10 People Who Sold Their Soul To The Devil - Listverse 10 People Who Sold Their Soul To The Devil michgirl & JFrater May 10, 2010 There is always someone looking for the easy way of obtaining more pleasure, wealth or power. I always find it fascinating the lengths some will try just to achieve what they desire most. This list looks at 10 who are believed to have turned to the ultimate evil to obtain their desire. 10 Pope Sylvester II (born c. 945- died 5-12-1003) Pope Sylvester II was one of the most learned men of his time. Well versed in mathematics, astronomy, and mechanics; he is credited with inventing the hydraulic organ, pendulum clock, and introducing Arabic numerals to Western Europe. He also wrote books on mathematics, natural science, music, theology and philosophy. Pope Sylvester II was the first French Pope and certainly the most significant in the 10th century. Upon his death, rumors began to fly that his great intelligence – and, consequently his inventive genius – was the result of a pact with the devil.

This was most likely due to his regular contact with great scientific minds in the Arab world and his brave attempts to root out simony in the Church. 9 Nicolo Paganini (born 10-27-1782 – died 5-27-1840) Nicolo Paganini is one of the greatest violin virtuosos to have ever lived. He learned to play the mandolin at 5 and was composing by 7. He started playing publicly at 12 but by 16 he had a breakdown and disappeared into alcoholism. He sobered up and by 22 was the first music superstar. Paganini was capable of playing three octaves across four strings in a hand span, a feat that is nearly impossible even by today’s standards. He composed 24 Caprices at 23 and for years no other violinist was capable of playing much of his music. His playing of tender passages is said to have brought audiences to tears. One of his famous pieces was called Le Streghe which translates to Witches’ Dance. Audiences believed Paganini made a pact with the devil to perform supernatural displays of technique.

Some patrons even claimed to see the devil helping him during his performances. It is because he was denied the Last Rites in the Church and his widely rumored association with the devil, that his body was denied a Catholic burial in Genoa. It took four years, and an appeal to the Pope, before the body was allowed to be transported to Genoa, but was still not buried. His remains were finally put to rest in 1876 in a cemetery in Parma. 8 Gilles de Rais (born 1404- died 1440) Gilles de Rais was considered intelligent, courageous and very attractive with a bluish black beard. Born to one of the most distinguished families in Brittany, he came into his own when his father died in Gilles’ 20th year. He found himself with untold wealth and power which eventually led to his downfall. Gilles got an attack of “keeping up with the Joneses” which ultimately led to the loss of much of his wealth.

In desperation he began to experiment with the occult under the direction of a man named Francesco Prelati, who promised that Gilles could help him regain his squandered fortune by sacrificing children to a demon called “Baron.” Over the course of his killing spree, Gilles raped, tortured, and murdered between 80 and 200 children. He was tried, found guilty, and executed by hanging and burning. 7 General Jonathan Moulton (born 7-21-1726- died 9-18-1787) Jonathan Moulton started as an apprentice to a cabinet maker but in 1745 he left and started his career in the New England Army. He fought in the King George War and the French and Indian War. He married in 1749 and sired 11 children. He became one of the wealthiest men in New Hampshire and this led to later tales of his deal with the devil. In 1769 the mansion he built in a poor Puritan town burned to the ground.

Popular belief at the time was that Moulton had a pact with the devil wherein he would fill Moulton’s boots to the brim with gold once a month in return for his soul. It was said that Moulton thought up a clever ploy and placed his boots – with the soles cut off – over a large hole in the ground. The devil, wondering why it was taking so much gold to fill the boots discovered the trick and exacted revenge. It is believed that when Moulton died his body disappeared out of the coffin and was replaced by a box of coins stamped with an image of the devil. Moulton’s coffin was buried with no grave marker and its location is unknown. 6 Father Urbain Grandier (born c. 1590- died 8-16-1634) Father Urbain Granadier was a French Catholic priest who was burned at the stake after being convicted of witchcraft. He served as priest in the church of Sainte Croix in Loudun, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Poitiers. Ignoring his vow of priestly celibacy, he is known to have had sexual relationships with a number of women and to have acquired a reputation as a philanderer.

In 1632, a group of nuns from the local Ursuline convent accused him of having bewitched them, sending the demon Asmodai, among others, to commit evil and impudent acts with them. At his trial, the judges, after torturing the priest, introduced documents purportedly signed by Grandier and several demons as evidence that he had made a diabolical pact. They were written backwards in Latin and even included the signature of Satan himself. The text of the pact read as follows (the original can be seen above – click for a larger view): We, the influential Lucifer, the young Satan, Beelzebub, Leviathan, Elimi, and Astaroth, together with others, have today accepted the covenant pact of Urbain Grandier, who is ours. And him do we promise the love of women, the flower of virgins, the respect of monarchs, honors, lusts and powers. He will go whoring three days long; the carousal will be dear to him.

He offers us once in the year a seal of blood, under the feet he will trample the holy things of the church and he will ask us many questions; with this pact he will live twenty years happy on the earth of men, and will later join us to sin against God. Bound in hell, in the council of demons. Lucifer Beelzebub Satan Giuseppe Tartini (born 4-8-1692- died 2-26-1770) Tartini was an Italian composer and violinist. He was one of the most instrumental musical composers having written over 400 works. Unlike most of his contemporaries he wrote no church music or operas, he focused most of his work on violin concerti and sonatas. His most infamous piece is called the Devil’s Trill Sonata. The story behind “Devil’s Trill” starts with a dream. Tartini allegedly told the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande that he dreamed that The Devil appeared to him and asked to be his servant.

At the end of their lessons Tartini handed the devil his violin to test his skill—the devil immediately began to play with such virtuosity that Tartini felt his breath taken away. When the composer awoke he immediately jotted down the sonata, desperately trying to recapture what he had heard in the dream. Despite the sonata being successful with his audiences, Tartini lamented that the piece was still far from what he had heard in his dream. What he had written was, in his own words: “so inferior to what I had heard, that if I could have subsisted on other means, I would have broken my violin and abandoned music forever.” You can listen to part IV of the piece above – the most difficult section, played by Itzhak Perlman. If you prefer a more techno version of the piece, you can hear Vanessa Mae playing it here . 4 Cornelius Agrippa (born 9-14-1486- died 2-18-1535) Cornelius Agrippa was the most influential writer of renaissance esoterica. He studied law and medicine but never obtained a degree.

He was considered a magician, occult writer, theologian, astrologer and alchemist. He was a leader in feminist rights and often defended women accused of witchcraft. He wrote 3 books on the occult that are still in use today. In 1535 he was labeled a heretic and sentenced to death. He escaped and on his way home fell ill and died. After Agrippa’s death, rumors circulated about his having summoned demons. In the most famous of these, Agrippa, upon his deathbed, released a black dog which had been his familiar. This black dog resurfaced in various legends about Faustus, and in Goethe’s version became the “schwarze Pudel” Mephistopheles. 3 Robert Johnson (born 5-8-1911- died 9-16-1938) Robert Johnson was a great American Blues musician. Ranked 5th out of 100 on Rolling Stones list as the greatest guitarists of all time. The legend goes that he wanted to be great at guitar and was instructed to head to a crossroads. There he met the devil who tuned his guitar, giving him mastery over the instrument.

