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IMDbPro

Niccolò Paganini(1782-1840)

  • Music Department
  • Composer
  • Soundtrack
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Paganini's musical talent was recognized at an early age, and his ambitious father drove him hard to succeed, even withholding food if his son did not perform to his satisfaction on the violin. Escaping his father's domineering influence in his late teens by fleeing to Lucca, Paganini came to the attention of Princess Elisa Baciocchi, Napoléon Bonaparte's sister. He was employed as her court solo violinist for several years before deciding to freelance around Europe. He was an immediate sensation, and gained the attention and admiration of both concert goers and other composers. An electrifying performer whose skill with the violin and guitar was almost supernatural, Paganini was rumored to have sold his soul to the Devil in return for his artistic abilities. Plagued by ill health since childhood, he retired to France, where he died in the spring of 1840.
BornOctober 27, 1782
DiedMay 27, 1840(57)
BornOctober 27, 1782
DiedMay 27, 1840(57)
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See rank
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Known for

Grace Kelly, James Stewart, and Georgine Darcy in Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window
8.5
  • Soundtrack("Il carnevale di Venezia")
  • 1954
Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston in Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Only Lovers Left Alive
7.2
  • Soundtrack("Caprice No. 5 in A Minor")
  • 2013
Ben Barnes in Dorian Gray (2009)
Dorian Gray
6.2
  • Soundtrack("Carnival of Venice")
  • 2009
Shine (1996)
Shine
7.6
  • Soundtrack("La Campanella")
  • 1996

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Music Department

  • Nina Staehli in Big-headed solitude (2021)
    Big-headed solitude
  • Paganini Guitar Fest - Opening Concert (2021)
    Paganini Guitar Fest - Opening Concert
  • Simone Porter in Stranger Strings (2021)
    Stranger Strings
  • Erbe Österreich (2017)
    Erbe Österreich
  • Louisiana Music: Musical Clips (2010)
    Louisiana Music: Musical Clips
  • The Anxiousness of Paget over a Caprice by Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) No.1 in E Major, Op.1 (2014)
    The Anxiousness of Paget over a Caprice by Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) No.1 in E Major, Op.1
  • Violin Masters: Two Gentlemen of Cremona (2010)
    Violin Masters: Two Gentlemen of Cremona
  • Jakub Slach in The Cat, Kafka and Myself (2007)
    The Cat, Kafka and Myself
  • Paganini's Daemon
  • Grâce à la musique (1979)
    Grâce à la musique
  • Les grands interprètes

Composer

  • John Lam in The Making of a Dream (2017)
    The Making of a Dream

Soundtrack

  • Face of the Trinity (2022)
    Face of the Trinity
  • Mackenzie Davis in Station Eleven (2021)
    Station Eleven
  • American Horror Story (2011)
    American Horror Story
  • The Velvet Underground (2021)
    The Velvet Underground
  • Gugga Siqueira, Dan Pissarenko, Dan Albuk, Aleks Gomes, Rodrigo Odin Leal, Thomas Pimentel, Regina Célia de Abreu, Aline Ribeiro, Alisson Victor Moura, Ana Izabel Martins Alves, Bruna Maya, Bruno de Souza Gaspar, Carlos Alfredo Augusto, Felipe Trope de Alcantara, Leonardo Roxo, Luana Miguez, Rodrigo Miguez, Santiago Felipe, Pablo Nascimento, Artem Litovchenko, Flavio Paim, Daniel Lopes, Léo Silva, Matheus Moura, Sara Porfirio da Silva, Walter Carlos de Oliveira Farias, Ricardo Soares, Oscar Calixto, Hugo Carvalho, Bruno Seixas, Alfredo Garcês, Marta Laureano, Thamiris Gouvêa, Paulla Carniell, and Mirela Pizani in Pra onde levam as ondas (2021)
    Pra onde levam as ondas
  • Simon Abkarian and Nina Hoss in The Audition (2019)
    The Audition
  • Tim Roth in The Song of Names (2019)
    The Song of Names
  • Louisiana Music: Musical Clips (2010)
    Louisiana Music: Musical Clips
  • Jesse Borrego, Paul Matthew Lopez, Anastasia Antonia, Riker Lynch, Troy Osterberg, James E. Morris III, Peggy Schott, Kimmy Caruso, Reece Everett Ryan, Alexa Dowd, P.G. Marlar, Lori Crow, and Valeria Jauregui in Colossal Youth (2018)
    Colossal Youth
  • Ivan Urgant in Evening Urgant (2012)
    Evening Urgant
  • Birthmarked (2018)
    Birthmarked
  • Eric Roberts, Caroline L. George, Alex Russo, Courtney Mclaughlin, and Hannah Gourdine in Lux in Tenebris (2017)
    Lux in Tenebris
  • Spettacolo (2017)
    Spettacolo
  • Your Lie in April (2016)
    Your Lie in April
  • Dania Ramirez in Once Upon a Time (2011)
    Once Upon a Time
    • (uncredited)

Personal details

Edit
    • October 27, 1782
    • Genoa, Republic of Genoa [now Genoa, Liguria, Italy]
    • May 27, 1840
    • Nice, Kingdom of Sardinia [now Alpes-Maritimes, France](larynx cancer)
  • Publicity listings
    • 11 Biographical Movies
    • 3 Portrayals

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He was famous for his ability to imitate animals sounds with his instruments. At a recital in Italy, the audience began booing a soprano singer who was performing with Paganini that night. Paganini responded by by imitating a donkey with his violin. The audience was so enraged by his cheeky behavior that Paganini had to be escorted from the city by police.
    • Use of cymbals for orchestral scores

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