Greatest Violinists - Essay Example

Niccolo Paganini is considered one of the greatest violinists in history. He was born in Genoa, Italy in 1782 and this is where he made his first appearance in a public concert at the age of eleven. In 1805, he made a tour around Europe and fascinated the world with his talent as a virtuoso violinist, particularly with his feat of performing unaccompanied on the fourth string. His fame reached its zenith at the age of 23 when he was appointed as a director of music to Napoleon’s sister where he performed as a solo court violinist. He became a legend for his unmatched mastery of the violin and conquered the hearts of people with his debut in Milan in 1813, and performed in fourteen concerts in Vienna and was rewarded profoundly by the emperor of that time. He then moved on to amaze his listeners in London and Paris.

Niccolo Paganini was not only a performer but also an outstanding composer. The most acclaimed of his compositions is ‘24 capricci’, which was composed for solo violin performances and is considered one of the most complex compositions written for violin. Other notable works include ‘Le streghe’ and ‘Moto perpetuo’. Paganini enjoyed astounding his audiences by playing tricks and giving such unbelievable performances that it was rumored that he had made a pact with the devil. He was known to play major parts of his compositions on a single string and was ambidextrous with techniques that included pizzicato, double stops, and harmonics. He was overtaken by grave illness in October 1838 which took away his voice, and the legendary violinist died a year later in November 1839 (Sugden). His contribution to music is remarkable and his works are still a source of inspiration for violinists around the world.