Johnson did little to dispel the rumors, even encouraging them by alluding to the fact that he had, indeed, made a deal with the prince of darkness. He produced 6 records before his death at age 27. Johnson’s death is controversial as the most common claim is he was caught flirting with a married women and she offered him some whiskey which was believed to be poisoned by her husband. He was buried in an unmarked grave, the location of which is still under debate. 2 Johann Georg Faust (born c. 1480- died c. 1540) Dr. Johann Georg Faust was an itinerant alchemist, astrologer and magician of the German Renaissance. His life became the nucleus of the popular tale of Doctor Faust from ca. the 1580s, notably culminating in Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (1604) and Goethe’s Faust (1808). Legend has it that Faust wanted a life of pleasure and having been involved with the occult learned how to summon the devil.

Having done so he made a deal with him for his soul in return for 24 years of service from Satan. Unfortunately, after 16 years he regretted his deal and wanted to withdraw it. The consequences of this attempt to withdraw the deal are well known to any who have read the various fictional tales of Faust’s life: the devil brutally murdered him. 1 St. Theophilus of Adana (died c. 538) Saint Theophilus the Penitent, or Theophilus of Adana (died ca. 538), was a cleric in the sixth century Church who is said to have made a deal with the devil to gain an ecclesiastical position. His story is significant as it is the oldest story of a pact with the Devil. Theophilus was the archdeacon of Adana, Cilicia, which is part of modern Turkey. He was unanimously elected to be a bishop, but turned the position down out of humility. Another man was elected in his stead. When the new bishop unjustly deprived Theophilus of his position as archdeacon, Theophilus regretted his humility and sought out a wizard to help him contact Satan.

In exchange for his aid, Satan demanded that Theophilus renounce Christ and the Virgin Mary in a contract signed with his own blood. Theophilus complied, and the devil gave him the position as bishop. Years later, fearful for his soul, Theophilus repented and prayed to the Virgin for forgiveness. After forty days of fasting, the Virgin appeared to him and verbally chastised him. Theophilus begged forgiveness and Mary promised to intercede with God. He then fasted a further thirty days, at which time Mary appeared to him again, and granted him Absolution. However, Satan was unwilling to relinquish his hold over Theophilus, and it was a further three days before Theophilus awoke to find the damning contract on his chest. He then took the contract to the legitimate bishop and confessed all that he had done. The bishop burned the document, and Theophilus expired, out of sheer joy to be free from the burden of his contract.

[ Source ] More Great Lists Niccolo Paganini: Possessed Or Blessed Musician Interviews & Biographies Letters to the Editor MUSICIANS Niccolo Paganini, who is considered the greatest violin virtuoso of all time, was probably one of the most erratic figures of all time. Through his numerous performances all over Europe, he enthralled and inspired every audience, including musicians of his era. Franz Schubert was mystified by him, Rossini was appalled by him, and Meyerbeer followed him from one concert to another not being able to get enough of his playing. Berlioz has described Paganini as "one of those artists of whom it must be said: 'They are because they are and not because others were before them'." In Paris, Liszt came under Paganini's spell and was so stimulated by his fabulous technical virtuosity, determined to accomplish similar miracles with the piano, and pushed his technique to the highest limits. Paganini was considered a genius, a god, a devil worshiper, anything but that of reality.

There was a rumor, for instance, that when Niccolo was only six, his mother made a pact with the Devil and is said to have traded his soul for a career as the greatest violinist in the world. An old news graphic from the Bettman Archive depicting the spellbinding effect of Paganini's virtuosity on the opposite sex Paganini was a legend. In fact, he was so amazing no audience could succumb to any type of disturbance during the trance he created through his musical renditions. After borrowing a Guarnerius violin for a single concert, the lender begged him to keep it for fear of coming under Paganini's supernatural powers. He also won a Stradivarius violin in a similar manner by playing a technical piece by sight which was insisted that nobody could perform even after preparation. Besides his superb technical ability, his cadaverous appearance led to myths of all sorts. He was tall and thin, had a long nose, a pale and long-drawn face with hollow cheeks, thin lips that seemed to curl into a sardonic smile, and piercing eyes like flaming coals. The rumor was spread that he was the son of the Devil.

It was difficult to think much otherwise as Paganini dressed in black, played weaving and flailing, with skinny fingers cavorting over the strings, and contorted shoulders giving him the appearance of a giant flapping bat. Paganini's every movement and every tone emanating from his violin seemed to support the 300-year-old myth that the violin was the "Devil's consort" and that the violinist himself was the Devil. Some people, when in his presence, would actually make the sign of the cross to rid themselves of what they believed were his evil powers. He was once forced to publish letters from his mother to prove he had human parents. Whenever and wherever he played, he aroused tenor and awe in his audiences. There was the rumor that a satanic figure, a double of Paganini, always appeared in the audience in sombre black with the same long black locks, burning eyes, and sardonic smile. Or else the figure appeared on the stage at Paganini's side dressed in a red cloak and pantaloons, with horns, hooves, and a tail to guide Paganini's bow arm through a performance.

It was believed that this figure raised a thunderstorm, during a concert and conducted lightening to the free end of the bow, and at another performance he actually took possession of Paganini's body. In spite of his appearance and the suspicions, however, he was worshiped wherever he went. All parts of Europe were delighted with his music and women were spellbound at the sound of his hypnotic melodies. There was another rumor that he was the greatest womanizer of all time and that he killed a woman, imprisoned her soul in his violin, and used parts of her intestines as an eternal source of gut for his strings. The unearthly screams of women were sometimes heard coming from his violin as he played on stage. Paganini was born of a poor family in 1782 at Genoa and showed a natural talent at a very early age. His father wanted his son to be a genius and did everything in his power to make that come true. He stood by him consistently when he practiced disciplining him severely with a rod that was seldom spared. His father was quite successful in his persistence for at the age of eight, he played a Pie yel Concerto in a Genoa church.

He so enthralled the audience, that his playing became in great demand for local social gatherings. His teachers at that time were Giovanni Servetto and Giacomo Costa. When he turned nine, he made an official debut in a Genoa concert auditorium playing his own composition, La Carmagnole which is a theme and variations. By age thirteen, he was known throughout the town as the "wonderchild." He continued with his studies in Leghorn with Ferdinando Paer and in Parma with Alessandro Rolla, which began his first extended concert tour. He succeeded rapidly in the cities of Lombardy playing many of his own electrifying compositions. At the age of seventeen, he was on his own. He no longer needed financial assistance from his father and broke away assured of his talent. Freed for the first time of his father's strictness, he gave in to his two passions - women and gambling -- to which he was thenceforth to be addicted. At the turn of the century, he disappeared from the public eye. It is generally believed that he fell in love with a Guscan noble lady and lived with her at her chateau.

