The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-10-10
PAoANINIAnA.
Interesting Anecdotes OF the Great and
Famou, Violin virtuoso.


,The current number OF the Corn
Lii Magazine contains IN interesting
article ciliod 'Paganiniana' 1t is
made up of amusing anecdotes about
the greatest OF all violin virtuosi. and
comprises several stories which 1t may
be worth while to quote. Paganini
visited England ut least once during
the course of his brilliant career.
This was in 1882. when he played in
London and made tour through tho
provinces. People characterized his
appearance as more ike that OF a de-
voice to suffer martyrdom than one
likely to delight with his art There
is curious letter OF his own, writ
ten ut this time. in which he complain
ed OF the excessive and noisy admira-
ton 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, lis 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 ] can never leave my house with
out being mobbed by people who
arc not content with following
and jostling me, but actually
get in front of me and prevent my
getting either way. address me in Eng
lish, OF which do not know word.
and even feel me. as II to find out II |
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 ut
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
ers in the town itself as "a set OF assesn
Hence. we read, ANY countryman q
resident OF the suburbs, If asked where
he came from, never replied, From
Ferrara,' but put up his head and
began braying like an ass" Now. I'M
luckily for him. rs 1t proved. Paganinf
could initiate with his violin the bray
ing OF en- ass as we'll us do other won :
derful things. In the course OF con-
cert at Ferrara some one in the pit
had Kissed. 1t was an outrage which
must be revenged. but no one sus-
pected anything when, NJ the close Of
the program. Paganini proposed to
initiate the voices OF various animals.
After having reproduced the notes OF
different birds, the Dewing OF cat.
the barking Of dog, and so on. he
advanced to the footlights, and calling
out This is for those who Kissed. inn
itated in an unmistakable manner
the braying OF donkey. The eff
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 a man
rushed through the orchestra climbed
the stage, and would undoubtedly
have strangled the daring fiddler il he
had not taken to instantaneous flight.
Paganini was u 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 oil
the day. Nothing seemed beyond his
marvellous powers, as the following
anecdote will show: The word diff
Guilty 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 tina,
Paganini could get through the mos,
difficult music at first sight He pos
sessed valuable Cremona violin,
which he offered to present to the vir.
tuoso il he could perform straight of.
a manuscript concerto which he placed
before him. This instrument is yours,
said he. If you can play in mastery
manner that concerto at first sight.
In that case. my friend replied Pa
ganini. you may bid adieu to it Al
once. which the painter, according to
the bargain. found he had to do few
minutes later.