Paganini for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist and composer who lived from 1782 to 1840. He was the most famous violinist of his time. He did things on the instrument that no one had seen before, and halls across Europe filled to hear him. Some people whispered that he had made a bargain with the devil. The best first piece for a child is his Caprice No. 24, about five minutes for one violin alone.

Quick facts

• Born: 1782, in Genoa, Italy
• Died: 1840, in Nice, on the Mediterranean coast
• Era: Romantic
• Played: violin, guitar, viola, and mandolin
• Known for: the 24 Caprices for solo violin, his violin concertos, and “La campanella”

The life in short

Paganini’s father worked at the docks of Genoa and played the mandolin. He taught Niccolò the mandolin at five and the violin at seven. He was a strict teacher, and he made the boy practice for many hours a day.

Niccolò played in public as a boy of about 11. At 13, he went to the city of Parma to study with a well-known violinist. The story goes that the teacher heard him play and said there was nothing left to teach him.

From 1805, he worked at the court of Lucca for a sister of the French emperor Napoleon. After a few years, he left to play on his own. For close to 20 years, he toured the cities of Italy.

In 1828, at 45, he played outside Italy for the first time, in Vienna. The city went wild. Shops sold hats, gloves, and food named after him. He went on to Germany, Paris, and London.

He was thin and pale, with long fingers, and he dressed in black.

He could be generous. He once gave the composer Berlioz a large gift of money so that Berlioz could take time to compose. Read Berlioz for kids.

In his last years, he was ill and lost his voice. His young son, Achille, spoke for him.

He left his favorite violin to the city of Genoa. It was nicknamed “the Cannon” for its big sound. Genoa still keeps it. The winner of a violin contest named for Paganini gets to play it.

What he could do

Paganini wrote music to show what he could do. It is fast, daring, and full of tricks.

• Left-hand plucking. He plucked the strings with the fingers of his left hand while the bow kept playing.
• Whistling notes. He touched a string without pressing it down to make high, glassy notes called harmonics.
• Bouncing bow. He let the bow bounce on the string to play many quick notes in one stroke.
• One string. He wrote whole pieces to be played on the lowest string alone.

He could write a singing tune too. His slow melodies sound like songs from an Italian opera.

Pieces to play first

Caprice No. 24. A short, spiky tune, followed by 11 variations. Each one shows a different trick. In one of them, the left hand plucks the strings.

“La campanella.” The title means “the little bell.” It is the last part of his Violin Concerto No. 2. A small bell rings in the orchestra, and the violin answers with high, bell-like notes.

Caprice No. 9, “The Hunt.” The violin plays two notes at once. High up, it copies flutes. Low down, it copies hunting horns.

Moto perpetuo. The title means “perpetual motion.” About four minutes of fast notes with no rests.

Cantabile. A slow, singing tune for violin with guitar or piano. It shows his gentle side.

The devil rumor

Paganini played things that seemed impossible. Some people in his audiences decided he must have had help. A rumor spread that he had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his skill. The rumor followed him for the rest of his life.

The truth is less spooky. He had long, flexible fingers, and he had practiced for many hours a day from the age of seven.

Composers who borrowed his tune

The tune of Caprice No. 24 is one of the most borrowed in music. Brahms, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff each wrote a piece built on it.

Liszt heard Paganini play in Paris and set out to do on the piano what Paganini did on the violin. Read Liszt for kids. Rachmaninoff turned the tune upside down to make a famous slow melody. Read Rachmaninoff for kids.

Things to do together

Count the tricks. Watch a video of Caprice No. 24. Pause after each variation and say what changed.

Catch the pluck. Watch for the variation where the left hand plucks the strings. Shout “pluck” when you see it.

Find the tune. Play Caprice No. 24. Then play the start of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Raise a hand when the tune appears.

Ring the bell. Play “La campanella” on the violin and then Liszt’s version for piano. Tap a glass with a spoon each time the bell rings.

One string. Stretch one rubber band over an open box. See how many notes you can make by pressing it in different places.

Paganini in the lesson books

Violin students meet Paganini early. A theme from his “Witches’ Dance” is in Suzuki Violin Book 2. See what each Suzuki violin book teaches.

Print and play

Fill in a composer study notebook page for Paganini. Learn how his instrument works in the violin for kids. For another composer who borrowed his tune, read Brahms for kids.

For more composers from the same country, read Italian composers for kids. For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.