Paganini's Camprice No. 24 (Piano Edition)
Niccolò Paganini
Browse 5 Sheets
Sort:
24 Caprices For Solo Violin
Niccolò Paganini
Le Streghe, Op.8
Niccolò Paganini
Caprice 24
Niccolò Paganini
La Campanella
Niccolò Paganini
Song library
Niccolò Paganini
Browse piano sheets by Niccolò Paganini on Zen Virtual Piano. Paganini’s favourite instrument, which he called his “cannon violin” because of its full sound, was bequeathed to his hometown, Genoa, where it was to be “preserved for eternity.” He developed new violin techniques that exploited the full potential of the violin, helped by the extraordinary length of the fingers of his left hand. A technique that exploited unusually long left-hand fingers shows the instrument and the player being fitted to each other. A violinist who left his favourite instrument to his native city, to be kept forever, treated it as more than a tool of the trade. He composed his own works to play exclusively in his concerts, and they profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique. His compositions were technically imaginative, the timbre of the instrument was greatly expanded as a result, and sounds of different instruments and animals were often imitated. Music that imitates other instruments and animals, kept for his own concerts, reads as theatre as much as pure violin writing. His 24 Caprices were likely composed between 1805 and 1809, while he was in the service of the Baciocchi court, and in the same period he composed the majority of his solo pieces, duo-sonatas, trios and quartets for the guitar. He was born on October 27, 1782, in Genoa. From 1792 he was tutored by the violinist Giovanni Cervetto, the composer Francesco Gnecco and later Giacomo Costa, and on May 31, 1794, 11-year-old Niccolò performed for the first time as a soloist at the San Filippo Oratorio. Several tutors before a first solo appearance at eleven fit a performer being shaped for the stage early. From 1805 to 1807 he was first violinist at the court orchestra of the Republic of Lucca, and later joined the court of Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister. In the first decade of the 19th century the first rumors began to circulate of his “pact with the devil,” blamed for his superhuman skill in performance. Rumors of a pact with the devil, set beside a documented training under named teachers, show how a legend can outrun the record. In 1827 Pope Leo XII honoured him with the Order of the Golden Spur, and in 1828, he began a grand tour abroad that lasted six years, until 1834. In 1833 he settled in Paris, where he commissioned Hector Berlioz to write Harold en Italie; he thought the challenge of its viola solo too slight and never played it. In September 1834 he ended his concert career and returned to Genoa, where he devoted his time to the publication of his compositions. Devoting his time to publication after the concert years suggests a musician turning from the moment of performance toward the lasting form of his work. He died in Nice on May 27, 1840, at the age of 57.
About Niccolò Paganini
Browse piano sheets by Niccolò Paganini on Zen Virtual Piano.
Paganini’s favourite instrument, which he called his “cannon violin” because of its full sound, was bequeathed to his hometown, Genoa, where it was to be “preserved for eternity.” He developed new violin techniques that exploited the full potential of the violin, helped by the extraordinary length of the fingers of his left hand. A technique that exploited unusually long left-hand fingers shows the instrument and the player being fitted to each other. A violinist who left his favourite instrument to his native city, to be kept forever, treated it as more than a tool of the trade.
He composed his own works to play exclusively in his concerts, and they profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique. His compositions were technically imaginative, the timbre of the instrument was greatly expanded as a result, and sounds of different instruments and animals were often imitated. Music that imitates other instruments and animals, kept for his own concerts, reads as theatre as much as pure violin writing. His 24 Caprices were likely composed between 1805 and 1809, while he was in the service of the Baciocchi court, and in the same period he composed the majority of his solo pieces, duo-sonatas, trios and quartets for the guitar.
He was born on October 27, 1782, in Genoa. From 1792 he was tutored by the violinist Giovanni Cervetto, the composer Francesco Gnecco and later Giacomo Costa, and on May 31, 1794, 11-year-old Niccolò performed for the first time as a soloist at the San Filippo Oratorio. Several tutors before a first solo appearance at eleven fit a performer being shaped for the stage early. From 1805 to 1807 he was first violinist at the court orchestra of the Republic of Lucca, and later joined the court of Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi, Napoleon’s sister. In the first decade of the 19th century the first rumors began to circulate of his “pact with the devil,” blamed for his superhuman skill in performance. Rumors of a pact with the devil, set beside a documented training under named teachers, show how a legend can outrun the record.
In 1827 Pope Leo XII honoured him with the Order of the Golden Spur, and in 1828, he began a grand tour abroad that lasted six years, until 1834. In 1833 he settled in Paris, where he commissioned Hector Berlioz to write Harold en Italie; he thought the challenge of its viola solo too slight and never played it. In September 1834 he ended his concert career and returned to Genoa, where he devoted his time to the publication of his compositions. Devoting his time to publication after the concert years suggests a musician turning from the moment of performance toward the lasting form of his work. He died in Nice on May 27, 1840, at the age of 57.
Search the library
Common questions
Questions and answers FAQ
What was Paganini’s “cannon violin”?
His favourite instrument, called the cannon because of its full sound; he bequeathed it to Genoa, where it was to be “preserved for eternity.”
When did Paganini compose the 24 Caprices?
They were likely composed between 1805 and 1809, while he was in the service of the Baciocchi court.
Why did Paganini write his own works?
He composed them to play exclusively in his concerts, and they profoundly influenced the evolution of violin technique.