For contemporaries, he was a mystery. Some saw him as a genius, others as a charlatan and a con man. His name was shrouded in legends and secrets.
The birth of a genius
At the end of October 1782, in Genoa, in the Black Cat Lane, a second child was born to the family of Antonio Paganini and Teresa Bochchardo - the son of Niccolo. The boy was born weak and painful. From an exalted and sensitive mother, he inherited fragility and susceptibility to disease. From his father he inherited temperament, perseverance, seething energy.
Once, his mother saw in a dream a beautiful angel who predicted that her second son would be a great musician. The boy’s father, a music lover, also believed this. Antonio was very disappointed that the eldest son Carlo did not please his parents with success in music. That is why he directed all his energy to force the youngest son to constantly practice playing the violin. Thus began the biography of Paganini. He was practically deprived of his childhood. It took place in exhausting music classes.
Extraordinary gift
As if compensating for the child’s physical weakness, nature generously rewarded him with an ideal, sensitive hearing. While playing music, Niccolo Paganini, whose photo you see in our article, discovered a new world, painted with unusual colors. He tried to recreate it by playing the guitar, mandolin and a small violin, which was both his best friend and tormentor.
Father early considered the abilities of his son. Every day he understood more clearly - his son was endowed with enormous talent, which in the future would lead to fame and big money. He perfectly understood that his time in studies with his son was over and it was time to hire professional musicians. To keep the classes almost constant, the little musician was locked in a dark closet, and his father carefully monitored the music flowing continuously. For disobedience, the child was deprived of food. Such activities undermined the already fragile health of the boy.
First teachers
Niccolo Paganini felt music with all his heart. Despite the fact that classes exhausted him physically, he found peace and satisfaction in music. His first teacher was the poet from Genoa, composer and violinist Francesca Niecco. Paganini's biography is full of interesting meetings with creative people.
Niccolo very early began to create music himself. At the age of eight, he wrote a sonata for violin and several complex variations. Gradually, the rumor of a small ingenious violinist began to spread throughout the city and the well-known violinist from the chapel of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo drew attention to a
talented child . His name was Giacomo Costa. He began to engage with Paganini once a week, carefully watching his development and passing on to him the secrets of mastery. These classes continued for more than six months.
The beginning of concert activity
After classes with Costa, Paganini's life changed. He was able to begin to engage in concert activities. This happened in 1794, when the young musician was barely twelve years old. At this time, he met people who greatly influenced his future destiny. It should be noted that the biography of Paganini is full of meetings with people who helped the young talent to improve their skills.
The rich aristocrat and music lover Giancarlo di Negro from Genoa became not only a fan of the young violinist, he became his friend, taking care of his further education. Gasparo Giretti, a good polyphonist who managed to instill in the young man an excellent compositional technique, became Niccolo's new teacher. He taught Paganini to compose music without an instrument, using his inner ear.
In just a few months, the musician composed twenty-four fugues for
piano, several pieces, which, unfortunately, were lost and did not reach us, and two violin concerts. After a brilliant performance in Parma, they wanted to listen to the young musician at the court of the Duke of Bourbon.
Father Niccolo quickly realized that it was time to get money for his son’s talent. He took on the role of an impresario and organized a tour of Northern Italy. In all cities, Niccolo was expecting stunning success. The young man, like a sponge, absorbed new unprecedented impressions, continuing to train a lot, improving his skills.
Capriccio of the Great Maestro
During this period, the famous capricci are born, in which you can easily see the change in the principles and techniques that were introduced by Locatelli. For the master’s teacher, these were technical exercises, while Niccolo had brilliant, original miniatures. Capriccio Paganini made a real revolution in violin music. He was able to achieve the maximum concentration of expressiveness, collecting his artistic meaning in a compressed spring.
The beginning of an independent life
The Italian temperament of Niccolo, the formed character began to increasingly lead to conflicts and quarrels in the family. Complete dependence on the father is becoming increasingly tiring for the young man. He wants freedom. That is why, when he was offered the place of the first violin in Lucca, he accepted the offer with joy and gratitude. He became the leader of the city orchestra. In addition, he had the opportunity to give a concert. He performs with great success in Milan, Pisa, Livorno. The enthusiastic reception of the audience is dizzy.
Paganini: biography, personal life
Niccolo was passionate and ardent, not only in music. It was at this time that he meets his first love, and his name disappears from the posters for almost three years. Several guitar compositions appear dedicated to the mysterious "Signora Dida." In 1804, the musician returned to Genoa, where he was engaged only in writing. Then he returns to Lucca, where he was ruled by Felice Bachocchi, who at that time was married to Napoleon's sister, Princess Elise. Relations between the composer and the princess soon ceased to be purely official.
Paganini writes and dedicates to her a “Love Scene” for two strings (“La” and “Mi”). During the performance of the composition, other strings were removed. The work made a splash. Then the princess wished a play for one string was written for her, and Paganini accepted the challenge. He creates the Napoleon sonata for one Salt string, which he triumphantly presented at the Court Concert.
Three years later, relations with Princess Elisa began to weigh Niccolo Paganini. Biography, personal life of the maestro is full of love affairs and scandals. However, the feelings he had for his first passion, a noble lady who was most likely older than him, he no longer experienced for any woman.
At the end of 1814, the maestro came home with concerts. All his appearances
pass with unprecedented success. In the newspapers he is called a genius, regardless of whether he is an angel or a demon. Here he met another woman whom he was passionate about - the tailor's daughter Angelina Cavanne. He took the girl with him to Parma. It soon became clear that she would have a baby, and Paganini secretly sends her to his friends in a suburb of Genoa.
In May of that year, his father took Angelina and sued Paganini. The trial lasted two years. Angelina gave birth to a baby. Unfortunately, he soon died. The court decided to pay the girl three thousand lire.
Talent Price
Niccolo Paganini, whose biography is inextricably linked with music, unfortunately, devoted very little time to his health. In 1821, his career was suddenly interrupted by shaky health. He was increasingly tormented by bouts of severe coughing, pain in the intestines and kidneys. His condition was constantly getting worse. Rubbing a mercury ointment, a strict diet does not help him. There are even rumors that the maestro has passed away. But these are just rumors. Paganini's biography is not yet over.
His condition improved slightly, but even after coming out of a grave crisis, the great musician did not take up the violin.
Resumption of concert activity
In April, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-fourth, Niccolo unexpectedly arrives in Milan and announces his desire to give a concert. He then gives a concert in Pavia and Genoa. At this time, he renews relations with his former mistress Anthony Bianchi, who by that time had become a famous singer who was successful in La Scala. They have a son, Achilles. Paganini works a lot. At this time, new works appeared - “Military Sonata”, “Polish Variations”, “Companella”. The second concert for violin in B minor becomes the culmination of the musician's work. After him, he did not create anything more light, exciting and joyful.
Paganini's biography consists of an interweaving of happy and tragic events. In the spring of 1830, the great musician gave a concert in Westphalia, received there the title of baron, which is inherited.
In October, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, Niccolo Paganini visited his native Genoa for the last time in his life. He is already feeling very bad. For the last five months of his life, he has not been able to leave his house, his legs are very swollen, and he is so exhausted that he is unable to pick up a bow. His favorite violin lay next to him, and he fingered its strings with his fingers.
The great musician, composer, virtuoso performer died in Nice on May twenty-seventh one thousand eight hundred and forty years at the age of fifty-eight.
Today we introduced you to the life of Nicolo Paganini. The biography summarized in this article, of course, cannot give a complete picture of this bright and extraordinary personality.