Paganini: Violin Concerto No.2, "La Campanella"

The legendary skills of violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini led many in his time to speculate about his parentage. To be able to performing the techniques he did, they thought surely he must be the son of the devil. Others thought that at the very least he had made a pact with the Evil One. One critic said of his playing, "It was more than technical wizardry that attracted the masses: there was a demonic quality as well as an enticing poetry in his playing". Part of Paganini's dexterity may have been due, in part, to MARFAN SYNDROME, from which he suffered his whole life. Individuals with this condition tend to have long, slender limbs, fingers and toes. Perhaps it was those long, slender digits that allowed him to deftly manipulate the violin in such a fantastic way.