Niccolo Paganini
Between 1801 and 1805, Paganini disappeared from public sight. It is believed that he lived during these years in complete retirement in the chateau of a Tuscan lady, a guitarist, devoting his time to mastering the playing of the guitar and to composing music for that instrument. In 1805, Paganini returned to the concert stage. Once again, he knew triumph. Towards the close of the year, he was employed by the Princess of Lucca as court violinist. Here he experimented indefatigably with violin technique and continually attempted to perform on less than four strings by the use of harmonics. He actually composed at this time a sonata for the G-string alone.
Paganini remained in the employ of the Princess of Lucca until 1813. For the next few years he concertized extensively in Italy. He left no question as to his supremacy over all violinists of his day. Ill-health made it impossible for Paganini to give concerts outside of Italia for many years. Finally, in 1828 - after a rest cure in Sicily had brought him renewed strength - Paganini went to Vienna where he was a sensation. Clothes, food, delicacies were named after him; his picture was featured on walking sticks and snuffboxes. In 1831, Paganini surpassed even this Vienna triumph in Paris. Franz Liszt expressed the wonder of the French public when he exclaimed: “What a man! What a violin! What an artist! Heavens! What sufferings, what misery, what torture in those four strings!”
By this time, Paganini had become something of a legend. It was not only his incredible technique — his digital feats on the fingerboard seemed miraculous to his audiences — but his cadaverous appearance that aroused the superstitious terror and awe of his audiences. “Five feet five inches in height, built on long, sinuous lines, a long pale face with strong lineaments, a protruding nose, and eagle eye, curly hair flowing to his shoulders and hiding an extremely thin neck,” was Castil-Blaze`s description of Paganini in 1831. “Two lines, one might say, were engraved on his cheeks by his profession, for they resembled the ƒ ƒ of the violin.”
His pale, long-drawn face with its hollow cheeks, his thin lips that seemed to curl into a sardonic smile, piercing expression of his eyes which were like flaming charcoals, gave him a diabolic appearance which tempted many of his admirers to circulate the rumour that he was the son of a
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