The violin is the devil's instrument why. Hardingfele (hardangerfele) - musical instrument - history, photo, video. Long period of hardships and superstitions

Musical instruments are a way to transform people's feelings and experiences into music. Ancient people attributed magical properties to them, believing that musical instruments allow you to get in touch with the other world and are an effective method of influencing the human mind. However, anyone can test it for themselves. We listen and enjoy!

1. Tanbur

The tanbur is a stringed wooden instrument with a long neck and a resonant pear-shaped body. It is also known as tanbur, setar and tar. The progenitor of the modern guitar originated in Mesopotamia, after which it spread throughout South and Central Asia several thousand years ago. It was believed that tanbur music heals, calms and gives a person inner balance. This instrument was used in the religious ceremonies of Africa and the Middle East. According to the humming music, the dancers plunged into a state of frenzy and madness, while their spirit was purified.

2. Seashell Horn

Made from the shells of sea mollusks or large sea snails, this musical wind instrument has been used in cultures ranging from the Caribbean and Mesoamerica to India and Tibet, as well as New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The bugle was blown to make a loud trumpet sound. Among the tribes of the Caribbean, the instrument was central to hunting, war, and prayer rituals. In Fiji, a shell horn was used to announce the arrival of guests in a village or during funeral rites. In India, where the horn was a sacred symbol of the god Vishnu and symbolized female fertility, they plunged into a trance to its sounds.

3. Ocarina

The ocarina is a small portable wind instrument believed to have originated around 10,000 BC. Traditionally they were made of bone or clay, sometimes there were versions made of stone, wood and metal. This instrument consists of a hollow chamber with a protruding horn that has 4-12 finger holes to produce various sounds.

Ocarinas were used in the rituals of Mesoamerican cultures, where they produced beautiful, surreal sounds. It was believed that this tool helps to talk with the gods, birds and animals. People, to the music of the ocarina, plunged into a mysterious, trance-like state.

4. Mbira

The Mbira is a portable instrument created by the Shona tribe, who lived in what is now Zimbabwe over 1,000 years ago. The musical instrument consisted of several metal teeth or plates mounted on a wooden resonating plate. Mbira was one of the main attributes in the Shona religion. It was believed that with its help you can keep in touch with the rumors of your ancestors. Mbira, talk and consult with them. The tool was also used in the Bira ceremony, during which spirits were called to learn the wisdom of the tribe and tried to control the weather.

5. Lip harp

The mouth harp is a plucked instrument consisting of a frame with a vibrating reed made of metal, reed or bamboo. The harp is clamped with teeth and played on the "tongue" with the fingers. The first mention of the mouth harp appeared in the fourth century in China, and its more modern design caught on in many European, oceanic and Asian cultures of the 13th century. The mouth harp has been used for centuries in shamanistic rituals, as well as incantations of the Mongolian and Siberian tribes. It was mainly used to induce trance and heal illnesses.

6. Gong

The gong is a metal percussion instrument that was invented in China in 3500 BC. It was later adapted by various cultures throughout Southeast Asia and Africa. It is a large suspension disk made of metal, usually bronze or brass, which is struck with a hammer to produce a sound. Playing the gong was associated in ancient Buddhism with healing rituals, prayers and meditation. In Chinese culture, gongs were often considered sacred, and it was believed that if a person touched the gong, they would be blessed with happiness, good fortune, and good health.

7. Didgeridoo

The indigenous peoples of Northern Australia developed this strange wind instrument over 1500 years ago and it is still used today. A didgeridoo is a long wooden pipe made from a eucalyptus tree that has been cored by termites. The trumpet emitted a low, eerie rumble that was considered the voice of the Earth. The didgeridoo was traditionally used to accompany songs and dances during Aboriginal ceremonies, providing a connection to nature and the invisible spiritual world.

8. Violin

The violin, a wooden stringed instrument played with a bow, is mentioned in the Old Testament. The ancients believed that the connection with God is symbolized by the voices of angels, while the connection with the devil occurs through the sounds of musical instruments. As a result, the image of the devil as an "evil violinist" was finally established in Christianity.

2. Drums

Drums are present in almost all ancient human cultures. They have been used for tens of thousands of years in prayer rituals, wars and dances. More than 8,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, the sacred sounds of drums sounded during birth meetings, ceremonies and battles. In various parts of Africa, "talking drums" were used as a means of communication, because the music could be heard from a great distance.

