Ferdinand Barth, 1842-1892 Nicolo Paganini 1782 - 1840 Seated in a Prison Cell, Playing His Violin oil on Canvas 31 X 26 Cm. 12 X 10 In.

Ferdinand Barth, 1842-1892

Nicolo Paganini 1782 - 1840 seated in a Prison Cell, Playing his Violin

oil on canvas

31 x 26 cm. 12 x 10 in.

It was said that Paganini had been imprisoned for a love affair with only his violin for company. During the alleged prison term all three upper strings had broken, and so Paganini had continued to play on only his G-string.

Notes

Just as there was no Tuscan lady of rank, neither was there a murdered mistress. Much to Paganini’s distress, the French painter, Louis Boulanger, perpetuated the fantastic tale of murder with a lithograph depicting Paganini in prison (Paganini en prison), and it went on display in Paris in 1831 precisely in the week that Paganini was making his début in the city.12 The foundations for the story of Paganini’s eight-year prison sentence for murder lay in an unfortunate liaison with a girl of twenty, Angelina Cavanna, whom Paganini had been accused by the courts of abducting in 1815 and for which crime he spent 3000 lire in damages. By 1815 Paganini was a wealthy celebrity and open to exploitation by females who were well aware of the potential material advantages of getting involved with him. De Courcy’s view is that Angelina’s father, an ‘impecunious tailor’, indoctrinated his daughter in a strategy to frame the violinist.13 Similarly, Pietro Berri refers to Miss Cavanna as ‘an astute and perverted tool of extortion’ rather than the ‘innocent, ingenuous soul’ 14 that she was presented as being in court. Paganini’s lawyer had argued that Angelina’s father exerted no control over his daughter’s movements, and that she had left home with Paganini of her own volition. It was the first, but not the last, time that the violinist succumbed to feminine wiles and plunged heedlessly into a snare which would gain him a reputation as an abuser of women. In 1834, the English factotum, John Watson, contrived in a similar fashion to frame Paganini with his daughter, Charlotte Watson. John Watson was someone whom Paganini had repeatedly bailed out of prison for debt.

Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini 27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices for Solo Violin Op. 1 are among the best known of his compositions, and have served as an inspiration for many prominent composers.

File:Paganinis all six violin concertos Nikolay Madoyan Conductor Karen Durgaryan camera recording from hall Armenian National Academic Theater Symphonic Orchestra - Paganini's Cantabile.webm

Paganini: all six violin concertos

Biography

Portrait of young Paganini

Childhood

Niccolò Paganini was born in Genoa, then capital of the Republic of Genoa, the third of the six children of Antonio and Teresa (née Bocciardo) Paganini. Paganini's father was an unsuccessful trader, but he managed to supplement his income by playing music on the mandolin. At the age of five, Paganini started learning the mandolin from his father and moved to the violin by the age of seven. His musical talents were quickly recognized, earning him numerous scholarships for violin lessons. The young Paganini studied under various local violinists, including Giovanni Servetto and Giacomo Costa, but his progress quickly outpaced their abilities. Paganini and his father then traveled to Parma to seek further guidance from Alessandro Rolla. But upon listening to Paganini's playing, Rolla immediately referred him to his own teacher, Ferdinando Paer and, later, Paer's own teacher, Gasparo Ghiretti. Though Paganini did not stay long with Paer or Ghiretti, the two had considerable influence on his compositional style.

Early career

The French invaded northern Italy in March 1796, and Genoa was not spared. The Paganinis sough