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Scan 44
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
18 lines. Read by computer on 5 September 2026. Printed page 10. See the scan on archive.org.
1tion sustained by Paganini throughout his entire performance astonished the German violinist, but he was not altogether satisfied, being alternately charmed by his genius and disappointed by the mixture of power and childish tastelessness which he displayed. The two virtuosi dined together, and Paganini's extravagant hilarity is said to have somewhat surprised the pedantic Spohr. Three years' journeyings in Austria, Bohemia, Saxony, Poland, Bavaria, Prussia, and the Rhenish provinces, terminated in Paris, 1831, where he gave his first concert at the Opera-House on Mar. 9. Here, again, wild enthusiasm greeted him, and he remained until May.
3VISIT TO ENGLAND.—In that month he travelled to England, and made his début in London at the Opera-House on Friday, June 3. His appearance in London had been looked forward to on May 21, but owing to the newspapers severely censuring the high prices demanded for admission the concert was put off until the artist yielded to the voice of the public, and definitely announced his intention of charging the accustomed prices.1 His English reception was full of warmth,2 and even more curiosity was aroused by his personality in England than in other countries. He was annoyed by the 'excessive and noisy admiration' to which he was subjected. People followed him and mobbed him, and frequently got in front of him in such a manner as to prevent his going either way. They addressed him in English, of which he knew not a single word, and even felt him to see if he were really flesh and blood. The sensation he produced in London was fully sustained during his subsequent tour in the provinces, Scotland and Ireland. Speaking of the high fees demanded by the virtuoso, The Constitution or Cork Advertiser (Aug. 25, 1831) remarks:
5'He has been engaged by Sir George Smart at the Coronation, for which he is to receive 1000 guineas. The proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens offered him £1000 for three nights; the offer was refused, and when desired to name his terms his demand was £5000 for twelve nights.'
7Paganini remained in England until June 1832. He gave a farewell3 concert at the Victoria Theatre on the 17th of that month, and returned to his native country after an absence of six years, having made net profits which, in England alone, amounted to £16,000 or £17,000. The writer well remembers an old amateur who assisted at these concerts, concerning which the following punning rhyme was current:
9'Who are these who pay five guineas,
10To hear this tune of Paganini's?
11—Echo answers—"Pack o' ninnies."'
13LAST YEARS.—He invested part of his fortune in landed estates, purchasing, among other properties, the 'Villa Gajona' near Parma, where he decided to reside. Here he occupied himself with projects for the publication of his compositions. Unfortunately he set such a high price on his manuscripts that even the publisher Troupenas—who was accustomed to pay large sums to Rossini, Auber and other celebrated composers—could not come to terms with him. The winter of 1833 was passed in Paris, and it was early in Jan. 1834 that he invited Berlioz to write him a solo for his Stradivarius viola. From this request the symphony 'Harold en Italie' originated. It was performed for the first time at the Paris Conservatoire on Nov. 23, 1834, with Paganini as soloist. The following December the great artist was again in Italy, and on the 12th of that month played at the court of the Duchess of Parma, from whom he received the Imperial Order of St. George. Paganini now began to enjoy the fruits of his fortune and world-wide fame. In 1834-35 he played at rare intervals at charity concerts and for the relief of indigent artists. In 1836 he became involved in the finances of the 'Casino Paganini,' a gambling-house which was opened in Paris bearing his name. The Government refusing to grant an opening licence, the speculators were reduced to giving concerts to defray the expenses of the undertaking. The disastrous failure of the Casino cost Paganini 50,000 francs and such health as was left him. At the beginning of the year 1839 Paganini was in a dying state. Medical men advised him to remove to Marseilles, to which town he accordingly went. His wonderful energies struggled with his failing strength; he seemed to revive, and one day performed his favourite Beethoven quartet with all his old energy. The renewed vigour was, however, but fleeting; a restless yearning to return to his native town seized upon him, and he travelled thither, anticipating favourable results from the sea voyage. From Genoa he fled to Nice, where he intended to pass the winter in recruiting his health. But his hopes were vain, Nice was destined to be his last abode. His malady progressed rapidly, the voice became almost extinct, and a shocking cough racked his frail body. On the last night of his life he was unusually tranquil, and his final effort was to stretch forth his hands for the violin which had been the faithful companion of his travels. Listeners have declared that his improvisation during these last hours was the most remarkable feat of his whole life. He was 56 years of age when he died, the immediate cause of his death being a disease of the larynx. By his will, made on Apr. 27, 1837, and opened on June 1, 1840, he left his son Achillino—legitimised by process of law—a fortune estimated at two millions (£80,000 sterling). Out
151 See The Times, June 1, 1831.
162 See accounts in the Athenaeum, 1831.
173 His last concert in England was at Portsmouth, Sept. 11, 1832.
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