Academic literature on the topic 'Paganini, Nicolò, 1782-1840'

Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840) has long been viewed as an emblem of virtuosity, his music heard, if at all, through the variations and adaptations of other composers. This historical neglect and the Paganini mythos notwithstanding, the twenty-four Caprices, op. 1, published in 1820, establish his place as a serious composer whose innovations must be considered in any assessment of early Romanticism. In the Caprices, two voices seem to speak. The first is lyrical and draws on the vocal and operatic roots of PaganiniÕs musical upbringing. The second I have labeled the questive voice. Romanticism is an aesthetic of distance; the questive voice is a means of traversing the immensity that is the one essential feature of early Romanticism in its incarnations. This immensity manifests itself in the wide registral space opened and explored in the Caprices; in the motivically driven, asymmetrical construction of many passages found therein; and in the extensive harmonic reach of many of the Caprices. This article presents close readings of Caprices nos. 1, 2, 4, 9, and 10, drawing on Schenkerian methodologies and work by Ratner, Caplin, and Burnham to articulate the lyrical/questive dichotomy and interplay between technique and expression in these singular works by a singular composer.

If there is a single narrative that captures the modern understanding of transformative crossroads magic it is the spurious fable of the selling of Robert Johnson's soul. When, in the palaeoanthropology of 20th century rock and roll music, the biographers of the short-lived blues legend claimed that he had been down to the Dockery Plantation crossroads at midnight to sell his soul to the Devil in exchange for guitar skills, they were perhaps unwitting witnesses to the deep history of myth and ritual that has long been associated with the transformative space of the crossroads. They were not lacking in foresight, however, about the way in which such a claim would enhance their subject's credibility. The value of such a sulphurous reputation for a musician is not merely a recent phenomenon but also has historical precedents. A hundred years before Johnson (who lived 1911–1938), the guitarist and violinist Niccolo Paganini (1782–1840) was considered such a suspiciously devilish virtuoso that his audiences were reputed to cross themselves before his concerts in hope of protection from subtle demonic influence. One audience member even fled a concert after reporting seeing the Devil himself aiding Paganini's performance. Going a little further back, Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770) explained of his best-known sonata, The Devil's Trill (1713), that he had ‘written down the piece after waking from a particularly vivid dream of the Devil playing a violin with ferocious virtuosity’, and claimed that it was ‘but a shadow of what he had witnessed in the dream, for he was unable to capture on the page the Devil's full intensity’. His long career was certainly not harmed by this youthful excursion into Hell.

Dans l’art de la musique instrumentale, il y a certainement eu des moments de développement extraordinaires. La plus grande révolution dans le domaine du violon aura probablement été Paganini, avec ses innovations dans le cadre de la technique, de la texture et des effets timbriques du violon. Dans le domaine du piano, Liszt, suite à sa rencontre avec le violon assimilateur et imitateur du Génois, reforma son jeu et reconçut le pianisme de l’époque. Dans cette mission, il fut accompagné par des améliorations techniques à l’instrument. L’art du jeu du piano, qui hérita de Paganini le côté assimilateur et imitateur, qui abandonna le salon et s’installa dans les grandes salles, fut reconnu comme la « grande manière » ou le « grand style ». Ces termes, provenant principalement de l’art de Liszt, qui fut apparemment son premier représentant, se réfèrent à un style pianistique particulier, basé sur de grands effets acoustiques et de nouvelles techniques d’exécution. Le corpus de l’étude est constitué des œuvres de Liszt d’après Paganini, telles que les Études d’exécution transcendante d’après Paganini, les Grandes Études de Paganini, La Grande Fantaisie de bravoure sur La Clochette et les œuvres en relation avec Paganini des générations suivantes de pianistes de la « grande manière ». Celles-ci incluent les versions des études de Liszt réalisées par Ferruccio Busoni, son Introduzione e Capriccio (Paganinesco), les arrangements des Caprices de Paganini par Michael Zadora, les Variations sur un thème de Paganini de Mark Hambourg et les Études d’après un thème de Paganini op. 47b d’Ignaz Friedman. L’étude tente de tracer la « grande manière » dans les formes pianistiques appliquées dans les œuvres citées ainsi que d’identifier les particularités du « pianisme » des auteurs concernés
In the art of instrumental music there were moments of extraordinary evolution. The greatest revolution in the domain of the violin was probably the appearance of Paganini and his innovations in the technique, the texture of violin writings and the exploitation of the timbrical effects of the instrument. In the domain of the piano, Liszt, after having heard the assimilating and imitating violin of the Genovese, reformed his playing and transformed the pianism of his époque. In that mission, he was accompanied by technical improvements of the instrument. The art of piano playing, which inherited from Paganini the assimilating and imitating tendencies and left the salon in favor of big halls, was recognized as the “grand manner” or the “grand style” grand style’, first represented by Liszt. These terms, mainly originating from the conceptual grandeur of his art, refer to a particular pianistic style, based on big acoustic effects and new techniques of execution. The corpus of the present study is constituted by the works after Paganini by Liszt, including the Études d’exécution transcendante d’après Paganini, the Grandes études de Paganini, La Grande fantaisie de bravoure sur La Clochette, and the works related to Paganini of the following generations of pianists of the « grand manner”. These include the arrangements of Liszt’s studies of Busoni, the Introduzione e Capriccio paganinesco, the Variations sur un thème de Paganini of Mark Hambourg and the Paganini-Studies op. 47b of Ignaz Friedman. The study tempts to trace the “grand manner” in the pianistic forms applied in the cited works, and to identify the specificities of the pianism of the concerned authors

