the musician's body had decayed by that time, but his face and head were practically unharmed. Of course, after that, for more than a decade, the most incredible rumors and gossip circulated in Italy. In 1896, the coffin with the remains of Paganini was dug out again and reburied in another cemetery in Parma.

6. Paganini was a favorite not only of the masses, but also of titled persons. Every European monarch considered it his duty to invite him for a personal speech, and once he was called to perform the Masonic hymn before the Italian Grand Lodge. Of course, he received incredible fees for performances, but due to intemperance in gambling ah, he often found himself in situations where he did not have enough money for food. He had to repeatedly pawn his violin and ask for help from friends. With the birth of his son, he became calmer and by old age was able to accumulate a small fortune.

7. The maestro preferred not to write down his works on paper in order to remain the only performer (and those who could perform Paganini's melodies even with notes were negligible). Imagine the surprise of the master, who heard his own variations performed by the violinist and composer Heinrich Ernst! Is it possible that the variations were picked up by him by ear? When Ernst came to visit Paganini, he hid the manuscript under his pillow. He told the surprised musician that after his performance, one should beware not only of his ears, but also of his eyes.

In 1837 Niccolo Paganini still gave concerts in Turin, but the following year his health deteriorated sharply. Consumption, the scourge of the 19th century. In 1839, by order of doctors, Paganini settled in Marseille. Added to the suffering from the disease are the problems associated with litigation, as a result of which the violinist had to pay 50 thousand francs - a very significant amount for those times.

Paganini spent the last months of his life in Nice. In letters to friends, he complained: “The chest cough that torments me is very upsetting, but I hold on more than I can and eat well what the “great cook” prepares for me ... I fall apart and I am infinitely sorry that I cannot see our good friend Giordano again..." It was to Giordano that Paganini's last letter of May 12 was addressed: "My dear friend, it is also possible not to answer a friend's heartfelt letters. Blame it on stubborn and endless illnesses ... The reason for all this is fate, which pleases me to be unhappy ...

Dr. Binet is considered the best doctor in Nice, and he alone treats me now. He says that if I manage to reduce the catarrh by a third, I can stretch a little more; and if it succeeds by two-thirds, then I will be able to eat, but the medicines that I started taking four days ago are of no use.

And yet, before he died, he once again played the violin ... One evening, at sunset, he was sitting at the window in his bedroom. The setting sun lit up the clouds with golden and purple reflections; a light, gentle breeze carried the intoxicating scents of flowers; many birds chirped in the trees. Well-dressed young men and women strolled along the boulevard. After observing the lively audience for some time, Paganini turned his gaze to the beautiful portrait of Lord Byron hanging by his bed. He was inflamed and, thinking of the great poet, his genius, fame and misfortune, began to compose the most beautiful musical poem that his imagination had ever created.

"He seemed to follow all the events of Byron's turbulent life. At first it was doubt, irony, despair - they are visible on every page of Manfred, Lara, Giaura, then the great poet issued a cry of freedom, urging Greece to throw off the shackles, and finally the death of a poet among the Hellenes." The musician had barely finished the last melodic phrase of this amazing drama, when suddenly the bow suddenly froze in his chilling fingers... This last burst of inspiration destroyed his brain...

It is difficult to say how reliable this evidence is, but there is also the story of Count Chessole, who claims that Byron's improvisation of Paganini on the verge of death was amazing.

The poet's prophecy, unfortunately, came true: Paganini, like Byron, knew the full depth of suffering, and before the end, life appeared before him in all its glory. cruel reality. Fame, wealth, love - he had it all, and with all this he was sickened to the point of disgust. Now his soul was completely empty, only endless loneliness and great weariness remained in it. Success left him bitter. And his dying body shuddered convulsively before freezing in the icy stillness of death.

