Niccolò Paganini

Italian violinist and composer (1782–1840)

Fame71.0
Momentum10.4
Italy rank#164

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Fame71.0
Momentum10.4
Italy rank#164
Musicians rank#179
Wikipedia65.2K

Lived 1782–1840, aged 58Italy

Italy MusiciansSinger / Musician

Wikipedia
89 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Italy
#164
Musicians
Era
1782–1840
Aged 58
Awards
1
recognised work

Summary

Updated 2026-06-09

A violinist so ferociously skilled that audiences whispered he'd sold his soul to the devil. Paganini's technical command rewrote what the instrument could do, and his 24 Caprices remain a rite of passage no serious player escapes.

Biography

About

The son of a Genoese ship chandler, Paganini showed extraordinary musical ability early and studied under Alessandro Rolla, Ferdinando Paer, and Gasparo Ghiretti. He toured northern Italy as a teenager with his father, and by 1805 had entered the service of Elisa Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister, as first violin in Lucca. From 1809 he returned to the road and spent the next two and a half decades building continental fame through technical brilliance and raw showmanship, living just as extravagantly offstage. He ended his concert career in 1834 as his health failed, then watched a Paris casino ven…

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Paganini: Integrale per Amandorlino & Chitarra francese
1998
Guitare
1998
Hudeček and Brabec Play Paganini
1998
Virtuose Violinsonaten
1997
Violin Concerto No. 4 / Sonata Varsavia
1997
Paganini: Violin Concerto, no. 1, op. 6 / Bizet/Sarasate: Concert fantasy, op. 25 / Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D, op. 35
1996
La Scala at the Bolshoi: End of Season Concert Including Works by Vivaldi, Paganini, Puccini and Verdi
1996
Virtuoso Pieces
1996
24 Caprices for Solo Violin, op.1
1996