At this time, he abandoned the violin temporarily because of his mistress' wishes and concentrated his virtuoso and creative gifts on the guitar. He also composed several pieces and chamber works for the guitar. But, after three years, he returned to his native city to study, play, and compose at full intensity. The most amazing stories were heard about his performances. The most famous is of the concert in Leghorn. When a string of his violin snapped in an intricate passage, the audience began expressing derision. But when Paganini continued to play the piece on three strings instead of four, the derision turned to wonder and awe. From then on Paganini would not hesitate to use this devise on purpose to further entrance his audience. Often he would use worn strings so that he could complete his performance on three or even two strings when they snapped. Later he got the idea to write entire pieces for a single string, such as the Fantasia on the G String. By 1813, Paganini became the greatest violinist of his day and the most worshiped. He spent the next decade and a half performing numerous concerts throughout Italy. His health, however, was turning bad which limited his touring voyages to his own country.

When he finally left his country to perform in other parts of Europe, the concert halls were filled immediately and crowds rushed to see for themselves the creature that was so talked about. In 1828, he was in Vienna where he hypnotized his audience. Everyone was talking about him. Snacks and billiard shots were named after him. After Vienna, he traveled extensively throughout Germany and in 1831, he arrived in Paris, his ultimate goal. In Paris, there was a study made of him because his unusual appearance created an abnormal "presence" about him. Up until then there was no challenge as to the idea that he was possessed by the devil or was some sort of god himself. Through this study, however, it was found that his physical characteristics were linked to his mental abilities; the same qualities which characterize a genius. In his tour to England and Scotland, Paganini made the largest sum of money that any performing artist had earned up to that time in a single trip. He returned to Italy and purchased an estate near Parma where he made several concert appearances despite his suffering from poor health. He lost some of his fortune in a gambling house named after him, thus making him restless and weary.

He started coughing and eventually lost his voice completely in 1838. He went to Nice for a rest cure - but neither rested nor was cured. He spent his last hours improvising feverishly on his violin, defying his rapidly waning strength. Finally, he died on May 27, 1840. For five years the Church, disturbed as to his orthodoxy, refused his body interment in consecrated ground, and so it was laid to rest in a village graveyard on his own estate. The people in nearby towns use to say that every night they heard the sounds of a ghostly violin emanating from that coffin. The legend of Paganini's life lasted until the very end. Top 10 Greatest Violinists of all Time - Listverse Top 10 Greatest Violinists of all Time FlameHorse September 24, 2010 By request of BKhon – I hope he wasn’t working on the same list. I had been considering this subject for a while, and I’m thinking of one for classical pianists, as well. This list looks at the ten greatest violists in the entire history of western classical music.

Note the notable mentions at the bottom and be sure to add your own to the comments. 10 David Oistrakh He lived from 1908 to 1974, and, because he was born the same year that #2 died, he was referred to as his reincarnation. He was Russian and became world famous for his recordings and recitals of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto, as well the standards by Beethoven, Brahms and Mendelssohn. He was friends with several prominent Russian composers, including Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Khachaturian and Glazunov, all of whom wrote works dedicated to him, and which he premiered. Tchaikovsky’s Concerto was his favorite work, and some say he made the best recordings of it, which is a huge feather in any violinist’s cap. He described the last movement of it as the violin equivalent of running a 3-minute mile. 9 Fritz Kreisler One of the first true masters of the pre-recording age to make his mark in the sound studio.

Kreisler lived from 1875 to 1962, and was known for a very polite, charming tone quality, not bombastic or forceful, but technically perfect, as if he were asking the audience’s permission to show off now and then. He is typically contrasted with #5, whose technical abilities were just as perfect, but whose tone was much more aggressive, even in slow passages. Kreisler was one of the few classical musicians to die wealthy back then, having been struck by cars twice, once in 1941, which fractured his skull and put him in a week-long coma, and again a few months before his death, a traffic accident which left him blind and deaf. He was known to be supremely polite and gentlemanly to everyone he met, and this has been noted as an abiding quality of his playing. He wrote what is, today, the most popular cadenza for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D. 8 Mischa Elman His admirers and the virtuosos today consider him to have been one of the greatest in the age of recording, along with #5.

He had a pristine technique and a tone quality that #5 described as “a photograph of my painting.” The emotion he could express via his instrument was rich, full of passion and yet very refined, though lacking, perhaps, a little of the intensity and verve #5 expressed. He lived from 1891 to 1967, and #2 recommended him for the Imperial Academy of Music in Odessa, Ukraine. He could already play, at 11 years old, some of the most difficult pieces ever written, including Wieniawski’s 2nd Concerto. He was quite short, at about 5 feet 3 inches, and, along with his wide fingers, this hindered his ability to hit the very high notes. He practiced for years until he perfected his technique, and would bend over a bit during performances in order to play properly. It worked for him, and he used to say that he didn’t care what he looked like while he played. He is also the progenitor of the famous joke, when walking home one evening in New York City, from a poorly received recital, he was stopped by a passerby who intended to go to his performance, but was late.

The passerby asked, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Elman winced and said, “Practice, practice, practice!” as he walked on. 7 Giuseppe Tartini Tartini lived from 1692 to 1770, and his origins on the violin are fun. His parents wanted him to be a friar, since that was one of the few careers that would guarantee he didn’t starve. All monasteries taught basic music as part of their schooling. He took up fencing at the University of Padua, where he studied law, and after his father died, he married Elisabetta Premazone, whom his father would not have liked because she was of a lower class. But she was a mistress of Cardinal Giorgio Cornaro (there was more of a Cardinal in the bird than in him), who promptly accused Tartini of making off with her. So he fled, rather than be caught and excommunicated or killed. He went to the monastery of St. Francis of Assisi, and began studying the violin.

He had a lot of talent for it, and the story goes that when he considered himself a master, he went to a performance of Francesco Veracini, whose playing made Tartini flee to Ancona and practice a lot more. By 1821, he was the primary performance rival of #3, famous all over Europe for his impeccable trills and tremolos. His most famous work makes extensive use of trills: the Devil’s Trill Sonata for solo violin (played above by notable extra Itzhak Perlman), in which the performer must play rapid, grueling double-stop trills. Many professionals today cannot handle it. Some say that Tartini heard the devil play it in a dream, and his composition the next morning was terrible compared to what he remembered. 6 Ole Bull He is not an American Indian, as his name seems to suggest in English. He was Norwegian, and lived from 1810 to 1880, during which time he toured Europe concertizing with the likes of Franz Liszt, Clara (and Robert) Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn and others.