Paganini experienced indescribable torments in last days life - from 15 to 27 May. For many hours he stubbornly tried to swallow at least the tiniest pieces of food, and, already completely losing his voice, he could not even explain himself to his son and wrote his requests on sheets of paper ... Julius Kapp in his book gave a facsimile reproduction of the last sheet on which Paganini wrote : "Red roses... Red roses... They are dark red and look like damask... Monday 18th."

From that day on, he no longer took up the pen. ABOUT last hour the great musician wrote a lot of fantastic. One poetic story paints the following picture: Paganini dies on a moonlit night, holding out his hand to his violin. In fact, it wasn't all that poetic. One of the violinist's friends, who did not leave him in recent days, Tito Rubaudo, said that neither he nor anyone else who was around these days thought "that his end was so close, when suddenly Paganini , who agreed to dine, began to cough painfully. This attack cut short the moments of his life.

This is confirmed by another eyewitness - Escudier. According to his testimony, when Paganini sat down at the dinner table, he suddenly began to have a strong attack of coughing. He coughed up blood and immediately choked on it. It happened on May 27, 1840, at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

In Paganini's will it was written: "I forbid any magnificent funeral. I do not want artists to perform a requiem for me. Let a hundred masses be performed. I present my violin to Genoa so that it will be kept there forever. I give my soul to the great mercy of my Creator ".

Niccolo Paganini(Italian Niccolò Paganini; October 27, 1782, Genoa - May 27, 1840, Nice) - the great Italian virtuoso violinist, composer.

early years

Niccolò Paganini was the third child of Antonio Paganini (1757-1817) and Teresa Bocciardo, who had six children. His father was at one time a loader, later had a shop in the port, and during the census of the population of Genoa, carried out on the orders of Napoleon, he was called "mandolin holder."

When the boy was five years old, his father, noticing his son's abilities, began to teach him music, first on the mandolin, and from the age of six on the violin. According to the memoirs of the musician himself, his father severely punished him if he did not show due diligence, and this subsequently affected his already poor health. However, Niccolo himself became more and more fond of the instrument and worked hard, hoping to find still unknown combinations of sounds that would surprise listeners.

As a boy, he wrote several works (not preserved) for the violin, which were difficult, but he himself successfully performed them. Soon, Niccolo's father sent his son to study violinist Giovanni Cervetto ( Giovanni Cervetto). Paganini himself never mentioned that he studied with Cervetto, but his biographers, such as Fetis, Gervasoni, mention this fact. From 1793 Niccolo began to play regularly at divine services in Genoese churches. At that time in Genoa and Liguria there was a tradition to perform in churches not only spiritual, but also secular music. Once he heard the composer Francesco Gnecco (Francesco Gnecco), who undertook to advise the young musician. In the same year, he was trained by Giacomo Costa, who invited Niccolò to play in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo, of which he was bandmaster. It is not known whether Paganini attended school, perhaps he learned to read and write later. In his letters, written in adulthood, there are spelling errors, but he had some knowledge of literature, history, mythology.

The first public concert (or, as they said then, the academy) Niccolo gave on July 31, 1795 at the Genoese theater of Sant'Agostino. The proceeds from him were intended for Paganini's trip to Parma to study with the famous violinist and teacher Alessandro Rolla. The concert included Niccolò's "Variations on a Theme of Carmagnola", a piece that could not fail to appeal to the Genoese public, which at that time was pro-French. In the same year, the philanthropist Marquis Gian Carlo Di Negro took Niccolò and his father to Florence. Here the boy performed his "Variations ..." to the violinist Salvatore Tinti, who, according to the first biographer of the musician Conestabile, was struck by the incredible skill of the young musician. A concert given by Niccolò at the Florentine theater made it possible to raise the missing funds for a trip to Parma. On the day when Paganini's father and son visited Roll, the latter was ill and was not going to see anyone. In the room next to the sick man's bedroom, on the table were the sheet music of Rolla's concerto and a violin. Niccolo took the instrument and played from the sheet the piece he had created the day before. Surprised, Rolla went out to the guests and, seeing that a boy was playing his concerto, declared that he could no longer teach him anything. According to the composer, Paganini should have consulted Ferdinando Paer. Paer, busy staging operas not only in Parma, but also in Florence and Venice, having no time for lessons, recommended the young violinist to the cellist Gaspare Ghiretti. Ghiretti gave Paganini lessons in harmony and counterpoint; at the time of these lessons, Niccolo, under the guidance of a teacher, composed, using only pen and ink, "24 four-voice fugues." In the autumn of 1796 Niccolo returned to Genoa. Here, in the house of the Marquis Di Negro, Paganini performed, at the request of Rodolphe Kreutzer, who was on a concert tour, the most difficult pieces from the sheet. The famous violinist was amazed and "predicted extraordinary fame for this young man."

