In private life he was highly esteemed--an honorable citizen--a genial, kind hearted man, with a genuine love of his profession. He died, after a short illness, in Birmingham, on June 25th, 1906. R. H. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE BOYHOOD 1 CHAPTER II. EARLY TRIUMPHS 9 CHAPTER III. ITALIAN TOURS 22 CHAPTER IV. TOURS ON THE CONTINENT 35 CHAPTER V. FIRST VISIT TO ENGLAND 50 CHAPTER VI. FINAL TOUR 61 CHAPTER VII. DEATH 73 CHAPTER VIII. PAGANINI, THE MAN 85 CHAPTER IX. THE ARTIST AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES 107 CHAPTER X. HIS METHODS IN PLAYING 128 CHAPTER XI. HIS COMPOSITIONS 148 CHAPTER XII. MEMORIALS 191 APPENDIX.--NOTES ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS 195 BIBLIOGRAPHY 201 NICOLO PAGANINI: HIS LIFE AND WORK. CHAPTER I. There are some names, the mere mention or thought of which conjure up distinct personalities; such are Handel, Bach, Beethoven, Wagner; but not one has the extraordinary individuality of that of Paganini. Though few can be living who ever saw the man, though his portraits are not now commonly to be met with, the name of Paganini at once calls up a picture--weird, uncanny, demoniacal; brings back the faint echo of performances long lost in the corridors of time; and excites the imagination in a manner altogether unique. The last few years have witnessed the appearance of an unprecedented number of wonderful young violinists, whose achievements culminate in the marvellous playing of the boy Franz von Vecsey. These manifestations are almost enough to induce belief in the theory or doctrine of reincarnation, and to make one fancy that the great Genoese is once again in the flesh. These violinists, too, are all playing Paganini's music; they seem to glory in it, and so do the audiences, although to many serious and worthy folk it is mere clap-trap stuff. This revived interest in Paganini and his music seems to render the present an appropriate time to restate the case of the man and the artist, notwithstanding the extensive literature already associated with his name.