Back then, the public didn’t have TV to distract them until 7:00 in the evening, so they showed up at noon, with their lunch and supper, and the recitalists had to wow them for up to 6 hours. No one person can be expected to do this, of course, so various great performers would collaborate when passing by each other’s home towns. Robert Schumann considered Bull to have an uncommon clarity and precision in his technique, to the point that, no matter how fast the music got, Bull never missed a note, and you could hear them all just fine. Clara loved him more than any other violinist she heard in person. Not an easy virtuoso to outmatch, but as so often happens when ranking great performers before the recording age, at some point the rankings begin to split hairs. That is the case, save one or two entries, with this list. 5 Jascha Heifetz By far the greatest performer of the modern recording age.

Born in 1901, died in 1987, he is one of the very few, if not the only one of, players who can hit the high note at the end of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and give it vibrato in the fifth of a second or so of its playing time. He became legendary with his recording of Zigeunerweisen, written by another performer on this list, which showcases almost every technique a violinist par excellence should have. It became Heifetz’s signature piece. After a slow segment, the fast part incorporates hair-raising pizzicato and bowing passages at the same time. Heifetz was more than equal to the task. His admirers have all expressed wonderment at his marvelous tone quality, however difficult the piece of music he was performing. 4 Arcangelo Corelli He was born in 1653, and his spot on this list may make you ask, “How do you know how well he played?” Well, even today, almost every violinist can trace his or her performance training back to Corelli. The techniques you hear performers using, fingering, bowing form and posture are all thanks to Corelli.

He was famous throughout western Europe in his own day as a performer of the highest order. He did not like the idea of playing very high notes. Not to say he couldn’t, but he thought it always sounded screeching, however well anyone played. His own music almost never goes above D on the highest string. The story goes that Handel wrote an A above this in one of his oratorios, which the visiting Corelli refused to play. He thought it sounded terrible. Handel, an organist, proceeded to play it on his own violin, and Corelli was offended. “I didn’t say, Herr Handel, that I couldn’t play it. I said it shouldn’t be played.” Handel himself remarked at the “voracity” with which Corelli could run through scales, faster than anyone else he had heard, and strike the perfect leaps, from octaves to 12ths, 15ths and more. 3 Antonio Vivaldi Vivaldi was 25 years Corelli’s junior, and became his primary virtuoso rival during Corelli’s latter years.

Vivaldi’s music faded into obscurity after his death, until Fritz Kreisler and Alfred Casella revived it in the 20th Century. Today he is one of the three most popular Baroque composers, with Bach and Handel. He seems to have had asthma, and this prevented him from learning wind instruments, but not the violin, and by his twenties, he had become well known in much of Italy and France as a virtuoso of nearly unrivaled technical artistry. Even without that virtuosity, he would have landed a spot on this list for introducing the idea of “tone painting,” or representing images through music. This he did marvelously with his “Four Seasons,” which are four concerti intended to depict, in four movement each, the appearances of nature throughout the year. With the solo violin, which he played in their premieres, he depicts birds singing, lightning and thunderstorms, frozen lakes, etc. The technical demands in these pieces are quite high.

2 Pablo de Sarasate George Bernard Shaw once said of Sarasate that “he left criticism gasping for miles behind him.” He lived from 1844 to 1908, and we should consider ourselves supremely lucky to have some of his wax cylinder recordings, from around 1904, including his own piece, Zigeunerweisen (recording above). The recording capabilities back then were terrible for anything other than percussive sounds, like a piano or drums, unless the sound was directed straight into the megaphone. A violin can do neither very well, and it is difficult to hear all the passages of the piece, but they are there, and he doesn’t miss a single note. His technique is actually a little more crystal clear than Heifetz’s, without so much as one fuzzy or scraped note, but with all the emotion and speed up to par and brilliant. Any violin virtuoso is inevitably compared with the next entry, and almost always somewhat unfavorably, but Sarasate was one of the rare exceptions whom people can actually hear perform. 1 Niccolo Paganini They say he sold his soul to the Devil to be able to play so well.

Some like to say that the Devil was sure to have been in attendance at every one of his recitals. On a list of violin virtuosity, no one is allowed to top Paganini. Robert Schumann once said, “Who is most responsible for the foundation of Christianity? Paganini must stand on the same rung of the violin’s ladder.” He lived from 1782 to 1840, and traveled Europe leaving the public in abject awe after every recital. He practiced 10 hours a day, by his own admission, and, coupled with his talent, he had no choice but to become as fluent on the violin as he was in Italian. He became rich by his performances, of course, but did not have a special violin made for him. In the field of violins, the extremely rich are able to acquire an instrument made by the most famous two luthiers in history: Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri. Paganini owned several fine instruments, but his favorite, and the one on which he played for most of his career, was made by Guarneri, in 1743.

Paganini endearingly referred to it as his “cannon violin,” and the nickname has stuck. It is Il Cannone Guarnerius, and is housed in the town hall of Genoa, Italy, Paganini’s home town, and is taken out now and then to be played on by the best in the world. Il Cannone has an extremely shallow bridge under the strings, enabling the player to play 4 notes at once with ease, but at the price of an extreme demand for technical precision. Paganini never missed a note. He wrote what remain, by far, the most difficult pieces of violin music of the world’s repertory. His very first opus number is comprised of his 24 Caprices for solo, the 24th of which, in a minor, is the most well known, having been transcribed for other instruments, and set to variations, by many great composers. Paganini could, according to Mendelssohn, who went to several of his recitals, play this caprice on one string. A violin has four strings, and the performer is supposed to use any one of them to facilitate scale runs, octave leaps, etc.

Otherwise, very long fingers, and extraordinary dexterity and accuracy are required. Paganini would walk out, take his bows, then ask a random lady in the front row to pick a string. He would then play the 24th Caprice, which was very popular, on that string. He could also play his Moto Perpetuo, or Perpetual Motion, on one string. His influence on modern violin technique is more profound than any other such influence in music, save perhaps Liszt on the piano. He boggled so many minds with his breathtaking wizardry, that, on his death, doctors dissected his hands and wrists to see if he had been born a freak: they expected to find more cartilage than usual, but actually found less, because he had played so much he had worn it down, just like a marathon runner’s knees. His fingers were quite long, but there had been no cheats or tricks of any kind. He was simply well practiced. Honorable mentions: Eugene Ysaye, Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman, Francesco Maria Veracini; Joseph Joachim; Nathan Milstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Anna-Sophie Mutter, Wolfgang A.

Mozart (yes, he was that good). More Great Lists Paganini | Abyss Odyssey Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The Warlock's parents, sensing him to be interested in the dark arts, restricted his access any books concerning these subjects, leaving him with only encyclopedias and dictionaries. The Warlock had interest in only one individual: Niccolo Paganini. Paganini was an Italian violin virtuoso whose skills were so extraordinary he was able to continue playing with a broken violin with no effect on the sound. It was said that his skills were gifted by the Devil. When the Warlock fell asleep, his impression of Paganini became reality. Paganini now lurks in the Abyss, attempting to rid his curses at the expense of unwary adventurers. Moveset Neutral Attack - Paganini will step forward and swing his violin bow through the strings in a close-range slash, playing a scratched set of notes. Neutral Attack (repeated) - After the first swing, Paganini will spin around with another swing. Forward Attack - Paganini crouches and sprints low on the ground before swinging his bow upwards.