At the beginning of 1797, Paganini and his father undertook the first concert tour, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Pisa, Livorno were included in their itinerary. In Livorno, Niccolo gave a few concerts, the rest of the time he devoted to improving his technique and studied on his own without teachers. According to him, in this city he wrote music for the bassoon at the request of a Swedish amateur musician, who complained about the lack of difficult works for this instrument. Due to hostilities, the tour had to be interrupted, Paganini returned to Genoa, and soon, together with the whole family, he left for his father's house in the Polcevera valley. Here he took up the improvement of performing and composing skills. Paganini invented for himself and performed complex exercises similar to those of the seventeenth-century violinist Walter. Having adopted the techniques of the masters of the past, Paganini tirelessly improved in the performance of transitions, staccato, pizzicato (including scales, simple and double trills and harmonics), unusual chords, dissonances, and strove for the correct extraction of sounds at the highest speed. He practiced the exercises for many hours a day until he was completely exhausted.

The beginning of an independent career. Lucca

In 1801, his father's guardianship over Paganini was terminated. My concert activity he resumed as early as December 1800 in Modena. His fame as an outstanding violinist grew extraordinary. In the autumn of 1801 he arrived in Lucca. Two speeches by Paganini in the Lucca Cathedral were enthusiastically received by the public. In the local handwritten journal Lucca Literary Mixture, Paganini, called the "Genoese Jacobin", was paid tribute as a master, but the author of the message pointed out with disapproval that there was no place in the cathedral for imitation of bird singing, the sound of a flute, horn, trumpet, which so struck the audience that "everyone laughed, admiring the skill and fluency of the instrument." In December 1801, Paganini received the post of first violin of the Lucca Republic. He spent several years in this city. According to the son of the composer Domenico Quilici, Bartolomeo, Paganini also studied in Lucca teaching activities and worked with orchestra musicians. Probably the most serious love interest of Paganini is connected with the Lucca period. noble lady, whose name the musician hid all his life, retired with him in his Tuscan estate. Paganini lived there for three years, studying agriculture. During the years of reclusion, he developed a passion for playing the guitar and wrote 12 sonatas for this instrument and violin (Op. 2 and 3). According to the memoirs of Paganini himself, at first independent living in addition to passion for women, he was possessed by love for card game. Often he lost everything, and "only my own art could save me," but he managed to give up gambling and never touched cards again. For a short while Paganini left Lucca and returned to Genoa. He was invited back to Tuscany by Elisa Bonaparte, who, thanks to her brother, became the princess of Piombino, Lucca, Massa, Carrara and Garniafo. Paganini received the title of "court virtuoso" and at the same time was appointed captain of the princess's personal guard. For a small salary, he performed the duties of the princess's personal musician, conducted performances, regularly arranged concerts and gave violin lessons to the prince. According to Paganini himself, at that time he had an affair with Eliza.

