The Forrest City times., 1891-09-25
PkOAksNiANA.
Int <st'us Anecdotes of the Great and
 EamOus Violin VirtuOs0.

Into <st'ns Anecdotes of the Great and
 Famou, Violin virtuoso.
 The current number of the Corn- article called 'Paganiniana' It is made up of amusing anecdotes about the greatest of all violin virtuosi, and comprises several stories which it may
 be worth while to quote. Paganini visited England at least once during the course of his brilliant career. This was in 1882, when he played in London and made tour through the provinces. People characterized his appearance as more like that of de- votee to suffer martyrdom than one likely to delight with his art. There is a curious letter of his own, writ ten at this time, in which be complain cd of tho excessive and noisy admira- tion' to which he was victim in Lon. don, which left him no rest and actually blocked his passage from the opera house every time he played. Al though the public curiosity to see me-, says he, is long since satisfied, though have played in public at least thirty times and my likeness has been repro duced in all possible styles and forms, yet l can never leave my house with out being mobbed by people who are not content with following and jostling me, but actually get in front of me and prevent my getting either way, address mo in Eng fish, of which do not know a word, and even feel me. as if to find out if I am flesh and blood And this not only the common people, but even the up- per classes. The great violinist had many curious adventures among which few are more deserving of record than that which befell him at Ferrara where he narrowly escaped being lynched. In those days it seems the common people of the suburbs of that little town looked upon the dwell- CTS in the town itself as a set of assesH Hence, we read, Any countryman resident of the suburbs. if asked where he came from, never replied. From Ferrara but put up his head and began praying like an ass Now, un- luckily for him, as 1t proved, Paganini could initiate with his violin the bray ing of an ass as we'll as do other won- derful things. In the course of con- cert at Ferrara some one ill tho pit had hissed. It was an outrage which must be revenged. but no one sus- pected anything when, at the close of the program Paganiui proposed to initiate the voices of various animals After having reproduced the notes of different birds, the moving of cat the barking of a dog. and so on. he advanced to the footlights, and calling out This is for those who hissed im- itated in an unmistakable manner the praying of a donkey The ef- feet produced was magical. but not at all what the player had probably expected. The audience, taking the significant hee-haw' as an allusion to themselves. rose almost to q man rushed through the orchestra climb the stage. and would undoubtedly have straugled the daring fiddler if he had not taken to instantaneous flight Paganini was thorough believer in Carlysle's dictum that genius is the capacity for taking infinite pains. He was known to have tried the same passage in "A thousand different ways during ten or twelve hours and to be completely overwhelmed at the end of the day, Nothing seemed beyond his marvellous powers, as the following anecdote will show: The word din- culty' had no place in his vocabulary. The most intricate music of the day was but as child's play to him. as a certain painter at Parma once found, much to his chagrin. This gentleman discredited the common belief that Paganini could get through the most difficult music at first sight He pos sessed valuable Cremona violin, which he offered to present to the vir. tnoso if he could perform. straight of, n manuscript concerto which he placed before him. This instrument is yours, said he if you can play in a masterly manner that concerto at first sight in that case. my friend replied Pa ganini, you may bid adleu to it at once, which the painter according to the bargain. found he had to do a few minutes later.