The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-04-10


ing in the ante-room little Nicolo took
up violin, and played off at sight
some difficult music which he found ly-
ing on the table. The invalid composer
raised himself to listen, and eagerly in
quired who the great master was who
had arrived, and was playing in his ante
room. "a mere lad!-impossible" but
on Paganini's making his appearance as
an humble pupil, Rolla Mt once told
him that he could teach him nothing.
Thence to Paer, who was glad to make
his difficult charge over to Ghiretti, and
this master gave him three lessons a
week in harmony and counterpoint. 1t
is not clear that this extraordinary ge-
MUS owed much more to any one but
himself-his indomitable perseverance
and his incessant study. His method
is to be noted. For 10 or u hours he
would try passages over and over again
in different ways with such absorption
and intensity, that at nightfall he would
sink in utter prostration through excess
sive exhaustion and fatigue. Though
delicate like Mendelssohn, he ate at times
ravenously, and slept soundly. When
about 10 he wrote "a fugues, and soon
afterward composed some violin music,
of such difficulty, that he was unable at
first to play it, until incessant practice
gave him the mastery.
In 1797 Paganini, being then 13 years
old, made his first professional tour,
but not as free agent. His father took
him through the chief towns of Lom-
hardy, and not unnaturally prescribed
the task and pocketed the proceeds
But the young neck was already begin
ming to chafe against the yoke. In 1893
he escaped, with his fathers tardy con
sent, to Lucca, where musical festival
in honor of st. Martin was going ON.
Here he gave frequent concerts, and
was everywhere met with applause, and,
what was more to the purpose, with
money. Surrounded by men OF inferior
talents, mere inexperienced youth,
without education, without knowledge
of the world, with nothing but ambi-
tion and his supreme musical genius,
he now broke wildly away from all wise
restraints, and avenged himself upon
his fathers severity by many youthful
excesses. He gambled--he lost-he
was duped by his companions; but he
made money 50 fast, that he soon owned
about 81 200. 1t is pleasant to think
that he at once thought of giving some
of this to his father and mother; it is
unpleasant to record that his father
claimed, and eventually got, almost the
whole sum from him. But it did not
much matter now, for everything seem
ed literally to turn into gold beneath
those marvellous fingers, and bad luck
proved nearly IN profitable to him as
good.
By the time he had reached II Paga-
mini was n confirmed gambler. He had
little left but his Strndiuarius violin,
and this he was on the point of selling
to certain prince, who had offered him
ESQ, large sum at the beginning of
this century even for a Stradiuarius.
Times have changed, and i'll those latter
days We think nothing Of giving G30O
for IL genuine instrument Of the first
class. But the reckless youth deter
mined to make last stand for his vio-
lin. "Jewels watch, rings, brooches"
to use his own words, 81 had disposed
of all--mv 30 francs were reduced to B.
With this small remains of my capital
/ played, and won 100 francs! This
amount saved my violin, and restored
my affairs. From that time" he adds,
81 abjured gaming, to which | had sac
rifced part of my youth, convinced
that a gamester is an object of contempt
to all well-regulated minds" The
violin he narrowly missed losing was
given him by Pasini the painter, who,
on one occasion, brought him IA concer-
to of extraordinary difficulty to read at
sight, and placing fine Stradiuariiis in
his hands, said, "This instrument shall
be yours if you can play that concerto
at first sight in mastery manner
"If that is the case, replied Paganini,
you may bid adieu to it, and play
ing it off at once, he retained the violin.
Some years later, at Legborn, being
again in great straits, he was obliged to
part, for time at least, with this same
but this disaster was only
the means of procuring him the favorito
Guarnerius, upon which he ever after
ward played. In his need, Monsieur
Livron, distinguished amateur, lent
him this splendid instrument, and was
so enraptured by his playing that he
exclaimed, "Never will l profane the
strings that your fingers have touched.
It is to you that my violin belongs"
This violin is still shown at Genoa un-
der glass case.
At the age of II Paganini appears to
have been entirely his own master
weak in health, nervous, irritable and
excitable; his wild and irregular habits
and pursuits we're, at this critical age,
threatening to hurry him to an early grave
when an event occurred which, although
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