1808-1812 years. Turin, Florence

In 1808 Paganini received long vacation and went with concerts in Italy. Gradually, he formed his own, different from other violinists, performing style. Fame brought him unusual view and behavior during concerts. The halls at his performances were filled not only by connoisseurs high art, but also the public, attracted by the external effects and incredible playing techniques that Paganini demonstrated. He kept himself emphatically mysterious and at first did not stop the spread of the most fantastic rumors about himself. Before one of the concerts in Livorno, he injured his leg and, limping, went on stage. There were chuckles in the hall, and when candles fell from the music stand, they grew into friendly laughter. Paganini, keeping a straight face, began to play, but suddenly a string broke on the violin, without stopping, he continued the concert and tore a storm of applause. It was not new for him to play not only on three, but also on two, and even on one string. So, while serving at the court of Eliza Bonaparte, he wrote and performed the play “Love Scene” for the A and E strings, and later, on the birthday of the emperor, the sonata for the G string “Napoleon”. Paganini spent some time at the Turin court of Pauline Bonaparte. Here he became friends with the musical manager of the Princess Borghese, Felice Blangini. Blangini became one of Paganini's most ardent admirers. In one of the letters to friends in Paris, he speaks of Niccolò as follows:

“No one can express in words the charm that his noble performance evokes. No one has ever dared to even dream that one can hear something like this in reality. When you look at him, listen to him, you involuntarily cry or laugh, you involuntarily think about something superhuman. With other violinists, he only has a violin and a bow in common.

In the second half of 1808, Paganini, at the invitation of Eliza Bonaparte, came to Florence. Luigi Picchianti told Conestabile, the first biographer of Paganini, about an event that occurred during the musician's stay in Florence, fully demonstrating his exceptional skill. Paganini was supposed to perform in the house of one of the courtiers, to the accompaniment on the piano, Haydn's Sonata. The musician was very late, and when he arrived, without making the listeners wait any longer, he began to play without checking the violin's tuning. He played superbly, introducing improvised graces at his own discretion. After the first part of the work, Paganini discovered that "la" on the violin differed from "la" on the piano by a whole tone. Well versed in the music of Picchianti, own confession, was amazed: for the correct performance of the “Sonata” with such an arbitrary mood of the violin, Paganini had to instantly redo the entire fingering, but the audience did not notice anything.

At the end of 1812, he left the court service that weighed on him and left Florence.

Foreign tours

Around 1813, the musician was present at La Scala at one of the performances of Vigano-Süssmeier's ballet The Nut of Benevento. Inspired by the scene of the unrestrained dance of witches, which struck his imagination, Paganini wrote an essay that became one of the most famous in his work - "Witches", variations on the theme of the ballet "Nut Benevento" for violin and orchestra (Variations on the fourth string).

The work premiered at solo concert at La Scala on October 29, 1813. The Milan correspondent of the Leipzig music newspaper reported that the public was deeply shocked: the variations on the fourth string so amazed everyone that the musician repeated them at the urgent request of the public. Following this, Paganini gave eleven concerts in the course of six weeks at La Scala and at the Teatro Carcano, and the variations called The Witches were invariably a special success.

Paganini's fame increased after traveling through Germany, France and England. The musician was very popular everywhere. In Germany, he bought the title of baron, which was hereditary.

December 27, 1808 in Masonic lodge The Great East Paganini sang the Masonic hymn, written by him to the words of Lanchetti. The protocols of the lodge confirmed Paganini's Freemasonry.

At the age of 34, Paganini became infatuated with the 22-year-old singer Antonia Bianchi, whom he helped with the preparations solo performance. In 1825, Niccolo and Antonia had a son, Achilles. In 1828, the musician broke up with Antonia, having achieved sole custody of his son.

Working a lot, Paganini gave concerts one after another. Wanting to provide his son with a decent future, he asked for huge fees, so that after his death his inheritance amounted to several million francs.

constant touring and frequent appearances undermined the health of the musician. In September 1834, Paganini decided to end his concert career and returned to Genoa. He was constantly ill, but at the end of December 1836 he performed in Nice with three concerts.

Throughout his life, Paganini had many chronic diseases. Although no definite medical evidence exists, it is believed that he had Marfan syndrome. Despite the fact that the violinist resorted to the help of eminent doctors, he could not get rid of his ailments. In October 1839, ill and in an extremely nervous state, Paganini last time came to his native Genoa.