10. Whistle of death

This elegant and fearsome musical instrument comes from the ancient Aztec culture, where it was used for a variety of macabre and frightening purposes. Hollow whistles were usually carved from bone or stone (sometimes precious) in the shape of a skull. The form of the death whistle showed the emotions it was supposed to inspire in the listeners: fear and awe. The whistle made a terrible "screaming" sound. This musical instrument was widely used in ceremonies dedicated to the god of the wind - Eekatl and Mictlatecuhtli, the embodiment of the "Wind of Death". Aztec priests used these whistles during human sacrifice rituals, where their sound was believed to help guide the soul of the victim to the afterlife and appease the gods.

If there is a piano at home that has already served its purpose, do not rush to send it to a landfill. You can use one of the .

Author: Dmitry Stain
Few know the legends about the great composer and violinist Niccolo Paganini, who sold his soul to the devil for an unusual violin. Every story about this man ends differently. History recognizes that a person achieved everything on his own and died of illness, but the legends have survived to this day. In general, judge for yourself.
From childhood, his father taught him music, seeing the talent in his son. The violin was Niccolo's only joy, he could play it for hours. With age, fate was not favorable to the young Niccolo. He had no education and often wrote with errors. Niccolo worked part-time in simple taverns in order to somehow feed himself. He walked in rags and sometimes he was not allowed into decent establishments where people from noble families usually spent time.
But a particularly hard, accursed day fell for him on a cold autumn morning. The rain poured like a bucket. The artist's old, battered shoes were so wet that they squelched at every step. Paganini himself got wet to the skin. He again played all day in the tavern for a measly pittance. At the end of the day, he allowed himself to drink a mug of ale and play cards with some young gentlemen. As a result, he lost the earned pennies and violin.
Niccolo tried to convince young people to return his instrument, because this is the only thing he can earn money with. But those in response, having laughed at poor Niccolo, left the tavern. The unfortunate musician sat at the table until late at night and did not know what to do and how to be.
- Excuse me, are you upset about something? asked a man with a rough face. He was wearing an unusual gray cloak and black hair, which was surprisingly dry, because the sound of rain was heard outside, but Niccolò paid no attention to this.
- I lost an instrument that somehow fed me. Now I don't even have money for a new violin.
- Would you like to get a new violin? the man asked. Niccolo perked up at his words.
“But…I don’t have money or anything of value.” Niccolo said.
The stranger moved closer to the violinist and whispered softly:
- You have something else that I need.
- What is this? asked the curious Niccolo.
- Soul - answered the stranger.
- Soul? Niccolo asked. – Can a soul be worth anything?
- Believe me.
The stranger took out a case and placed it on the table. Opening it, the musician saw the fabric in which the instrument was wrapped.
Having unfolded the velvet, a violin appeared before the eyes of the musician, which he had never seen before. Four strings were already strung and tuned. A long plank of solid hard wood was curved in cross section so that when playing on one string, the bow would not cling to adjacent strings. The lower part of the neck is glued to the neck, which passes into the head, consisting of a peg box and a curl. The maestro could only dream of such a violin.
“I agree to keep it for myself,” Niccolo replied, continuing to carefully stroke the wonderful violin. He couldn't help but admire her.
Finally, looking away from her, he saw that he was sitting alone. He no longer cared, because he has a magic violin, which, alas, does not have the signature of its creator.
The next day, Niccolo came to another tavern and began to play. When he played, everyone listened to his wonderful melody. Paganini himself was surprised that he played so well. People from the street stopped to listen to who was playing so wonderfully. On this day, he received the first standing ovation and decent money, which helped him change clothes and play the violin for important gentlemen.
A few years later Paganini was already performing in England, France and Germany. Everyone idolized and loved him. Not a single artist enjoyed such popularity as Paganini.
One day, the violin broke. The most eminent masters could not restore it, and he took Guarneri's violin and still continued to play successfully, but the health of the musician himself had already been undermined. The violin that the stranger gave him was lost. Until his death, Paganini never parted with Guarneri's violin. He bequeathed it to the museum of his native city of Genoa. There she can still be seen under the name "The Widow of Paganini". Only if in Genoa
an outstanding violinist arrives, he is allowed to play it.

Original: http://cs606024.vk.me/v606024843/1326/e59ukdz4Tnc.jpg

Musical instruments are an extension of man, they transform something unusual into the common. This list will show the ancient beliefs of people around the world, as well as tell about their traditions, connecting the secrets of our subconscious with the world that we perceive with our ears.

