The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-20
ANRoDorEs OF PAoANINI
How he Terr f1sd Audiences-His
Power of 1aklug Infinite Pains.
a., 90. sIf

From the CornhH Magazine,
Was Nicolo Paganini a sou of Satani
This question. which has been gravely asked
has been as gravely answered. Pagauini
himself was upon one occasion forced "a
publish letter from his mother, to prove
that he was really of flesh and blood as
other men. The publication was quite a
serious affair; but it was evidently without
the desired effect, since later on he consId-
cred ID advisable TO furnish Fetis. his
biographer, with the necessary material and
dates to refute publicly the numerous alb.
surdities regarding him. There can bs no
doubt that many people regarded
Pnganini's perfect command over the
most perfect of muscal instruments
as something supernatural. His life, more
over, WAS mysterious and his appearance
eccentric-two facts which, coupled with
the extraordinary skill with which he played
the violin, go long way towards accounts
ing for the popular theory Of Satanic origin.
to which we have referred. The current
number Of the Cornhill Magazine contains
an interesting article called "Paganimana. -
u must be admitted that the article sets out
little that Is new; but at the same time it is
bright and readable. Ii is made up of a
number OF amusing anecdotes about the
several stories which it may be worth while
10 quote.
The great vionlinist had many curious adj
ventures, among which few are more de-
serving of record than that which befell
him at Ferrara, where be narrowly escaped
being lYnched.
In those days, it seems the common
people OF the suburbs OF that little town
loo6ed upon the dwelers in the town itself
Va nj RSgaap HarAa
countryman, a resident of the suburbs, if
asked where he came from, never replied,
From Ferrara." but put up his head and
began braYIng like an ASST Now, unlucky
for him, as it proved, Paganini could imi
tate with his violin the braying of an ass,
as well as do other wonderful things. In
the course of q concert at Ferrara some one
IN the pit Kissed. 1t was an outrage which
must DO reyenged, but no one suspec ed
anything when, at the close of the pro-
gramme, Pagapini proposed to initiate
the voices OF various animals. After having
produced the notes of different birds, the
moving OF cat, the barking of dog, aud
50 on, he advanced to the footligntI, aud
calling out, This is for those who hissed, i'm
itAted In an unspeakahle manner the bray
aug OF a donkey. The effect 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
aud would undoubtedly have stranglsd the
daring fiddler il he had not taken to instan-
taneous flight"
Paganini was thorough believer in Car
lyle's diotum that genius Is the capacity for
taking infinite pains He was known to have
tried The same passage in thousand differ
ent 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 anec-
dote will show:
The word difficulty had no place in his
vocabulary. The most intricate music of
the day was but 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 cJuld get
through the most difficult music at first
sight. de possessed a valuabls Cremona
violin, which he offered to present to the
Vlrtuoso II he could perform, straight off, O
manuscript concerto which he placed before
MIN. This instrument is yours said he
III you can play in a mastery manner that
concerto at first sight In that case nv
frlend,' replied Paganini, you may bid
adleu to 1t at once which the painter. ac-
cordlng to the bargain, found he hal to do
q few minutes later"
Paganini once visited Scotland, whore the
inhabitants, who had not yet forgotten one
of their own performers, Neil Gow-a
''mon who played the fiddle weel"-were al
most terrified by his cleYerness and appear
ance
'In one town." says the writer of the
article under notice, "he came on the plat
form, cast n ghostly glance around the
crowded hall, and, extending his right arm,
held the bow pointed to the right, and i'm
mediately hogan to send forth mysterious
music with the fingers Of his left hand.
Softer and softer grew the music, until at
last he brought down the bow on the strings
with such force that several persons tainted
with fear. So intense was the excitement
that at the close of the performance the
audience felt a painful relief
Paganini looked pretty carefully after
his money but, at the same time, he was
not miser. Indeed, he was wildly lsener-
Gus upon occasion. He gave BerliOz ~,
000f., simply as a mark of admir- alton for
the latter's Symphonic Fantastique."
"But better than this was the manner of
his befriending a little Italian whom he
found playing on the streets of Vienna.
The boy contided to him that he supported
his sick mother by his playing, and that he
had come from the other side of the Alps.
Paganini was touched at once. He liter
ally ec1ptied his pockets into the lads hand,
and taking his poor instrument from him,
began the most grotesque and extraordi-
nary performance possible Presently
there was quite crowd around
the curious pair, and Paganini,
concluding his solo. went around
with the bat. A splendid collection was
the result, and after handing this to the boy
Paganinl walked off with his companion,
remarking, Il hope | have done good
turn to that little animal With Paganinl
any one belonging to the lower order was
always addressed as an animal When
such an individual cared to speak to him he
would turn his back and inquire of his COM
Fanion, What does this animal want with
meg
The great violinist had liason with a
famous centatrice named Antonio Bianchi
the CornhiH Magazine calls her Antonio
Blanchi, but this is obviously a misprint),
who lived at Como. BY her be had a son
whom he tamiliarly addressed by the affec-
uonate dlminutlve "Achilliuo.s and of
whom he was passionately fond. Antonio
seems to have possessed anything but
pleasant temper
-, "Of this lady Paganini himself tells us
that, atter many years of most devoted
nte' her temper became SO violent that a
separation was necessary. 'Antonia,i he
says, 'wss constantly tormented by the most
fearful Jealousy. One day she happened to
Do behind my chair when [ was writing
some liues in the album Of a great pianist
ana when she read the few amiable words
81