For the last months of his life, he did not leave the room, his legs constantly hurt, and the diseases were no longer curable. The exhaustion was so strong that he could not take the bow in his hand, his strength was only enough to finger the strings of the violin lying next to him.

Music

The name of Paganini was surrounded by a certain mystery, which he himself contributed to, speaking about some extraordinary secrets of his game, which he would reveal only at the end of his career. During Paganini's lifetime, very few of his works were printed, which his contemporaries explained by the author's fear of discovering many of the secrets of his virtuosity. The mysteriousness and unusualness of Paganini's personality evoked the assumption of his superstition and atheism, and the Bishop of Nice, where Paganini died, refused a funeral mass. Only the intervention of the pope reversed this decision, and the ashes of the great violinist finally found peace only by the end of the 19th century.

The unsurpassed success of Paganini lay not only in the deep musical talent of this artist, but also in the extraordinary technique, in the impeccable purity with which he performed the most difficult passages, and in the new horizons of violin technique discovered by him. Working diligently on the works of Corelli, Vivaldi, Tartini, Viotti, he was aware that the rich means of the violin had not yet been fully guessed by these authors. The work of the famous Locatelli "L'Arte di nuova modulazione" led Paganini to the idea of ​​using various new effects in violin technique. Variety of colors, wide use of natural and artificial harmonics, rapid alternation of pizzicato with arco, amazingly skillful and varied use of staccato, wide use of double notes and chords, a remarkable variety of use of the bow, compositions for performance on the G string, dedicated to Napoleon's sister, Princess Elisa Baciocchi " Love Scene" on the A and E strings - all this surprised the audience, who got acquainted with hitherto unheard of violin effects. Paganini was a true virtuoso, possessing an extremely bright personality, basing his playing on original technical techniques, which he performed with infallible purity and confidence. Paganini possessed a precious collection of Stradivari, Guarneri, Amati violins, of which he bequeathed his wonderful and most beloved and famous violin by Guarneri to his native city of Genoa, not wanting any other artist to play it.

The violin that I played Great master, after his death received the name "Paganini's Widow".

Artworks

• 25 caprices for solo violin, Op.1, 1802-1817

• No. 1, E major
• No. 2, B minor
• No. 3, E minor
• No. 4, C minor
• No. 5 in A minor
• No. 6, G minor
• No. 7 in A minor
• No. 8, E flat major
• No. 9, E major
• No. 10, G minor
• No. 11, in C major
• No. 12, A flat major
• No. 13, B Flat Major
• No. 14, E flat major
• No. 15, E minor
• No. 16, G minor
• No. 17, E flat major
• No. 18, in C major
• No. 19, E flat major
• No. 20, D major
• No. 21, in A major
• No. 22, F major
• No. 23, E Flat Major
• No. 24 in A minor

No. 25 in B minor and A la major

• 6 sonatas for violin and guitar, Op. 2

• No. 1, in A major
• No. 2, in C major
• No. 3, D minor
• No. 4, in A major
• No. 5, D major
• No. 6 in A minor

• No. 1, in A major
• No. 2, G major
• No. 3, D major
• No. 4 in A minor
• No. 5, in A major
• No. 6, E minor

• No. 1 in A minor
• No. 2, in C major
• No. 3, in A major
• No. 4, D major
• No. 5, in C major
• No. 6, D major
• No. 7, E major
• No. 8, in A major
• No. 9, D major
• No. 10, in A major
• No. 11, B major
• No. 12 in A minor
• No. 13 in F minor
• No. 14, in A major
• No. 15, in A minor

