- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- The Virtuoso of Virtuosos
- Height5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
- Paganini's musical talent was recognized at an early age, and his ambitious father drove him hard to succeed, even withholding food if his son did not perform to his satisfaction on the violin. Escaping his father's domineering influence in his late teens by fleeing to Lucca, Paganini came to the attention of Princess Elisa Baciocchi, Napoléon Bonaparte's sister. He was employed as her court solo violinist for several years before deciding to freelance around Europe. He was an immediate sensation, and gained the attention and admiration of both concert goers and other composers. An electrifying performer whose skill with the violin and guitar was almost supernatural, Paganini was rumored to have sold his soul to the Devil in return for his artistic abilities. Plagued by ill health since childhood, he retired to France, where he died in the spring of 1840.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Nichol
- Little is known about his childhood and youth. However, it is said that Niccolò was self-taught in music at a young age. At the age of 12 he began performing publicly as a violinist. After staying in Genoa in the early 1790s, he received violin lessons from Giacomo Costa, and in Parma, Paganini began his musical career with a concert tour through northern and central Italy. In 1805 he was called to the court of Lucca as first violin soloist. After a short stay in Florence in 1809, Paganini traveled extensively, taking him to concerts in Italy and Europe. In 1828 he was appointed imperial chamber virtuoso in Vienna, and the following year he was celebrated at concerts in Dresden and Berlin.
Following his Paris concert success in 1831, he stayed repeatedly in Great Britain (1831, 1833, 1834), in the Netherlands and again in France. Returning to Italy, Paganini performed several more times in Piacenza, Parma and his hometown of Genoa in the second half of the 1830s. A performance in Turin in 1837 was probably his last concert. As a composer, Paganini wrote, among other things: 24 caprices for solo violin, four violin concertos, sonatas for violin and guitar. However, many of his works remained unpublished. The playing technique developed by Paganini as a violinist consisted of many still unknown tricks that influenced the playing of future musicians. After 1837, Paganini retreated into private life, first to Marseille, then to Genoa and finally to Nice.
Niccolò Paganini died on May 27, 1840 in Nice, from where his remains were transported to Italy in 1876 to be buried in Parma.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Christian_Wolfgang_Barth
- Use of cymbals for orchestral scores
- He was famous for his ability to imitate animals sounds with his instruments. At a recital in Italy, the audience began booing a soprano singer who was performing with Paganini that night. Paganini responded by by imitating a donkey with his violin. The audience was so enraged by his cheeky behavior that Paganini had to be escorted from the city by police.
- During the tempo of his concerts, Paganini had a showpiece that never failed to astonish his audience. He would snap one string of his violin, but continue playing with ever more force until the second string snapped. Then, at the climax, the third string would snap and he would finish with just the low string left.
- His only son, Achille Ciro Alessandro Paganini, was born July 23 1825 from his liaison with singer Antonia Bianchi. After they split, Paganini obtained custody of Achille in 1828.
- He was double and triple-jointed.
- Used over 1,000 violin strings in his performing career, most of which he snapped on purpose for show.
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