Composer
Niccolò Paganini
Italian violinist and composer (1782–1840)
1782–1840
461 works and musical collections
- Born
- 1782
- Died
- 1840
- Birthplace
- Genoa
- Place of death
- Nice
- Citizenship / historical state
- Republic of Genoa
- Period (estimated from birth year)
- Romantic
Biography
Paganini rewrote what a violin could do and left a catalogue that is still, two centuries later, the boundary of the instrument's technique.
The 24 Caprices, Op. 1 are the central work and are professional repertoire — the twenty-fourth is the famous one, and it is not a starting point. The violin concerti are equally demanding. What is approachable is the guitar music: he played guitar seriously and wrote a large body of sonatas and duos for violin and guitar that sit at a genuinely amateur level.
Editions of the Caprices differ in bowing and fingering, which on this music is most of the interpretation. Free scans of the original are available and are unmarked; for study, an edited edition is worth having.
Life and musical career
- Occupations
- classical composer; violinist; violin virtuoso; violist; guitarist; composer; chapelmaster
- Genres
- art music
- Notable works
- 24 Caprices for Solo Violin; Violin Concerto No. 1; Violin Concerto n 2 of Niccolò Paganini; Violin Concerto No. 3; Violin Concerto No. 4; Violin Concerto No. 5
- Awards
- Order of the Golden Spur
- Languages used
- Italian
- VIAF ID
- 93850871
- ISNI
- 0000000122830695
- GND ID
- 118591177
- Library of Congress ID
- n79105881
- MusicBrainz ID
- d581b2f2-f945-4566-a249-2d0171466993
Recorded in Wikidata. Affiliations may refer to earlier stages of the composer's career.
In this catalogue
- Common listed instruments
- Guitar, violin, Piano, Cello, Viola
- Genres represented
- Classical, Rock, Jazz, Pop
- Source entries with composition dates
- 14
These details describe the indexed sheet music, including arrangements.
Catalogue
Sheet music catalogue page 10 of 10
Instruments describe listed editions, including arrangements. Composition dates and keys appear where recorded; collection pages show their individual contents.
Biographical record: Wikidata, matched on name and checked against dates held in the catalogue. The period label is an estimate from birth year. The biography above is our own. Authority record: VIAF 93850871. Portrait: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.