Up Attack - Paganini will kick his leg up then slam it down. Potential to combo x2. Down Attack - Paganini will swing his leg all the way around him in a circular leg sweep. Neutral Special - Paganini will perform a dash, turning into flame (purely aesthetic) and rendered completely invincible and untargetable. Up Special - Paganini will play his iconic tune and if the move is completed, creates a circle which curses any enemy caught in it. Down Special - An uppercut-move. Paganini spins in a spiral before hitting enemies upward. Jump Attack - Paganini will kick his legs forward. Jump Forward Attack - Paganini will spin kick his leg around him. Jump Up Attack - Paganini will straighten his torso and knock enemies back. Jump Down Attack - Paganini will kick and move diagonally downward. Special Jump - When airborne, hitting the jump button will cause Paganini to flap his wings and jump higher, for a maximum quadruple (x4) jump. Notes Edit Paganini is possibly the most agile character in the game. As a tall figure, he possess long strides and moves in longer distances.

Several of his attacks involve moving from his original stance, increasing his critical distance from one point. Coupled with his quadruple jump, his movement attacks allow him to traverse combat areas swiftly and travel longer distances than any other character. His combat style is as unpredictable as it is fluid and can be completely unpredictable for an opponent. This also makes Paganini challenging to master, given his attacks can be swift, slow, close-range, long-range, and movement-range. Trivia 5 Men Who Sold Their Soul to the Devil 5 Men Who Sold Their Soul to the Devil by Andrew on Apr 13, 2012 • 9:08 AM 8 Comments Tweet Stories of men who sold their soul to the devil in exchange for some sort of ability or object go as far back as the concept of the devil itself. Many people were killed as a result of these bargains, and many of them enjoyed a huge amount of short-lived worldly success. These are the stories of five men who were alleged to have sold their soul to the devil during their life, and the subsequent societal reaction to their accusations. 1. St. Theophilus of Adana (c.

538) It’s believed that Theophilus was the inspiration for the Faust legend. The story of Theophilus is perhaps the oldest accusation of soul-selling on record. Theophilus was a 6th Century cleric who was accused of selling his soul to the devil to gain a position in the church. The story goes that he was originally unanimously elected as a bishop, but was too modest to accept the position. The guy who took over that bishop spot wound up making Theophilus’s life pretty bad, so he regretted his humility and sought out a wizard to help him contact Satan. In exchange for his aid, Satan demanded that Theophilus renounce Christ and the Virgin Mary in a contract signed with his own blood. Theophilus complied, and the devil gave him the position as bishop. Years later, fearful for his soul, Theophilus repented and prayed to the Virgin for forgiveness. After forty days of fasting, the Virgin appeared to him and verbally chastised him. Theophilus begged forgiveness and Mary promised to intercede with God. He then fasted another thirty days, at which time Mary appeared to him again, and granted him Absolution.

However, Satan was unwilling to relinquish his hold over Theophilus, and it was a further three days before Theophilus awoke to find the damning contract on his chest. He then took the contract to the legitimate bishop and confessed all that he had done. The bishop burned the document, and Theophilus expired, out of sheer joy to be free from the burden of his contract. 2. Robert Johnson (1911-1938) Rolling Stone ranked Johnson as #5 on the 100 best guitar players of all time. Robert Johnson is a world famous blues player whose life of a short 27 years is largely unknown outside of the rumors of his bargain with the devil. According to legend, as a young man living on a plantation in rural Mississippi, Robert Johnson was branded with a burning desire to become a great blues musician. He was “instructed” to take his guitar to a crossroad at midnight where he was met by the devil who took the guitar and tuned it. Then, the devil played a few songs and then returned the guitar to Johnson, giving him mastery of the instrument. In exchange for his soul, Robert Johnson was able to create the blues for which he became famous.

Son House , who once retold the story, said it was the only explanation for Johnson’s rapid mastery of the guitar at such a young age. Johnson often encouraged the legend, rather than backing away from it, and wrote songs such as “Me and the Devil,” which presents lyrics such as: “Early this morning when you knocked upon my door/And I said, ‘Hello, Satan, I believe it’s time to go,'” and continues with, “You may bury my body down by the highway side/So my old evil spirit can catch a Greyhound bus and ride.” To this very day, tourist attractions in Clarksville, Mississippi mark the very crossroads where Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil, showing just how powerful the legend is as well as how interesting the mysterious life of Robert Johnson was. 3. Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770) Tartini was an Italian baroque composer and violinist. By far his most famous work is the “Devil’s Trill,” which remains one of the hardest pieces on the violin ever written to date. The story of this work gave rise to his deal with the devil.

Before Tartini was famous for his skill, he was a merely adequate violinist who was allegedly very disappointed in his skills. One night he went to sleep and saw the devil in his dream, where the devil taught him how to play the violin in exchange for Tartini’s service to the devil. Tartini agreed, and he handed his violin to the devil and played the most breathtaking song Tartini had ever heard. When he woke up the next morning, he immediately wrote down the sonata, note for note, trying to capture what he heard the devil play in his dream. That sonata eventually came to be known as the “Devil’s Trill.” The song is so difficult to play, the legend is that Tartini had a sixth finger that allowed him alone to play the work. Despite the popularity of the song (it’s still played centuries later) with audiences, Tartini wrote that the song is “so inferior to what I had heard, that if I could have subsisted on other means, I would have broken my violin and abandoned music forever.” 4. General Jonathan Moulton (1726-1787) The Moulton house in New Hampshire.

Moulton was a general in the American army for the King James War and the French and Indian War. Eventually, he became one of the wealthiest men in New England which gave rise to the rumors of his deal with the devil. The story goes that Moulton sold his soul, and in exchange the devil would come to his home once a month and fill his boot with gold. This worked out as planned for a while, and then Moulton had an idea. Greedy for more gold, he cut off the soles of his boots and dug a hole in the ground (or into his basement–the story is told both ways) and put the shoe over the hole. The devil returned to give Moulton his monthly payment, and this time it took many more coins to fill the boot because the coins fell through the boot and into the hole (or basement). The devil, wondering what was going on, figured out what Moulton did. Upset, the devil burned his house to the ground in revenge, and the coins disappeared. When Moulton died his body disappeared out of the coffin and was replaced by a box of coins stamped with an image of the devil.

Moulton’s coffin was buried without a tombstone (there is, however, a marker in his commemoration ) and its location is still unknown to this day. 5. Nicolò Paganini (1782-1840) Paganini was widely regarded as a virtuoso of his time. Paganini is still regarded as one of the best violinists to ever live. He mastered the mandolin at five years old, and started composing at seven–he didn’t mess around. He made public appearances when he was 12, but by 16 he couldn’t take the stress and sunk into alcoholism. He regained his composure and at 22 came back to become one of the first music superstars. Now only did he compose huge amounts of works, many of them were so complex (even for today) that only he could play them at the time because he essentially created his own way to play the violin.

