The Treatise Paganini Never Wrote

Last night I was reading from Leslie Sheppard and Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod’s comprehensive biography entitled ‘Paganini.’ It’s a wonderful resource and well worth owning.

There were two things that caught my attention.

In 1797, while Paganini was yet a boy of 16, he had the opportunity to play for the much more recognized Rudolphe Kreutzer, who was 30 at the time. Apparently Kreutzer was extremely taken with what he heard, and his words of encouragement were a great source of inspiration to young Nicolo.

Naturally I enjoyed reading of this connection between Kreutzer and the Great One. But there is something else I came across that aroused my interest even more.

Paganini made a promise during his lifetime that he never realized. That promise was to create a treatise on violin playing that would enable violinists to become virtuosi in a relatively short amount of time.

What excited me about his promise was the implication that the learning of a skill can be greatly accelerated when a certain kind of ‘know how’ is present. I’d bet my last dollar that his ‘know how’ was both physical AND mental.

So, why didn’t the course materialize? Perhaps it was due to the fact that he didn’t have the advantages of digital technology. After all words alone are rather inefficient for communicating physical processes.

But with the digital technology of today a thing can be explained and demonstrated various ways and a person may easily review the material again and again until its fully digested. It’s so easy and efficient.

When I had the inspiration to create ‘Kreutzer for Violin Mastery’ it was with digital technology in mind. I felt that Milstein had bequeathed me the vital ‘tools’, and digital technology enabled them to be communicated efficiently and effectively.

Now, with ”Paganini for Violin Virtuosity”, the bar has been raised to the level of true virtuosity. Come reserve your copy and reap the benefits of this powerful program.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

He wasn’t the contrapuntalist that Bach was. His music lacked the formal cohesion and structure of Beethoven. His use of harmony wasn’t as developed as Liszt.

Yet when played with imagination and passion it entertains and delights the most discriminating listener.

What Paganini did possess was a terrific sense of gesture, of musical effect, of color, and of melody. Had he not pursued a career as a composer/virtuoso he could today just as easily be remembered as a composer of opera rivaling the likes of Rossini.

To see Paganini as only the creator of highly technical music is to miss the mark by almost 180 degrees. He was first and foremost an entertainer – therein lies his charm, appeal, AND, to a violinist, challenge.

If you want to hear a fine Paganini player – aside from yours truly, of course! – listen to Gideon Kramer play this music. It’s the same kind of imaginative playing that serves the music of Schubert and Mozart, I might add.

So when I am guiding you through the technical challenges in the instructional DVDs I am also trying to enliven your imagination and creative juices. In this way when it comes time to entertain an audience or a living room of friends they won’t let you put the violin down all night.

All the best,
Clayton Haslop

P.S. I had a terrific first day with ”Paganini for Violin Virtuosity, Vol. 1. For those of you still thinking about the investment in this course, bare in mind that each Caprice represents an investment of only $35.00. For the amount of detailed coaching you receive, 4 DVDs worth, this is a give-away.