Musical works based on the works of Paganini

• I. Brahms, Variations on a Theme of Paganini.
• S. V. Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.
• 6 studies by F. Liszt.
• F. Chopin, Variations in A-dur, "Souvenir de Paganini"
• R. Schumann, studies on Paganini's caprices, Opus 3.
• Luigi Dallapiccola, Canonical Sonatina in E flat major on Paganini's Caprices, for piano
• Alfredo Casella, Paganiniana, for orchestra
• Witold Lutoslavsky, "Variations on a Theme of Paganini", for 2 pianos (theme - Caprice N. Paganini No. 24).
• I. Ya. Berkovich. Etudes on the theme of Paganini (theme - Caprice N. Paganini No. 24).
• N. Milstein, "Paganiniana", for violin solo.
• G. Brehme, Paganiniana: Concert Etudes for Accordion, op. 52.
• Group "Aria", the song "Playing with Fire" from the album of the same name (used by Caprice No. 24 in A minor).
• The group "Grand Courage", the song "Paganini's Violin" (used by Caprice No. 24 in A minor).
• Grouping Leningrad, song "Paganini" from the album Aurora
• P. Necheporenko, "Variations on a Theme of Paganini", for solo balalaika (theme - Caprice N. Paganini No. 24).

In art

• Anatoly Vinogradov. book "The Tale of the Turgenev Brothers. Condemnation of Paganini". - Minsk: Second-hand book. Mastatskaya literature, 1983. - (1936 novel "The Condemnation of Paganini").
• Elena Vorobieva. the book "Chronicles of Arvanda. Legends of the Sleeping City". - St. Petersburg: ITD "SKIFIA", 2010. - (play "The Burnt Road by Niccolo Paganini"). 2.
• Tatiana Burford. book "Nicolo Paganini. Stylistic origins of creativity". - St. Petersburg: Publishing house named after N. I. Novikov, 2010. - (Abstract).
• The fourth album of the rock band Aria is called Playing with Fire. The song, which became the title of the album, tells that Paganini sold his soul to the devil for a virtuoso game.
• The Czech group XIII stoleti dedicated the song Upir s houslemi to N. Paganini.

In cinema

• Das Dreimäderlhaus (1918). Germany. Rayol Lang
• "Paganini", made in Germany, in leading role Conrad Veidt, 1923
• Franz Schuberts letzte Liebe (1926) Germany. Otto Schmul.
• Die lachende Grille (1926) Germany. Hans Wasatko.
• Paganini in Venedig (1929) Germany. Andreas Weisgerber.
• Gern hab "ich die Frau'n geküßt (1934) Germany. Ivan Petrovich.
• Casta diva (1935) Italy. Gualtiero Tumiati.
• The Divine Spark (1935) England. Hugh Miller
• Fantastic symphony / La symphonie fantastique (1942) France. Maurice Schultz.
• Rossini / Rossini (1942) Italy. Cesare Fantoni.
• Heavenly Music (1943) US. Fritz Feld
• A Song to Remember (1945) US. Roxy Roth.
• The Magic Bow (1946) England. Stuart Granger.
• Housle a sen (1947): Bohemian Rapture (1948) Czechoslovakia. Karel Dostal.
• Chopin's youth / Mlodosc Chopina (1952) Poland. Frantisek Jamry.
• Casta diva (1956) Italy - France. Danilo Berardinelli.
• Justification of Paganini (1969, USSR). Vsevolod Yakut
• Paganini / Paganini (1973) (FRG) Antonio Teba.
• Paganini / Paganini (1976) (Italy) Tino Shirintsi.
• Niccolo Paganini, USSR-Bulgaria, 1982 (Information about the film) Starring Vladimir Msryan
• Spring Symphony / Frühlingssinfonie (1983) FRG. Gidon Kremer.
• Zygfryd / Zygfryd (1986) Poland. Christoph Stop.
• Paganini Horror / Paganini Horror - Italian horror film (1989). Luigi Cozzi.
• "Paganini", made in Italy - France, 1989. Starring Klaus Kinski.
• Napoleon (2002) England - France. Starring Julian Rakhlin.
• Moi, Hector Berlioz (2003) France. Claude Josto.
• Paganini: violinist of the devil (2013) Germany, Italy. Starring virtuoso violinist David Garrett.