Niccolò Paganini was born in
Genoa, Republic of Genoa, on
27 October 1782, to Antonio and Teresa,
née Bocciardo, Paganini. 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; and 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.
At the end of three years he resumed his travels and his violin playing, returning to Genoa in 1804, where he set to work on some compositions. At this time he became interested in a little girl, Catarina Calcagno, to whom he gave lessons on the violin. She was then about seven years of age, and a few years later she became well known as a concert violinist.
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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.
Paganini's signature violin,
Il Cannone fabricated in 1742 by
Giuseppe Antonio Guarnieri del Gesù, was his favourite. He named it "The Cannon" because of the powerful and explosive resonance he was able to produce from it. 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
Il Cannone may have allowed Paganini to play on three or even four strings at once.
Il Cannone is now in the hands of the City of Genoa, where it is exhibited in the town hall. It is taken out and played by its curator once monthly, and periodically loaned out to virtuosi of today.
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 at that time to treat syphilis. The disease caused him to lose the ability to play violin, and he retired in ca.1834. He died of throat cancer in
Nice on 27 May, 1840.
He left behind a series of
sonatas, caprices, six
violin concerti, string quartets, and numerous
guitar works.
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.