10. TANBUR

Tanbur belongs to the category of strings. It is a wooden instrument with a long neck and a resonant body. It is known by various names including: tambour, tanbur, tar and lira and is the forefather of modern guitars. It was invented in Mesopotamia, South and Central Asia thousands of years ago.

Although many cultures have adapted the sound of this instrument for various purposes, the earliest known use of the tanbur is healing, calming and creating inner balance. This practice has an important place in the religious cult known as Zaar in North Africa and the Middle East during the 18th century. This belief is based on the dualism of good and evil and the possession of human souls by evil forces.

Zaar rituals often included ceremonies accompanied by wild, "humming" music that drove the possessed mad, purifying their souls. Preference then was given not to one, but to a set of instruments, including tanbur, tambourine, and drums.

9. KONH

The conch is a wind instrument made from sea shells or large snails. It was used by different peoples: from the Caribbean to Mesoamerica, as well as in India, Tibet, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The shells were simply blown into and produced a loud trumpet-like sound.

In India, according to Hindu tradition, the horn is a sacred symbol of the god Vishnu, representing female fertility, prosperity and life. Here, even shells can be considered sacred, depending on their color and the direction of the curls, for example, shells curled clockwise, since their curls are a reflection of the movement of the Sun, Moon, stars and heavens.

In the Mesoamerican and Caribbean tribes, this musical instrument was important for hunting, warfare and other rituals. In the life of the ancient city of Teotihuacan (near Mexico City), conch was used everywhere: when creating works of art, in ceremonies dedicated to water and male fertility. Its shape gave the impression of water flowing outward, giving life to crops and people, creating new life. In this context, the horn represents male power and sexuality. Warriors and men occupying a high social status in society were buried along with shells, which were later found on headdresses or near the pelvis.

In addition, in numerous Pacific island cultures, conch was used to announce the arrival of guests in the village or at funeral ceremonies, in which their sound accompanied the body of the deceased until the end of his life's journey - burial.

8. OCARINA

The ocarina is a small hand-held wind instrument that was invented around 10,000 BC. Traditionally it is made from bones or clay, but it has also been made from stones, wood or metal. This instrument consists of a hollow chamber, a mouthpiece and 4-12 holes that were closed with fingers to create different sounds. Ocarinas were given various forms: animals, people, gods or monsters, which were discovered in Central and South America.

Historically, they have been used in the rituals of Mesoamerican cultures. They made unusual, beautiful sounds that allowed them to speak with the gods, enchant birds and animals, and even put people into a trance-like state. The ocarina gained popularity thanks to the video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, in which the player gets a tool that allows them to control the weather, move between locations, open doors, and even travel through time.

7. MBIRA

Mbira is a handmade musical instrument created over 1000 years ago by the Shona tribes (now Zimbabwean territory). It consists of several metal prongs or a plucked metal grate mounted on a wooden board. This tool comes in a variety of sizes and variations.

Traditionally, he played a key role in the rituals of the Shona, whose connection with the spirits of their ancestors was especially strong. Mbira allowed to communicate with the dead souls and ask them for help, all this action was accompanied by songs and prayers. The most common is the Bira ceremony, a rite in which people and spirits unite in memory of the traditions and wisdom of the tribe. The Shona also used mbira music to control the cycles of rain and drought, which was important for agriculture, as well as to ward off evil spirits.

6. Vargan

The jew's harp, also known as the mouth harp, is a plucked instrument consisting of a frame that holds a vibrating tongue made of metal, reed or bamboo. The frame is held with teeth, and the tongue is played with fingers, its vibrations change along with the change in the shape of the mouth. It first appeared in the 4th century in China, but its metal counterpart appeared in a number of European, Oceanic and Asian cultures in the 13th century.

The jew's harp has been used for centuries in shamanic rituals and spells in Mongolian and Siberian tribes, as well as for inducing trances and curing illnesses. It was also used for soul therapy and connection with nature, for example, in Malaysia and Indonesia, where the sound of the jew's harp helped to communicate with birds, insects, toads and rainforest plants, in addition, they were treated with melancholy and melancholy.

5. GONG

The gong is a metal percussion instrument that was invented in China around 3500 BC. Subsequently, it was adopted by peoples throughout South Asia and Africa. It is a large metal disk, often bronze or copper, that was suspended and struck with a hammer to produce a sound.