Rumors of his involvement with the devil started when he wrote one of his famous pieces, “Le Streghe” which translates to “Witches’ Dance.” Audiences believed Paganini made a pact with the devil to perform supernatural displays of technique in exchange with his soul. There are even reports from people at the time who said they saw the devil helping him during his performances. Because of his widely-rumored association with the devil, he was denied his last rites in the church. It took four years, and an appeal to the Pope, before the body was allowed to be transported to Genoa, but was still not buried. His body was eventually buried 36 years after his death in 1876 in a cemetery in Parma. Which one of these 5 men who sold their soul to the devil is your favorite? Who are some other people who made the dreaded Faustian bargain? Let’s talk history in the comments below. Paganini or <em>The Devil’s Violinist</em>? - World Socialist Web Site World Socialist Web Site Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) Paganini or The Devil’s Violinist?

By Bernd Reinhardt 14 December 2013 Written and directed by Bernard Rose The life of Italian violin virtuoso, Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), continues to be largely a myth inflated by legend. The German-Italian feature film The Devil’s Violinist (scripted and directed by Bernard Rose) does little to debunk the legends or honour Paganini’s genuine artistic achievements. While German actor Klaus Kinski’s earlier film, Paganini (1989), presented the violinist as a “mad genius”, the makers of The Devil’s Violinist irritatingly portray Paganini as a “rock star of the 19th century”. The Devil’s Violinist In Rose’s film, we see Paganini becoming an undisputed star in London in 1830. Until then he has often had to resort to cheap antics to draw attention to himself. He meets the manager Urbani (Jared Harris), who one immediately recognises is involved with “dark forces”. And, in fact, Paganini sells him his soul for money and fame. Now the great concert halls are open to him.

Young ladies shriek as soon as the “devil’s fiddler” positions his bow—if they haven’t already fallen into a swoon. Paganini is played by German-born violinist David Garrett (born David Bongarz in 1980), who certainly has a mastery of his instrument. However, even in the concert scenes, the film fails to genuinely take off. The production is shallow and boring on the whole, including its overwrought scenes of public hysteria. Garrett’s Paganini spouts clichés such as “I live only for music”, and the film builds toward a kitschy love story. Paganini meets Charlotte (Andrea Deck), a young singer, not very talented but pretty. He gives her singing lessons and predictably she blossoms under his guidance. The film’s mild criticism of the commercialisation of art consists of fashionable platitudes. The message seems to be: there’s a devil inside each one of us. Or, in a more secular vein, people are never safe from their unconscious hunger for wealth and fame. In the end, Charlotte also treads the same thin show business ice, which has just broken under Paganini.

Somewhere in the film a character even drops the phrase “culture industry” or “music industry”. And in the person of Paganini arriving in foggy London, the viewer might momentarily think he or she sees—wearing dark glasses and holding a handkerchief to his mouth—Michael Jackson in the carriage. Paganini is confronted by a demonstration of angry women incited by the press to protest against the foreigner and alleged child molester. At several points, Paganini stages scenes of crowds whipped up into fanaticism by the media. However, the filmmakers seem incapable of imagining that art itself could have the power to inspire and exalt people. The Paganini of the film becomes a megastar, thanks to clever advertising and stage management. As his star declines, the fickle public again call on him to perform his early tricks. All of this has little to do with the real Paganini. Paganini in 1819 Niccolò Paganini was born into a poor family in Genoa. His father was a dock worker and self-taught musician who tried to supplement the family income by gambling. His mother was a simple woman who could barely read and write, but loved music.

Even as a small child, Niccolò busied himself with mandolin, fiddle and guitar. He received his first lessons from his father. Aided by a Genoese merchant and patron of the arts, the boy received a number of violin lessons from a reputable musician and completed his first public performance, winning adulation from the surrounding community. Before his father sent him to Parma to continue instruction under distinguished musicians in 1795, the 13-year-old gave a performance of one of his own compositions in Genoa. The Carmagnola consist of 14 variations on a popular French revolutionary song. Most of the inhabitants of Genoa were supporters of the Jacobins in France and welcomed the Ligurian Republic (1797-1805), which replaced the old aristocratic regime following Napoleon’s invasion of Italy. Napoleon quickly proved a bitter disappointment. By the time Niccolò returned to Genoa at the end of 1797, the population had been forced to provide for the French army and was reduced to starvation.

After the fall of Napoleon, the Ligurian Republic, briefly restored in 1814, was dissolved for good by the Congress of Vienna under the leadership of Austrian foreign minister Prince Metternich in 1815. The old feudal powers were back in charge. Paganini was never again to play the Carmagnola variations. Instead, the Vienna Hoftheater resounded in 1828 to his variations on Haydn’s hymn, “God Save Kaiser Franz”, today known as the German national anthem. In Berlin a year later, he first performed his variations on the German emperor’s hymn, “Hail to Thee in Victor’s Crown”, which he then conveniently presented as “God Save the King”—variations on the English national anthem—in London in 1830. (It is the same tune.) Notwithstanding its reception by the crowned heads of Europe, Paganini’s music continued to express the unbridled energy of the Carmagnola. Viennese classical music of the time reached its height in the works of Beethoven (1770-1827), which evoked the spirit of revolutionary ideals. “Be embraced, you millions.

This kiss is for the whole world”, declared the Ninth Symphony in the words of Schiller’s poem. Napoleon’s conquests had meant that this “kiss” ended in disappointment. But Paganini’s music does not share Beethoven’s pathos. The theatrically pompous orchestral inserts in the first movement of Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 are charged with a sense of irony. Paganini and Beethoven represented very different musical traditions. Beethoven’s work expressed the high level of development reached by instrumental music in Austria-Hungary. His music unfolds to the listener in complex musical patterns. Paganini was influenced by the artistically and technically demanding culture of Italian opera. His virtuoso compositions appeal directly and spontaneously, often more improvised than composed. Like other Italian composers, he incorporated catchy folk music themes, as in “Il Carneval di Venezia”. He was more concerned than was Beethoven with the development of melody. The orchestra essentially served to accompany the soloist. Paganini's "Il Cannone Guarnerius" violin Paganini explored the possibilities of the solo violin, developing new playing techniques and sounds. He often tuned the instrument to a higher pitch than usual.

Exploiting his breathtaking virtuosity, he expanded the violin’s conventional tonal range. (Several works, like the “Sonata Napoleone” or “Le Streghe [Witches Dance]”, are played on a single string.) He employed reinforced harmonics (flageoletttöne) and developed a whole system of artificially generated harmonics that often seem to consist of two sounds. His handling of the bow was as impressive as it was dynamic. His trademark was a virtuoso plucking technique. The effect of this music could be overwhelming. In the wake of the Congress of Vienna and the restoration of various European monarchies, at a time of considerable disillusionment, an individual managed to do the apparently impossible: create a new world—through art. Goethe, who heard Paganini in Weimar, referred to his music as “meteoric”, a “flaming column of cloud”. Lucca Cathedral At the same time, many so-called serious listeners were outraged by his alleged “bad taste” and lack of respect—for example, Paganini’s habit of arbitrarily reinterpreting the works of other composers (not that this was unique to him during this period).

