Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-21
News of Music

There are at the present
time few composers who can
carry the weight of an entire
concert devoted to their mu-
sic and to nothing else. A one
man recital of music written
by one not primarily known
as a composer is unheard Of.
yet such a recital will be given
this Friday by Zinc Frances
catti at the Library of Con-
gress. The composer is Nicolo
Paganini, the wizard Of the
violin.
The occasion is an exhibit of
a large collection of music,
letters, diaries, programs and
posters pertaining to the leg
endary performer and given
the Library by Mrs. Gertrude
Clarke Whittall in 1947. Pag-
amin the composer Is known
to every violiniSt at least
through his "a caprices. etudes
that are the despair of most
fiddlers. Although these pieces
are still often thought of as
dazzling technical bravura dis
plays with little musical value,
many musicians are coming to
feel that they have a clean
brilliance and melodic attrac-
tiveness all too rare in the
10Th century. and that the
distinction between technically
excellent music and artistically
excellent music is hazardous
to make.
'Horold' Disappointed
Apart from the caprices and
the two concertoS, most Of the
rest of Paganini's music may
be divided into two classes
that for guitar. either as o
solo instrument or in chamber
music, and variations, fanta-
sizes. potpourris, and similar
occasional pieces written for
the composers own use as a
virtuoso performer. Paganini
was EXTREMITY fond Of the guitar
and also of the viola. for which
instrument, it will be remem-
bered, he commissioned Ber-
lioz to write a concerto for his
repertoire. That he was diSap-
pointed in Harold in Italy"
is understandable. although it
seems that it did not cost
Berlioz either his admiration
or frienship; his surprise at
the work must have been stun
ming. Here was the greatest
string virtuoSo Of his time
whose request Of the most spec
tacular composer Of the day
for a viola show-piece turned
out to be q symphony whose
hero is the viola, without doubt,
but a viola that Is forgotten
for pages at a time. Moreover.
the viola is a brooding reflec-
tive fellow rather than the
alter ego Of q virtuoSo Of Pag-
anini'S caliber.
Harold Spivacke, chief Of the
Music Division Of the Library
of Congress, has written an en-
pertaining booklet about the
subject Of the current exhibit.
The stage IL sst and the pro-
tagonist Sketched In terBely
and wildly:
I'm 1898 an Italian violinist,
almost 46 years Of age, left his
homeland for the f1rst time to
give q series Of concerts in
foreign parts, and In less than
one year created q Juror un-
equaled since that caused by
Napoleon himself. In no time
at all, this mans name, Nicolo
Paganini, became q household
word in all Of Western Europe.
Fantastic tales were told about
him and some people claimed
that they saw the devil him
self on the concert stage aid
ing Paganini in his miraculous
performances. The journalists
discovered him to be q natural
and soon filled the newspapers
with numerous accounts Of his
playing, his life. his personal
habits and his appearance.
The many pamphlets written
about him in various Ian
guages were soon translated
into others. Never before and
certainly never since has any
musician quite achieved such
. worldwide and lasting rep
utation In such o short time.
Paganini became then and
still is today something Of a
myth"
A True Snowman
Ever since Paganini's time
his name has been the
synonym for the ultimate in
Instrumental virtuosity. That
he was q Snowman or even a
charlatan it cannot be denied
-Paganini or his contempt
raries doubtless would have
seen no reason to deny it. Pub
lie performances Of music be-
fore audiences made up of
people not themselves must
clans were just beginning to