It has traditionally been used during festivals, prayers and the announcement of sacred ceremonies. Its loud, distinctive sound is also ideal for conveying messages. For example, in the coastal province of Zhejiang, gongs were used to attract guests disembarking from ships and even to signal ships in poor visibility. Playing the gong has been associated in Buddhism with healing rituals, prayers and meditation. Throughout Chinese history, the gong was considered a sacred instrument, and it was also believed that the spirit of the master who made the gongs was imbued with his products. If a person touched the gong, it was believed that he would be granted joy, good luck and good health.

4. Didgeridoo

The natives of Northern Australia invented this strange wind instrument over 1500 years ago. Each tribe has its own name, and besides, it is still in use. The didgeridoo is a long, wooden, trumpet-like instrument. A person blows into one end of the pipe, creating a low, slightly eerie, but at the same time harmonious rumble. Experienced musicians can even use circular breathing techniques to keep the sound going for up to 45 minutes.

The didgeridoo is also used as the embodiment of the voice of the earth itself; this instrument has long been featured by the natives in their song and dance rituals, personifying the connection with nature and the invisible spiritual world. According to Aboriginal traditions, by understanding the sounds of weather, nature and animals, imitating them with a didgeridoo melody, mutual understanding between the earth and people is recreated.

3. VIOLIN

The violin, a wooden stringed instrument played with a bow, has existed in American folklore and has its roots in the Old Testament. In the old Abrahamic religions, it was believed that the voices of angels represent a connection with God, while the voice of the devil manifests itself through the sounds of man-made instruments. This myth has mysteriously developed in Western culture, most likely through the Protestant and Catholic Reformations.

The image of the devil as the "evil violinist" developed and became generally accepted. This is most vividly described in the 1979 song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", which tells the story of an experienced violinist named Johnny, who competed with the devil in the ability to play the violin, putting his soul on the line against his magical golden violin.

2. DRUM

Among the oldest and most diverse musical instruments, drums have analogues in all ancient cultures. A simple instrument made of wood, metal or leather and played with sticks or hands, drums have been used for tens of thousands of years in ritual, warfare, communication and dance.

In ancient Mesopotamia, more than 8,000 years ago, drums were believed to create sacred sounds during tribal meetings, ceremonies, and battles. Also, in different parts of Africa, "talking drums" were used as a communication tool, creating music that could be heard for miles between villages. Drum players have used various techniques to represent the human voice, creating sounds that convey words and phrases. This was often used in the ritual of prayer, where the sounds made by the drums were perceived as the speech of the gods, who communicated with them in a language understandable to the entire tribe.

1. DEATH WHISTLE

This amazing and, at the same time, terrifying musical instrument appeared in the culture of the ancient Aztecs and its main purpose is intimidation. These whistles were often in the form of a skull made of clay, bones, stone, and even jade. Their shape meant that whoever heard their sound had to experience fear. When blown into it, it made a terrible, screaming sound.

Death whistles were widely used in ceremonies dedicated to the wind god Eekatl and Mictlantecuhtli (lord of the underworld). Aztec clerics used these whistles during human sacrifice rituals and believed that the sound of the whistles would lead the soul of the victim to the other world and appease the gods. Also, these whistles could be used in healing rituals or in war to intimidate the enemy at the time of the attack.

In 1782, on the outskirts of the Italian city of Genoa, in the alley of the Black Cat, a boy was born, who was named Niccolò. Nature endowed him with the right features. Especially beautiful were his agate-black eyes, sparkling even in the dark, and his hair curled in ringlets. True, the baby had slightly crooked legs and feet that were not large in size. But, not to mention us mere mortals, perhaps even the god of beauty Apollo himself had some shortcomings.

Artist Kontabile

Who was the first to understand that a great future awaits the boy? His father, Antonio Paganini, was a former longshoreman who became a small shopkeeper. He was a strange man. A heavy, domineering character, rudeness in dealing with households, a craving for wine somehow coexisted in him with common sense and clairvoyance. He also liked to play the mandolin in his spare time. On this basis, he had quarrels with his wife. As soon as he picked up an instrument, she went away from the house so as not to hear many hours of monotonous strumming, and his neighbors did not enjoy playing.

Once Antonio, while playing, quite clearly heard the voice of the four-year-old Niccolò: “Dad! You are fake here. ..” Antonio choked. I wanted to slap my little son, but something held him back. From his wife, he had heard more than once that Niccolò was not indifferent to music, he fainted when the bells of the neighboring church struck and golden sounds, like bronze that makes them, float along the dirty alley ... Having endured the reproach of his son for being false, Antonio handed him a mandolin and said: “Well, show me, brat, how to play here ...” The kid, who had absolute pitch, played right in the blink of an eye ...

