The Italian Romantic Era

Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), Notturno

There was never any doubt that Paganini’s first love was the violin, but his abilities as a composer were equally formidable. When Paganini was twelve years old, his father took him to Parma to play for the prominent violinist (and less prominent composer) Alessandro Rolla. Upon their arrival at his home, they were informed that Rolla was ill. While they were waiting, Paganini picked up a manuscript of Rolla’s latest concerto on the table and proceeded to sight-read the music so perfectly that Rolla jumped out of bed and exclaimed to him, “I can teach you nothing, my boy; go see [and study composition with] Paer.” Ferdinando Paer did indeed teach Paganini, and Paganini adopted Paer’s graceful and fluid style of composing: it became the mainstay of his career. Paganini’s wizardry was not confined to the violin. During the years 1801-04, the young Genoese virtuoso retired from public life to devote himself to the guitar. His passion for the instrument inspired approximately twenty works for solo guitar; two sets of quartets for violin, viola, cello and guitar; and at least a dozen sonatas for violin and guitar. This Notturno is a charming miniature. To be sure, it features the violin most prominently, and the other strings merely fill a supporting role in the age-old Italian tradition of light accompaniment, and in Paganini’s own soloist-centered traditions as well. The melodies are so gracious and the texture of the piece so transparent that we are seduced into its beauty and happily exult in the glowing music. 

Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936), Five Pieces for Violin and Piano

One of the leading composers of early 20th-century music, Respighi was not only a composer but a violinist, teacher, and musicologist. He composed operas, ballets, orchestral suites, choral songs, chamber music, and transcriptions of Italian compositions of the  16th through the 18th century. His orchestral tone poems – Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome, and Roman Festivals – are his best-known works, composed between 1916 and 1928. He studied composition with Giuseppe Martucci at the Liceo Musicale di Bologna, enrolling in 1891. He was hired to play in the Imperial Orchestra in St. Petersburg. While there, he studied composition with Rimsky-Korsakov. He returned to Italy and lived in Rome for the rest of his life. His chamber compositions include eight string quartets, a string quintet, a piano quintet, and several other works. He composed his Five Pieces for Violin and Piano in 1906. He had written a set of six pieces four years earlier, and they were so popular that he was encouraged to write another set. Each of the pieces are written in contrasting characteristics — different moods, tempos, and the duration of each is different. Respighi performed them during the years he was giving recitals. Each piece was published separately, and for many years they were difficult to obtain. They are now available as a complete set. The first movement, a Romanza, is melodically rich and expressive. The Aubade which follows is very energetic and rhythmically complex. The third movement, a Madrigale, has a simple melody accompanied by rich harmonies. The Berceuse (a lullaby) is peaceful and reflective. The Humoresque finale opens with a fairly melodramatic declaration. After that is stated, the music moves between minor and major, seemingly making fun of the opening with a series of whimsical forays.