The North-Carolina standard., 1845-10-15
PAGANINI.
A GRAPHIC SKETCH BY THE "SKRTcHER OF
THE BosToN ATLAS.


a form which once seen could never be forgotten :;
and, as have not yet fallen in with graphic de-
scription Of him, will try my hand even though
| should fail in producing "pcn and ink like
ness of the great Violinist of modern limes-PA-
sANINI.
On the day following that on which 1 heard
MIR. Hinton, the remarkable Italian was to per-
form in the Reading Theatre, for the first and only
time He was then in the full flush of his bril-
liant reputation, and expectation on tiptoe to
hear the sounds of his reportedto-be gical in
strument. He was the great lion of the day, and
thousand exaggerated rumors were in circula-
ton respecting him. Some said that his violin
was his familiar spirit-ohers, that he had acqur-
I'd his extraordinary skill whilst incarcerated in
dungeon at Naples, for some horrible crime and
there were not wanting those who hinted that the
devil had lent him his violin, on the stern condi-
ton that after playing it for number of years.
he should personally return it. and deliver up
himself into the bargain, to the father of evil OF
course great anxiety was manifested to see and
hear him; so having paid seven and sixpence ster-
ling for ticket, and it was hard to procure at
that price, l got tightly packed in the pit of the
Reading Theatre, where I waited anxiously for
the appearance of the lord of the "unerrng lid
dle) bow"
Several pieces were TO be performed before PA
GANINI made his appearance, and these like oys-
tiers and lemon juice before Partisan feast sefv-
was to follow. This preliminary playing and
singing was doubtless very fine; but it passed off
heavily enough, and glad was to discover, by
the aid of the programme, that "The Carnival Of
Venice" by Paganini was the next piece
An interval of few minutes. The gods" of
the gallery have sobered down. Nuts are no
longer cracked and the shells showered down on
the heads of those in the pit. The popping of
ginger beer corks has ceased and the cry of d" ap-
Piles and oranges" is heard no more The pit
folks have squeezed themselves into as comforta.
BILE positions as possible, and along the boxes is
seen row Of anxious faces, and line of ready
opera glasses. There is a dead silence in the
house The musicians in the orchestra are all on
the qui rirc; the first fiddle looks amazingly anx.
ious, as if he knew that an extngusher was about
to be put on him; the flutes rest with their lips
half puckered up. and fingers resting lightly on
their orihces; the claTonets stand with their reeds
ready for vibration, and the drum sticks describe
an angle Of forty-frc. There is a waving of the
curtain, and a prolonged sh-- goes round the
house; little bell rings once, and the musicians
fix their eyes incntly on their books, all but the
flutes, who squint at the stage,-another, and
louder ring-and up goes the green baize Up
up-up-till the last fold of the curtain is invisi-
bic, and there is the broad open stage, with grand
piano in its midst. A gentleman, dressed very
neatly in black, with music book in his prim.
rose gloVed hand, enters, bows, and takes his seat
at the instrument Ie looks first at the audience,
with quite an air OF unconcern, as if he had al
ready seen and knew every thing about the great
man; he has all the calm consequence of man
who knows what others do not know about him.
Now he hens, looks lntently at the wing, and as
| he gives jerk on his chair, and takes off his
gloves, it is evident some one is coming. How
deathlike is the siencel
With the slow and stealhy step of a tiger draw
! ing near enoug to its victim, in order TO make
fnn oVoh 81
horribly sardonic smile his countenance, eIdes
sideways from behind the wing, being who star
ties every one who 5eholds him. He is very tall
and remarkably thin that his black clothes fall
| loosely about hiu1-his trowsers bagging as if
they hung upon poles. These trowsers were so
large that. at their termination, where they came
in contact with his SMALL ladv-like shoe the pol
ished leather of which seemed just to cover the
tips of his toes, they seemed of exactly the same
width, united, as his shoulders His hips did not
in the least project, that he seemed, from his
arm-pis downwards, to be of exactly the same
breadth; there was no projecting point to disturb
the straight line. His doube-breas;ed coat had
long skirts. and buttoned up close 10 his chin,
round which was a white cravat, and turned
down collar But, extraordinary as was his fig
ure, his face and head were the great points of at
traction and wonder; much so were they, that, !
when first glimpse of the face, especially, was
caught people invounturily drew back, as if they ;
had seen spectre.
He was ghastly pale In the centre of his fore !
head, which had nolhing very remarkable as to
its developments, that l could see, at least, his
jet black hair was parted, and from thence it fell
down in curly, frowsy masses over his shoulders.
His eyebrows were dark, and, where the outer
parts terminated there were deep tosse in the tenn
Piles. His nose was slightly -beaked and on either
side of 1t were the most remarkable eyes that, !
believe, mortal ever possessed. They were small,
dark, and not sparkling, but of Iustre more re-
sembling that of polished steel, when seen in
dimly lighted room than any thing else can I
compare them to. Their expression, as he smiI-
ed horribly at the audience in recognition of their
plauditS, and as he bowed his long back, was alb
soluteEy snake-hke. As I said, he came on the
stage sideways, gradually, as he bowed and snil-
ed, approaching to near the centre. His arms
were so long that, as he bent, the fiddle and bow.
which he held in one hand, would have touched /
the stage, but that he held them obIiquely. Al
last he reached the front and almost the middle of
the stage near the footIights, drew himself up to
his full height, held out his violin at arms length
surveyed it as if it were the most beloved thing in
the universe and then slowly brought it to his
shoulder, with as much gravity as If it had been
a deity and he devotee.
With firm and decided air the great Maestro
planted bis right foot little in advance Of his left
which remained with the knee firmly fixed, threw
back his head, then inclined his left ear towards
his fiddle, smiling family, as if it were saying