Artist A. Uglov

This and other cases convinced Antonio that he did not have a son, but a real treasure, that considerable benefits could be derived from his gift. Pushing himself, he bought Niccolo a tiny violin. Having shown how to hold it on his shoulder, how to lead the bow along the strings, he relied on the rest of his son's natural gifts. Leaving for the shop, Antonio locked his son in his room alone with the violin. Many years later, Niccolo wrote the following lines about his father's "music lessons": "He left me without food and forced me to redouble my efforts with hunger, so I had to suffer a lot physically, and this affected my health." And this is putting it mildly - let's add from
myself. Exhausted by everyday music lessons, the boy fell ill and fell into catalepsy - a state on the verge of life and death. His parents considered him dead, put him in a coffin and prepared to bury him, when suddenly the son stirred ...

They called him the fiddler of the Devil
Still looking to Niccolò as his good fortune in life, Antonio hired music teachers for him. But it seems that the boy doesn't really need them. One of them, after listening to his game, spread his hands in astonishment and said: "I can't teach you anything..." And he refused to study with the miracle child. Another teacher confessed to Niccolo: “I did not find a single mistake in your playing, not a single violation of the purity of form ...” Somehow a rich Genoese, a great music lover and owner of rare violins, offered the boy a bet: “If you thing from the sheet, I will give you a Guarneri violin. They say that Niccolo looked at the rich man in surprise with his
beautiful black eyes, opened unfamiliar notes to him and played them without stopping and without a single mistake. So he became the owner of a violin that cost a lot of money ... At the age of eleven, he gave his first public concert. People were shocked by his virtuoso playing. Soon he was recognized as the most skillful violinist in the world. This title is retained by Paganini to this day.

Music, music... For some reason, it is believed that it is always and for everyone good. But is it? In the life of Paganini, she played an ambiguous role. This is how one book describes his first appearance on stage: “He appeared holding a violin in one hand, a bow in the other, with a pale face, trembling with excitement. However, the very first blow of the bow, like an electric spark, brought him back to life. Music, as if escaping from captivity, filled the cathedral, taking with it the musical soul of the boy. The ecstasy that he experienced was so strong that by the end of the performance Niccolo was completely exhausted, literally frozen and almost lost his senses ... "
Several years passed and the angelic boy became a young man. And what? Everyone in the hall is taken aback when some awkward creature with a violin in his hand, similar to a man and a monkey at the same time, enters the stage with a hurried step. Burning coals of black eyes peer through long black hair. The maestro is so thin that his black coat dangles on him as if on a hanger, his long legs are thin and crooked, dressed in inappropriately large shoes ... Of course, at times Paganini deliberately played along with the public, portraying a mysterious, demonic personality, sticking out the absurdities of his figure. Having started the game, he forgot about everything in the world, and then people became witnesses of an even more amazing phenomenon: Paganini and his violin turned into one being! He became part of her, and she became part of him. The entire body of the musician, including the heart, muscles, bones, and even the sweat glands that cooled the excessive overheating of the body, everything adapted to playing the piano.
violin, everything worked to the music!


This will help the violinist from Genoa in the performing arts to cross the line between the possible and the impossible. “He has something in common with other violinists - only a violin and a bow,” one music connoisseur will say about him. In fact, no one, except Paganini, could play on one string, as on four, and on four, as on one. With him, the same note could sound in three octaves at once. Paganini's violin played trills indistinguishable from birdsong. Sometimes she, as if competing with her master
in the possibilities, suddenly uttered some words in a human voice.

Artist N. Shuvalov
It is not difficult to imagine what was going on in the auditorium when Paganini was speaking. As soon as he extracted the first sounds of magical beauty from the violin, everyone immediately forgot about the clumsy figure of the musician: before them appeared a perfect man, combining a wondrous gift and irresistible charm. “The sounds unfolded calmly, majestically heaving and growing ... - this is how the German poet Heinrich Heine, who was once present at a Paganini concert, described his impressions, - and everything around
unfolded in breadth and height, forming a colossal space accessible only to the spiritual, but not to the bodily gaze. In the middle of this space floated a shining ball, on which stood a gigantic, proud, majestic man playing the violin. What was this ball? The sun? I do not know. But in the features of the man I recognized Paganini. It was a man-planet, around whom the whole Universe revolved with measured solemnity, in divine rhythm ... "