Nor was he considered to have shown the Catholic Church the required reverence. During solemn mass in Lucca Cathedral, the “Jacobin” Paganini played—as was noted in contemporary records—not only for an indecently long time. He also imitated various musical instruments and animals on his violin. Paganini loved making such jokes. His repertoire included a Spanish dance in which he imitated bird calls. This would have been nothing unusual in the 17th or 18th century. His attitude toward the audience was communicative, even provocative. He imitated the braying of a donkey in a concert in Ferrara, and dedicated it to a member of the audience who had insulted a female vocalist. In the “La Campanella” section of the Violin Concerto No. 2, a little bell rings from the audience several times, and each time receives a friendly answer from the violin on stage. This juxtaposition of the “divine” and the profane played a major role in creating Paganini’s reputation as a “charlatan”. This was unfair. Music for him simply had nothing to do with elitism. He was certainly influenced in this respect by the Enlightenment. His concerts were invariably memorable social events.

He also refused to compose so-called “utility music” (Gebrauchsmusik) for domestic amateur music-makers. According to music historian Edward Neill, this made Paganini—together with a few others—a real pioneer. Paganini liked playing for fun and was always ready in friendly company to pick up a mandolin, guitar or violin. Paganini influenced European music as a whole and a great number of musicians and composers, including Liszt, Chopin and Schumann. Both human and artistic humility are evident in his public genuflection in Paris to the young composer Hector Berlioz, whose talent he recognised earlier than others, whose Symphonie Fantastique he venerated, and whom he supported with a generous donation. Despite his rough edges, Paganini was not the eccentric egoist of Rose’s film, who prefers to spend the day in bed—that is, when he is not plodding dreamy-eyed through the various locations. The Church took revenge on Paganini for his disrespect. When he died in Nice in 1840, the church refused to bury the “infidel”.

The odyssey of his remains continued for more than thirty years, until he was finally interred in Parma in 1876, thanks to close friends and his son, Achille. Paganini’s birthplace in Genoa sadly fell victim to highway construction some years ago. His favourite violin is kept in the Genoa town hall. Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, dedicated to “all artists”, are known by every violin student. His marvellous, invigorating music still inspires many violinists, including David Garrett, all around the world. Rose’s film fails to capture the spirit of Paganini’s times and the qualities of this exceptional artist even in their basics. Striving to cater for modernity, Paganini prefers to recycle hackneyed notions about the backwardness of the masses and mass audiences. Its feeble criticism of show business is actually directed against the public. The masses constitute a bloodthirsty vampire that sucks the artist dry and deserts him at a whim. This standpoint aligns with the thinking of much of the nobility of the time, which virulently opposed artistic democratisation.

In the view of the aristocracy art that touched the hearts of the people, ceased to be art. Who are the five greatest musicians of all-time? - Quora Who are the five greatest musicians of all-time? Written Nov 17, 2014 The "of all time" part of this question makes it difficult for any rock-pop musician to make the cut. Classical and jazz are so much more intricate and complex forms of music than rock or any form of pop, that the greatest masters of these forms are likely to be able to play rings around the best of rock-pop. One exception might be progressive rock. If any rock artists can compete, it is likely they belong to this sub-genre. That said, let's give this a shot. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - As a composer of course, he is unmatched for his time and maybe a contender for all time. But if we're talking musicians, anyone on this list must also be a virtuoso performer. Mozart already was on both piano and violin by age 5. Niccolò Paganini - Italian violinist, guitarist, violist and composer, the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time.

Some clergy were convinced he must have sold his soul to the devil to gain his stunning virtuosity. All the instrumentalists in the pre-recording era must be suspect of course, but surely his compositions offer a clue to his claim as the best ever. He wrote what remain, by far, the most difficult pieces of violin music of the world’s repertory. Franz Liszt - Again, regarding Liszt and all those above, no recordings exist which we can compare. We can only compare what was said of them. It could well be that other piano virtuosi exceeded Liszt (Chopin, Thalberg, Busoni in the 19th century; Hofmann, Rachmaninoff, Vladimir Horowitz, and Vladimir Ashkenazy in the 20th). Recordings do not exist from many of these. Both Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Sebastian Bach were reported to be among the greatest virtuosi of their time as well. Certainly their compositions provide a clue, some of which require uncanny technical mastery just to play, but the above n0 recordings problem holds true for them as well. We cannot know for sure.

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong/Miles Davis/Dizzy Gillespie - These are jazz trumpeters. In jazz, it seems even more difficult to choose one over another for sheer technical virtuosity because their improvisational styles were so different, yet all so masterful. John Coltrane/Charlie Parker - The same problem holds true for jazz saxophonists... Thelonious Monk/Art Tatum/Marcus Roberts - ...and for jazz pianists Oh my, you said 5 didn't you. I've already mentioned 20 names and still have not covered the progressive rockers I hinted at, nor any guitarists except for Paganini. OK, to be fair, let's give the following guys a shot. Keith Emerson - If anyone outside of classical or jazz can even approach mention as one of the 5 best ever, it would have to be Emerson, though some may say Rick Wakeman. Guitarists - Sorry shredder fans. If there are any possible guitar players that deserve to be named among the best musicians of all time, it is probably not a pure electric guitar shredder. The reason is, the guitar can do many things, and lead guitar shredding is one thing.

It's true that some of them are also excellent acoustic guitarists and/or rhythm players, but for the most part, they are one-trick ponies. Therefore, if any guitarists are to make the cut, they will have to be overall masters of the instrument. If truth be told, it is more likely a classical guitarist who fits this bill, since classical/concert music is so much more demanding than any contemporary pop or rock style. Someone like Andrés Segovia, the father or the modern classical guitar, or one of his many descendants still active today, such as David Tanenbaum, Craig Ogden, or even Xuefei Yang (Chinese born guitarist who, if she were chosen, would be the only female to make this list). But since we're trying to give someone other than classical musicians a shot, we would have to choose a versatile master such as Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, or Phil Keaggy the nod. These guys can all shred with the best of them, and also play many other styles, much more complex than shredder rock. Sorry, that's the best I can do.

I know you said 5, but I still think it was a monumental feat to narrow the list to 29, and I still left out who knows how many great masters. Written Nov 11, 2014 If we're really talking about "all-time", then it's unlikely that the top five would all be rock stars. [1] Franz Liszt was widely considered to be the greatest pianist of his age, and possibly of all time. A case could also be made for Bach as both organist and composer. If I were just picking classical composers, I'd probably go with Haydn. (Because choosing Beethoven to represent classical music is just too obvious.) [2] You can make a case for Scott Joplin in the late nineteenth century as the king of ragtime. (The other possible choice to represent ragtime would probably be Jelly Roll Morton.) [3] With the predominance of jazz in the first half of the twentieth century, any all-time list would have to include a jazz artist. In order to avoid some of the easier choices (Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, ...), I'll put Artie Shaw on the list.

