An 11-year-old boy named Niccolò Paganini stood and played his violin in San Lorenzo Church in Genoa in 1793, lsm.lv reported. His performance prompted benefactors to take him to Florence and Parma for formal instruction.
In Parma, Paganini won a Guarneri violin by successfully reading an unfamiliar violin concerto from the sheet music on sight. That instrument marked the beginning of a 40-year career that brought him from Italian cities to concert halls across Europe.
“Paganini looks unhealthy,” contemporaries wrote of his appearance, noting his weak, thin body, long hands, and skeptical expression. “The moment he puts the violin to his shoulder, everything changes. Divine fire is in his eyes, he flames, he glows along with his violin.”
Paganini later spent several years away from his touring schedule at the villa of the Marquis di Negro near Lucca. While the marquis was away, the musician lived quietly at the estate with Sinjorīna Emīlija.
Writers described the setting as a place of long rose alleys, parrots, and quiet afternoons.
“The young artist is summoned, and he plays only for her,” accounts of the romance noted, describing how Paganini bought out flower shops in Lucca to cover the villa floors in roses and carnations.
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