These are the words of a poet. But in the life of Paganini there was a lot of prose. He did not get along with his father, who still looked to him as a source of income. The violinist married a beautiful woman, but in family life he turned out to be an unhappy person to tears. But the main problem of the musician was health. His passionate soul and incomparable talent were enclosed in a fragile shell. Diseases (starting from the day when he was almost buried alive in the grave) haunted Niccolò all his life. At a time when connoisseurs of music, admiring his playing, were thrilled with pleasure, Paganini himself experienced hellish pains in his twisted spine. Many times he was put to bed by diseased kidneys. It happened that attacks of this disease began right during the game: he felt the kidneys like two hot stones driven into his back. But he didn't leave the stage. And at the same time, no one in the hall knew that the miracle of his game is at the same time a cry of pain and suffering.
Paganini was physically weakening from year to year. He often lost consciousness. It happened that his throat was bleeding. His once-beautiful face was quickly covered with wrinkles and coarse folds. By the age of forty-seven, he had lost almost all of his teeth. “Is the violin harmful to your health?” one person asked sympathetically. “Not anymore,” Paganini replied with a sad smile. “She took all my strength…”

Of course, the violinist's answer is nothing more than a bitter joke. But it's not for nothing that they say that there is some truth in every joke. The violin played in the fate of the great musician almost the same role as his stern father. Innocent in itself, a set of wooden plates and strings, she, like a beautiful, but insidious sorceress, managed to give him everything that a person could wish for himself: wealth, worldwide fame, the worship of millions ... And she took everything she could from him: youth, beauty, health, life...

This is said as an edification to those who are now living and perhaps greatly annoyed that no great talent has been given to them. Right, you don't have to worry too much about it. To have a great talent is a great happiness, but, as a rule, mixed in half with great suffering. An example of this is the fate of the boy Niccolo, who was born in the alley (what a symbolic name!) of the Black Cat...

The son of a port loader not only managed to become famous all over the world - his violin playing was so virtuoso that it gave rise to incredible rumors: the violinist made a pact with the devil, and instead of the strings on his violin, the intestines of a woman tortured by him were stretched. Paganini really played in such a way that, it would seem, it goes beyond human capabilities, his success with women was stunning, and his person was surrounded by an aura of mystery.

Paganini's path to glory was not without obstacles. Since childhood, he had to endure the tyranny of his father, who forced him to study music all day long, not allowing him to go out. From the lack of oxygen, movement and excessive loads, the boy fell into a cataleptic coma. His parents thought he was dead and almost buried him. After an illness, he did not leave classes, and soon the fame of a talented violinist went far beyond the borders of Genoa.

At the age of 8, Paganini wrote a violin sonata and several difficult variations. At a young age, he created most of his famous capriccios, which still remain a unique phenomenon in musical culture. In playing the violin, Paganini was a real virtuoso. Having quickly mastered the traditional technique, he began to experiment: he imitated the singing of birds and human laughter, the sound of a flute, trumpet, horn, the lowing of a cow, and applied various sound effects.

At 19, he experienced his first and only true love for a woman, whose name he never named. Their romance did not last long, but left an imprint on his whole life. Since then, he felt constant loneliness, despite many love affairs.

One day, Paganini made a bet that he could conduct an orchestra with a violin with only two strings. He managed not only to win the bet, but also to impress Napoleon's sister Eliza Bonaparte - the impressionable Corsican lost consciousness with delight. Thus began their romance. Playing on two strings did not become a redistribution of Paganini's abilities: on Napoleon's birthday, he surpassed himself by playing on one string. The violinist quickly lost interest in Eliza and became interested in another sister of Bonaparte, Pauline Borghese. Their relationship was just as short-lived.

Just as easily as women, Paganini conquered cities and countries. He was applauded in Italy, Austria, Germany, France, England, Ireland. Wherever he appeared, funny stories immediately happened, giving rise to rumors. Heinrich Heine wrote about this in Florentine Nights: “Yes, my friend, it is true that everyone says about him that when Paganini was Kapellmeister in Lucca, he fell in love with a theater prima donna, was jealous of her for some insignificant the abbot, perhaps, became a cuckold, and then, according to the good Italian custom, stabbed his unfaithful lover to death, ended up in Genoa for hard labor and finally sold himself to the devil in order to become the best violinist in the world.

After a concert in Vienna, one of the listeners claimed that he saw the devil standing behind the musician and leading him with a bow. Journalists picked up this news and reported it quite seriously. On numerous caricatures he was portrayed as ugly, in the newspapers he was characterized as a greedy, mean and petty person, envious people and enemies spread ridiculous rumors about him. Notoriety accompanied him everywhere and always.

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