He played "big-band" jazz, but experimented with combining classical and jazz, and formed "chamber jazz" groups that experimented with sounds ranging from harpsichords to Afro-Cuban rhythms. [4] Robert Johnson, who is Eric Clapton's choice as the "most important blues singer who ever lived". His performances were described by Keith Richards as "You want to know how good the blues can get? Well, this is it." [5] Once we get to rock, I'd have to go with Pete Townshend, who founded The Who (still the greatest rock and roll band of all time, and the band from the sixties whose music stills feels freshest) and helped invent concept albums and rock operas. Paganini Diabolis In Musica XRCD24-Elusive Disc Paganini Diabolis In Musica XRCD24 Click Here for Sound Samples! Charles Dutoit and the London Philharmonic Orchestra give a splendid, warm performance without overwhelming violinist Salvatore Accardo's playing. Salvatore Accardo is an outstanding Italian violin virtuoso, best known as a master of these works of Niccolo Paganini.

The Italian violin virtuoso and conductor, Salvatore Accardo, is highly regarded for his interpretations of Paganini. He studied violin in the southern Italian city of Naples in the 1950s and gave his first professional recital at the age of 13, performing Paganini's Capricci. He won the Geneva Competition in 1956 and in 1958 became the first prize winner of the Paganini Competition in Genoa. The Swiss conductor, Charles ï¿½douard Dutoit, is known for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music. Dutoit studied in Switzerland where he was born and graduated from the Geneva Conservatory where he won first prize in conducting. In his youth, he frequently attended Ansermet's rehearsals and had a personal acquaintance with him. He has been guest conductor for the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra as well as conducting for Radio Zurich, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, Sweden's Gothenburg Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra.

"Stepping back to the early nineteenth century, the violinist Nicolo Paganini was famously believed to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for technical virtuosity on the violin the likes of which Europe had not previously seen. A random survey of Paganiniï¿½s violin compositions illustrates his command of the instrument." - Jennifer Hambrick, wosu.org Features: 1. La Risata del Diavolo (tema) 2. La Campanella (Rondo dal Concerto per violino e orchestra n.2) Capriccio per violino solo No. 5 in la minore 3. Agitato 4. Rondo galante. Andantino gaio (dal Concerto per violin e orchestra n.4 in re minore) 5. Introduzione e variazioni su "God Save the King Op. 9" Capriccio per violino solo n. 24 in la minore 6. Tema. Quasi Presto - Variazioni - Finale 7. Polacca.

Andantino vivace (dal Concerto per violino e orchestra n.3 in mi maggiore) Capriccio per violino solo n.1 in mi maggiore 8. Andante 9. Rondo. Allegro spirituoso (dal Concerto per violino e orchestra n.1, op. 6 in re maggiore) Sonata Moto Perpetuo 5 People That Sold Their Souls to the Devil - Weird Worm Weird Worm 5 People That Sold Their Souls to the Devil October 15, 2009 Image Sources Subscribe to our newsletter There have been rumors of possible instances that someone has sold their soul to the devil. Musicians and writers, alike, are often accused of making a pact with the devil in order to become successful. There are some well known instances out there that indicate that someone has made a pact with the devil. 5. Niccolo Paganini Niccolo Paganini was a musician in the late 1700s. He was handed the mandolin at an early age and at the tender age of seven, he was learning the violin.

By the age of eleven, he was performing solos and by the age of thirteen, he was known as a violin virtuoso. At the age of nineteen, he was beginning to compose his own music and learning how to play the guitar. At the age of 23, he composed the hardest work for a violinist to play and at the age of 27, he was touring and mesmerizing audiences. He had lost is bottom teeth, looked pale and began dressing in black. It was rumored that he had sold his soul to the devil. Although he didn’t start the rumor, he did nothing to thwart the rumor and in fact encouraged people to believe it. When he was asked about it, he asked them how else would it be possible for him to play the way he does? 4. Robert Johnson Robert Johnson was a blues musician that had a short lived life. He passed away at the age of 27 and not much is really known about his life. His music influenced some of the musicians of the 50s and 60s. He was one of the first musicians inducted into the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame. He was living on the plantation when his desire to become a great blues musician came about.

Someone told him to take his guitar to the Crossroads at midnight near Dockery Plantation. When he arrived, the devil was waiting and took his guitar from him. The devil tuned the guitar and played a few songs on it. Once he handed it back to Robert, the pact was made and he was able to sing, play and create the blues. 3. Johann Georg Faust Johann Georg Faust was a German alchemist. In 1507, it was said that he was a con man and a drifter that would prey on the gullible. He was said to have molested several boys in Kreuznach. In 1509, he obtained a degree in divinity. At the University of Krakow, he studied magic and befriended Martin Luther and Philip Melachton. These two men were said to have witnessed Johann’s pact with the devil. He worked at the University of Ehrfut, where it was said that he was lecturing on Homer and conjured up his heroes for the students. He was soon asked to resign and offered repentance. It was then that he admitted to having the pact with the devil. He told Dr.

Klinge, a Franciscan monk, that he trusted the devil more than he did God. 2. Urbain Grandier Urbain Grandier was a French Catholic priest. He was burned at the stake for committing the crime of witchcraft. He was known for breaking his vow of celibacy and becoming a philanderer. In 1603, a few nuns accused him of bewitching them and sending a demon to commit unspeakable acts with them. According to the legend, his pact stated his allegiance to the devil and is renunciation of the Christian faith. In turn, it was promise to Grandier that he would have the love of women, wealth, and worldly honor. This pact was written backwards and in Latin and it is still available to be seen at Bibliotheque Nationale in France. 1. Jonathan Moulton Jonathan Moulton was a cabinet maker that became a captain in the New Hampshire Militia in 1745. He played an important role in the claiming of the land from the Ossipee Native Americans. When the war ended in 1749, he got married to Abigail Smith and they had eleven children.

He opened a store that imported goods from Europe and East India. As legend has it, the young couple struggled for quite sometime and Jonathan told his wife that he would sell his soul to the devil in order for them to have the wealth that he wanted. The neighbors reported seeing a stranger pay a visit to the couple at the first of every month. The couple was suddenly rich and the rumor was that the devil would fill Jonathan’s boots with gold coins each month. He was never satisfied with what he had, so he tried to trick the devil. He bought bigger boots and still wasn’t satisfied with how much money he was acquiring. So, then he drilled a hole in the floor to have an endless supply of money. Supposedly, the devil caught on after the second month and burned the house down. Jonathan rebuilt a house on the same spot and it is still standing today.

Question: What Italian violin virtuoso was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil?
Answer: Niccolò Paganini