KohcoStage: Paganini vs The Libertine

"I know my music will triumph!"

rebutted, David Garrett, as Paganini to the devil's advocate, Jared Harris, as Urbani. Before this Urbani exclaimed

"A great future lies ahead of you, let's start right away!"

...Maestro, you are to have dominion over an empire greater than Napoleon's, from Paris to Vienna and from Rome to London. You are to be recognized as the greatest violinist that ever lived!"

This, of course, from the movie The Devil's Violinist. I was going to write about this movie in this post but found a blog, Living Through My Music, with a great synopsis of the movie that also shares my sentiments quite exactly about David and his brilliance.

Living Through My Music

I recently watched The Libertine, a 2004 movie with Johnny Depp as John Wilmot the second Earl of Rochester, who was also a poet and playwright in 17th century England.

John Wilmot Second Earl of Rochester

Artist Marina Cardosa

As I was watching I could not help but compare these two men's lives as represented in the films.

Both were privately tutored at the early age of seven. At the age of five, Paganini did start with the mandolin like his father played, yet became very proficient with the violin by age seven. John Wilmot began his studies also at this age and became a poet and playwright, to eventually become known as the best English satirist of all time and gained posthumous critical acclaim
for his life's work, not unlike Paganini.

"I know my music will triumph!"

To this Urbani said, "You are an innovator. In your hands the violin is an orchestra. You have discovered harmonies that no one imagined existed. It is almost as though you have fashioned an entirely new instrument. This is your genius."

Paganini was a master of the violin, a virtuoso, a genius.

According to violinstudent.com, ' A Paganini performance was like no other, up until this point, violinists used sheet music while performing, but not Paganini, he performed by memorization. He would glide on to the stage, with his long black hair, toss it back and play. His technique was absolutely stunning. It is said that when he played a tender piece, his music was so beautiful that his audiences often burst into tears. Although he had the ability to do this, he could also perform with such force and velocity, that one Vienna audience member became so crazed, that he declared for some days, that he had seen the Devil himself helping the violinist play!

Paganini used bow techniques that were considered unorthodox at the time, such as the bouncing of the bow on the strings. He used the technique scordatura, which means, "mis-tuning" in Italian, for the deliberate mis-tuning of strings which would enable him to play in another key without shifting. Paganini also implemented left-hand pizzicato, plucking of the strings. Paganini used harmonics extensively. Harmonics are created by placing a finger of the left hand lightly on the string in a specific place while using the bow.

This results in an ethereal, high pitched note that is very unlike notes played normally. At times Paganini would even just use the G-string for entire works;
this showed incredible mastery of the instrument.

Portrait of Nicolò Paganini

Portrait by Robert Lewis Booth Oil on Canvas

John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester was a master of words, a poet, a playwright and truly loved the theatre.

John Earl of Rochester

Ealesaid A. Haas says in her thesis, Honesty and Reason, The Satires of John Wilmot, 'The Earl of Rochester, particularly in his early years, was something of an icon for his time, a witty courtier, brave in battle, friendly with the King (when not being banished for his more outlandish escapades), popular with the women and able to walk the dangerous pathways of court without incurring too much damage. Later in life, he fell out of favor and became, "a Man whom it is the great Mode to hate," but remained admired by many until his death.

The Earl gained an interest in a young actress that he felt was in need of training, Lizzie Barry.

Elizabeth Barry

When they met Lizzie was quite feisty. He said to her, after approaching her with this idea, "I think I can make you an actress of truth not a creature of artifice, I can do this!" Lizzie tended to mimic other more experienced actresses, she had yet to acquire a style of her own. Lizzie then said to Wilmot, "Yes you are right, I am intent on doing something that no other has yet done. I lost my purpose yesterday with fear, but I will conquer them [the audience] and it shall not be said, when I have my fame and my two pound a week, that Lord Rochester took to me and touched me with the shining wing of his genius and so turned me into a little corner of his greatness!"

After two years Lizzie became Wilmot's mistress. They were together for five years. Quoted again from the thesis, Honesty and Reason, The Satires of John Wilmot, of The Earl, 'Indeed, it was thought that, "he never loved any person so sincerely as he did Mrs. Barry." He trained her for the stage, teaching her to sing and act with no small skill."

After a while, Lizzie went to Wilmot in the movie The Libertine, and said, "I was not good in the play this afternoon, I craved reassurance. All I could think about was you." Wilmot had not accompanied her on this day. She went on, "You see that is where there is still imbalance between us. Because you demand so much of me and so little of yourself. You took my small gift and pushed it until it shone. Yet your own great gifts you just throw away!"
She bore him a daughter, Elizabeth, whom he eventually took into his own custody after he and Barry split. John Wilmot was true to his word and Lizzie Barry did in fact become the most famous actress of her time. This was something that the Earl eventually ended up resenting.

In the movie, when Wilmot was very sick he went to see Lizzie after a long absence, and said to her, "I shall never forgive you for teaching me to love life." Lizzie responded, "If I taught you that, then our account here is settled. Your lesson to me was my livelihood and mine to you was life itself." To give closure, this was a great line in the movie.

Paganini was involved with a singer,

Antonia Bianchi

Antonia is seen in the beginning of the film. She told Paganini that she would be back, Urbani said, "Yes she will be back to pay the bill." Paganini said "What?" Urbani answered, "She will be back, she wants a child." Paganini then said, " How do you know so much?" to which Urbani repied, "it was ever thus." Does this mean that the next generation was also bound to the contract that Paganini signed? Antonia and Paganini were together for fifteen years and did have a son, Achilles.

So many similarities, Paganini's music today is performed by the violin greats such as David Garrett, Itzhak Perlman and Armenian Nikolay Madoyan to name but a few. His music is standard in the teaching of violin.

There is the play, The Libertine, performed currently in England. The Bristol Old Vic Review says, 'Nearly 350 years after his death John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, is still shocking audiences in this hilarious retelling of his hedonistic and self-destructive life.'

This is a must read review!

These men were legends before their time, admittedly in very different ways. With their genius, amazing talent and love of their craft, it seems a shame that their decisions to live as they chose to, with their womanizing ways, Paganini with his self medicating and gambling and Wilmot with his promiscuity and drink, although popular, still seemed to die alone. Paganini was 58 years old when he died, he was born a sickly child and suffered with depression most likely the medication that he took was a contributing factor. Wilmot was very promiscuous and some accounts say that he died from numerous venereal diseases, at the age of only 33.

I put this portrait for a reason,

you will have to watch the movie to see why!

Ealasaid's informative site

John Wilmot Earl of Rochester

"I cannot feel in life-I must have others do it for me"
-John Wilmot (aka The Libertine)

The self-confessed cynic, Wilmot, asked "Am I a cynic?" of one of his women. She responded,
"You look like a man who enjoys life more than he does."

This post was a bit different, but after watching The Libertine, I just could not help myself! It was good to learn and write about two brilliant people! These were two men involved with the arts whose fruits of their genius are still being relished today. Thank goodness for David as well, for having the vision and incredible musicality to bring Paganini back to life for our enjoyment. These men are still keeping the arts alive to this day after hundreds of years and so is David by blessing our lives, presently,each and everyday!!!

Here is to David and to keeping the arts alive!