Niccolo Paganini: Virtuoso or Devil? He was the first superstar. His incredible technique — he could do miracles with his violin — and his unusual appearance tempted many of his admirers to whisper that he was the son of the devil.
Although Niccolo Paganini was always the subject of rumour, the secret of his power was that he worked hard since early childhood. Paganini was born in Genoa, Italy, on October 27, 1782. His father, Antonio Paganini raised his son with a hand of iron. He hoped that his son’s talent would bring the family fame and wealth, so he forced Niccolo to practise from morning to night. He drilled the boy constantly, even leaving him without food, if he didn’t play well enough. In 1797, Paganini started his concert tours. He earned enough money to support himself and he left home.
He composed, he taught, he gave concerts. His violin could sound so soft and sweet that his audiences often burst into tears. People just couldn’t believe that a man could play like that.
Paganini’s appearance seemed to support this opinion. He was tall and thin, and his long pale face, his eyes which were like flaming charcoals and his long curly hair looked a bit diabolic. Sometimes people crossed themselves if he accidentally touched them.
Paganini became something of a legend. He enjoyed playing tricks at his concerts. In the middle of a piece, he would cut all of the strings except for one and continue just on the one string.
Paganini made a lot of money during his career. But in 1836, he decided to open a casino — a ‘Casino Paganini’ — in Paris. It was a failure and he lost almost all his money. Paganini’s health had always been weak and after that his illness grew worse. He died on May 27, 1840 in Nice, France.
Church refused to allow him a burial on holy ground. Paganini’s son took his father’s body to Genoa, but they were not allowed to enter the city. Only five years after Paganini’s death, his son, by appealing directly to the Pope, received permission to bury the body of the great violinist in a village church. |