Paganini, Niccolò (nēkōlō` pägänē`nē), 1782–1840, Italian violinist, whose virtuosity became a legend. He extended the compass of the violin by his use of harmonics, perfected the use of double and triple stops, and revived the practice of scordatura, the diverse tunings of the strings. Paganini made his debut as a child prodigy in 1793 at Genoa, his birthplace. In 1801 he retired to a villa in Tuscany and did not resume his concerts until 1805, when he became court violinist to the princess of Lucca. After he left (1813) her court, his success in Milan carried his fame throughout Europe. His retirement in 1835 was followed by the loss of his voice and, later, by death from cancer of the larynx. Paganini composed numerous pieces, most of them bravura variations for violin. Among the few compositions published during his lifetime are the 24 caprices for violin that were adapted for piano by both Schumann and Liszt.

Bibliography

See biographies by J. Pulver (1936, repr. 1970) and S. S. Stratton (1971).

Paganini, Niccolò

Paganini, etching by Luigi Calamatta after a drawing by J.-A.-D. Ingres, 1818

(credit: The Granger Collection, New York)

(born Oct. 27, 1782, Genoa, Republic of Genoa—died May 27, 1840, Nice, France) Italian violinist and composer. A prodigy, he joined an orchestra by age nine. He toured Italy (1810–28), renowned as its greatest violin virtuoso. His long-deferred international tour (1830–34) met with sensational success. Paganini's romantic personality and adventures created in his own day the legend of a Mephistophelean figure. He greatly extended violin technique, employing a wide use of harmonics, pizzicato effects, and new methods of fingering and even of tuning. His numerous compositions include 24 Caprices (1801–07) for solo violin, displaying the novel features of his technique, and six violin concertos.