Notre étude est consacrée à la présence de Paganini dans la presse et la littérature de son temps. Nous examinons comment, en Italie, en France en Allemagne et en Angleterre, ce musicien exceptionnel devient personnage de fiction et quelle influence cette "entrée en littérature" exerce sur la représentation des musiciens dans les romans et nouvelles du XIXe siècle. Après avoir retracé le parcours du violoniste, nous nous penchons sur la manière dont ses faits et gestes sont relatés dans la presse et exposons les polémiques que la technique paganinienne entraîne. Nous analysons ensuite les images et les moyens stylistiques mis en oeuvre par les chroniqueurs pour appréhender le "phénomène Paganini". La seconde partie traite de la manière dont Paganini apparaît dans les textes littéraires qui lui sont consacrés. Derrière les personnages auxquels Paganini prête ses traits et son caractère se dégage un portrait-robot du "virtuose romantique" tel que l'époque le plébiscite, artiste que se distingue subrepticement des musiciens hoffmanniens qui lui servent de modèle. L'étude des nouvelles révèle en outre que le virtuose génois s'efface progressivement du premier plan du récit pour céder la place à un musicien déchu. Cette dimension tragique et ironique, qui prend le pas sur la vision magnifiée de l'artiste, amorce une tendance qui s'affirmera dans la seconde moitié du XIXe siècle. La présence de Paganini dans la littérature de son temps contribue également à mettre en évidence la perméabilité existant, à cette époque, entre la presse et la littérature. L'impossibilité d'établir une distinction franche entre le traitement journalistique et le traitement littéraire du virtuose constitue un facteur décisif pour l'élaboration du "mythe de Paganini"
This study is devoted to the presence of Paganini in the press and literature of his time. It explores how this exceptional musician became a character in fictional works in Italy, Germany, France and England, and what influence this "literary career" had on the representation of musicians in novels and short stories during the nineteenth century. The first part of this study begins with a review of the main events in Paganini's life then focuses on the way in which his actions are recounted in the press, revealing the controversies provoked by the violinist's technique. There follows an analysis of the images and stylistic methods adopted by the chroniclers and columnists to convey their impressions of the "Paganini phenomenon". The second part of this study looks at the image of Paganini as it appears in the various literary texts devoted to him. By attributing Paganini's features and his personality to fictional characters, the authors drew the profile of a "romantic virtuoso", which corresponded to the taste of the public of that time - the figure of an artist who surreptitiously distinguished himself from the musician encountered in the works of E. T. A. Hoffmann who served as his model. Moreover, the short stories reveal how the Genoese virtuoso gradually withdrew from the foreground of the narrative to be replaced by the figure of a failed musician. This tragic and ironic dimension, which overrides the idealised vision of the artist, marks the beginning of a trend that established itself in the second half of the nineteenth century. The presence of Paganini in the literature of his time also reveals the permeability of the press and literature at that time. The fact that it is impossible to distinguish clearly between the journalistic and literary treatment of the virtuoso had a major impact on the constitution of the "myth of Paganini"

Paganini's 24th caprice still remains to this day one of the most celebrated themes in classical music history. Many composers have used this theme to create variations and each composer attempted to produce stylistically unique variations on this piece. Hamelin's Variations on a Theme of Paganini stands out because his piece incorporates musical borrowing and many different composers' styles. His variations integrate music from different centuries, using pastiche and musical borrowing from figures such as Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff. More provocatively, Hamelin's variations reach outside of Classical music, even adopting elements from salsa and friska. The spectrum of composers and styles included in this set are so radical and shocking that it creates a parody of not only Paganini's theme, but also the tradition of theme and variation pieces it has inspired. Due to its multiple variations juxtaposing extremely different styles, Hamelin's Variations on a Theme of Paganini presents the listener with a musical puzzle that is designed to invoke surprise. The juxtapositions of extremely different styles in these variations create disjointed variations with polystylism. The polystylism in this work diversifies his variations, while unifying these seemingly unbalanced movements through broad musical references. As such, both performers and listeners stand to benefit from a detailed, critical examination of the piece. I consider not just the musical sources themselves, but also the ways in which they interact, paying close attention to Hamelin's use of parody and humor.

Since the late 1970s much interest has been shown in the development of electric guitar technique. Advances have been considerable, enabling players to explore new genres and repertoires but development methodologies have remained woefully fragmented. A new approach that sets out to promote electric guitar technique with development methodology is the purpose of this study. To this end, a process of transcription combined with an advanced technical analysis has been undertaken including a full categorization of the technical subgroups extant within each Caprice. The hypothesis behind this task has been to ascertain whether a ‘technical essence’ could be discovered in the Caprices and how that could be imparted in the process of transcription. Transcribing the 24 Caprices for the electric guitar disclosed the technical components required for development which were then reduced to their constitute elements. The virtuosity and variation within the Caprices ensured that the each identified technique was developed to a high degree. The subjective nature of transcription ensured that multiple solutions were explored when a single solution to a technical problem was not obvious. The analysis section of the study demonstrated that three fundamental techniques were required to play all 24 Caprices: alternate-picking, sweep-picking, and hammer-ons and pull-offs. The analyses also provided trends showing how each technique needed to be developed to comprehensively cover all twenty-four pieces. In conclusion, the hypothesis was found to be correct.