Variations on a Piece by Paganini Quiz

Answer: Violin

Paganini had several advantages over most violinists of his day, most noticeably in the flexibility of his left hand, which contained no fewer than four double-jointed fingers (enabling him to utilize the four strings of the violin more independently).

He was also not above adding false drama during his concerts, utilizing techniques such as "accidentally" breaking first one, then two, then three of the four strings on his violin while continuing to play extraordinarily difficult pieces. This combination of ability and showmanship enabled Paganini to become one of the first world-famous performers of instrumental music (before his time, audiences focused mostly on the composers of the pieces they listened to rather than the players). The Caprices were written by Paganini specifically to showcase this technique.

Answer: 24

These 24 pieces are among the very few Paganini violin pieces we have which were transcribed by the original composer, and even they weren't published until 10 years after their composition. Paganini's livelihood depended on the concerts he gave, so he tried to make sure that they were well-attended. One way of doing this was to make sure that the only place a person could hope to hear Paganini's music was at Paganini's concerts. Even his orchestral works were carefully collected from the players after each rehearsal and performance to make sure that no enterprising musician copied their part out between rehearsals.

This method of secrecy did not work entirely though, as several violinists followed Paganini around Europe to his concerts. Eventually they wrote down as best they could the extraordinary music they heard.

Answer: Robert Schumann

Schumann saw one of Paganini's concerts in 1830 and decided he too would become a virtuoso, though on the piano instead of the violin. These plans were cut short within 2 years after Schumann severely injured the middle finger on his right hand (possibly due to a device he used to strengthen his hands in an attempt to take a shortcut to virtuosity).

In the "Carnaval", Paganini appears as an intermezzo in the middle of a 'Valse Allemande' (By the 18th century, Allemande had come to mean a fast dance in 3/4 (Waltz or 'Valse' time) rather than the stately dance of previous centuries).

Answer: Franz Liszt

A 21-year-old Liszt had the opportunity to hear Paganini play at a benefit concert in Paris in 1831, and was more than impressed. As he wrote in a letter, "What a man! What a violin! What an artist! heavens, what misery, what suffering, what torture in those four strings!" Liszt vowed to become "The Paganini of the piano" and soon achieved virtuosity never seen on that instrument before.

Answer: Johannes Brahms

Wiegenlied is probably better known by its translation from the German: Lullaby. Like the previous two pieces (and the original), Brahms' Paganini variations provide a challenge even to professional musicians. Part of the difficulty lies in sheer endurance -- the piece typically clocks in at 20 minutes, more than 4 times the length of the original caprice.

Answer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff was already a successful composer before he immigrated to America, but his fourth piano concerto was rather poorly received. Discouraged by its unpopularity, he composed only two pieces in seven years before bursting back on the scene with this work. Of particular note is the 18th variation (which you may have heard in the soundtracks of "Somewhere in Time" and "Groundhog Day"). Rachmaninoff takes the usual theme, inverts it, and adjusts it ever so slightly to produce one of the most beautiful melodies ever composed.

Answer: Dies Irae

One legend that swirled around Paganini was that he had sold his soul to the devil in order to obtain his magnificent virtuosity. The rumors became so widespread that Paganini eventually had to publish letters from his mother to "prove" that he was born of human parents!

In a later letter written to the choreographer of a ballet based on the "Rhapsody", Rachmaninoff suggests that the "Dies Irae" was included to represent this demonic influence. Despite all the beautiful and triumphant melodies occurring throughout the "Rhapsody", the ending of the piece depicts the Devil's triumph in an explosive rendition of the "Dies Irae" in the brass section.

Answer: Witold Lutoslawski

Lutoslawski's plans for study in Paris were interrupted by the Second World War. He trained for the military and was captured by the Germans, but escaped and spent the rest of the German occupation of Poland playing in cafes with Adrej Panufnik, another pianist.

The 1941 Paganini variations were first played in these cafes (hence their arrangement for two pianos). Even after the Germans left, Lutoslawski would continue to come in conflict with the authorities, including having a symphony banned by the government for being too "formalist".

Answer: Benny Goodman

The work is simply titled "Caprice XXIV". Unlike most composers (who tended to pile more and more variations on the theme), Goodman decided to pare things down slightly -- his arrangement clocks in at under 3 minutes, while the original typically takes at least a minute longer.

Answer: Cello

Originally an arrangement for cello and rock band, the piece was later arranged into a somewhat more "classical" sounding concerto for cello and orchestra. It was written following a 1977 bet between the two involving whether or not Leyton Orient would win a football match (they drew, which was enough for Julian to win).

For the curious, midi files of the original caprice and the Schumann, Liszt, Brahms, and portions of the Paganini can be found at www.prs.net (limited number of free plays daily), while three different performances of the Brahms are among those at http://www.cliburn.org/competition/eleventhaudio.html (if you wish to compare and have a fast connection). I hope you enjoyed this quiz!