A Physiological Study of Nicolo Paganini’s Technique, A different perspective on the Violin Playing of the Nineteenth Century

Nicolo Paganini's dexterity has always attracted a certain curiosity and his posture has often been described as aesthetically ungainly. While the iconography of the time reflects his certainly peculiar balance while playing, his technique is often analyzed from a modern angle and not from the perspective of violin techniques from the eighteenth century. This research highlights points of contact between Paganini's technique and the salient features in the written teachings of violin playing by Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762) and Pietro Antonio Locatelli (1695–1764). Reading Paganini's 24 Capricci for Solo Violin Op. 1 from the perspective of ancient postures becomes a new key of interpretation. What through the prism of the most modern parameters may be labeled as inelegant can instead be understood as a technique of optimization of earlier parameters and principles. A fundamental part of my research consists in the practical demonstration that eighteenth-century technique is indeed the key to an agile and relaxed reading of Paganini’s solo violin music at the service of the musical discourse.