24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)

The 24 Caprices for Solo Violin were written in groups (seven, five and twelve) by Niccolò Paganini between 1802 and 1817. They are also designated as M.S. 25 in Maria Rosa Moretti's and Anna Sorrento's Catalogo tematico delle musiche di Niccolò Paganini which was published in 1982. The Caprices are in the form of études, with each number exploring different skills (double stopped trills, extremely fast switching of positions and strings, etc.)

Ricordi first published them in 1820, where they were grouped and numbered from 1 to 24 as Op. 1, together with 12 Sonatas for Violin and Guitar (Op. 2 and 3) and 6 Guitar Quartets (Op. 4 and 5). When Paganini released his Caprices, he dedicated them "alli artisti" (to the artists) rather than to a specific person. A sort of dedication can be recognized in Paganini's own score, where he annotated between 1832 and 1840 a 'dedicatee' for each Caprice (possibly ready for a new printed edition).

Ferdinand David's first edition was published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1854. David, as editor, also issued an edition of Caprices with piano accompaniments by Robert Schumann. Another edition by David was issued in two books of 12 caprices each "" (with additional piano accompaniment by Ferdinand David) and published by Breitkopf & Härtel (c. 1860).

Unlike many earlier and later sets of 24 pieces, there was no intention to write these caprices in 24 different keys.

Details No.KeyMovementsDedicateeNotes1E majorAndanteHenri VieuxtempsNicknamed "The Arpeggio", this composition matches chordal playing with ricochet bowing across all 4 strings. The piece opens in E major and then quickly transitions into an E minor development section, where descending scales in thirds are introduced.2B minorModeratoGiuseppe AustriThe second caprice focuses on detaché with many string crossings across non-adjacent strings.3E minorSostenuto/Presto/SostenutoErnesto Camillo SivoriCaprice No. 3 is a slurred legato exercise with octave trills in the introduction and conclusion.4C minorMaestosoOle Bornemann BullCaprice No. 4 is an exercise featuring passages that alter between slow passages with multiple voices and fast passages with many challenging double stops.5A minorAgitatoHeinrich Wilhelm ErnstCaprice No. 5 focuses on fast ricochet bowings. It begins and ends with a section of ascending arpeggios followed by descending scales.6G minorLentoKarol Józef LipińskiNicknamed "The Trill", the sixth caprice exploits the use of left-hand tremolo on the violin by quickly alternating between different notes in the chord in one of the voices. A melody is played in one line with a tremolo occurring on another.7A minorPosatoFranz LisztThis caprice focuses on slurred staccato passages, featuring many long slurred scales and arpeggios.8E majorMaestosoDelphin AlardCaprice No. 8 focuses on sustaining a drone note while playing a melody at the same time, meanwhile incorporating many trills, double stops, and scales in staccato.9E majorAllegrettoHerrmannNicknamed "La Chasse" or "The Hunt", the violin's A and E strings imitate the flutes ("Sulla tastiera imitando il Flauto"), while the G and D strings imitate the horns ("imitando il Corno sulla D e G corda"). Primarily a study in double stops, with ricochet occurring in the middle section.10G minorVivaceTheodor HaumannThis caprice is primarily a study in up-bow staccato, with staccato notes punctuated by chords, trills and distant string crossings.11C majorAndante/Presto/AndanteSigismond ThalbergThe eleventh caprice starts and ends with sections that require multiple voices, containing a passage that consists of many dotted notes rapidly jumping up and down the scale.12A majorAllegroDhulerThis caprice consists of a slurred pattern of a melody on an upper string alternating with a drone note on a bottom string, forcing the violinist to stretch great distances while keeping a finger on the drone string.13B majorAllegroCharles Philippe LafontNicknamed "The Devil's Laughter", Caprice No. 13 starts out with scale-like double-stopped passages at a moderate speed. The second part consists of high speed runs that exercise left hand flexibility and position shifting, and right-hand high-speed string changing and detache bowing. The piece then repeats back to the beginning and ends right before reaching the second part for the second time.14E majorModeratoJacques Pierre RodeThe 14th caprice displays the violin's ability to voice chords. It contains many triple and quadruple stops. Stylistically, the piece imitates brass fanfares.15E minorPosatoLouis SpohrCaprice 15 is in ABA form. The "A" section is in E minor and starts with a melody in octaves followed by a variation in 32nd notes. The "B" section is in G major (the relative major to E minor) and features upbow staccato and singly-bowed arpeggios.16G minorPrestoRodolphe KreutzerCaprice No. 16 is perhaps the simplest of the caprices. The chief difficulties are string crossings and some broken tenths. The only chord is the final note.17E majorSostenuto/AndanteAlexandre ArtôtThe "A" section contains numerous thirty-second note runs on the A and E strings that converse back and forth with double stops on the lower two strings. The middle section is famous for the incredibly difficult octave passage.18C majorCorrente/AllegroAntoine BohrerThe introduction to caprice 18 demonstrates playing on the G string in very high positions, imitating the sound of a post horn. This is followed by a rapid display of scales in thirds.19E majorLento/Allegro assaiAndreas Jakob RombergAfter 4 measures of octaves marked Lento, the rest of the caprice is in ABA form marked Allegro assai. The "A" section consists of playful staccato 8th notes, and the "B" section consists of fast 16th notes played on the G string. The opening 4 measures and the "A" section are in E major, and the "B" section is in the relative minor (C minor).20D majorAllegrettoCarlo BignamiCaprice 20 is famous for the use of the D string as a drone, backdropping a lyrical melody on the A and E strings, imitating a bagpipe. This is followed by a rapid sixteenth note passage with trills and flying staccato.21A majorAmoroso/PrestoAntonio BazziniCaprice 21 begins with a very expressive, aria-like melody played in double-stopped sixths. This is followed by a section of rapid up-bow staccato.22F majorMarcatoLuigi AllianiCaprice 22 explores many types of double and triple stops with louré bowing, then implementing various elements of slurred staccato, slurred tremolos and strings crossings.23E majorPosato/Minore/Posato–Caprice No. 23 begins with a melody in octaves in E. The middle, contrasting section is a formidable exercise in string crossings: it requires the violinist to play patterns of three sixteenth notes on the G string and then cross quickly to play one on the E string, and then back to the G string, all at a quick tempo.24A minorTema: Quasi presto/variazioni I–XI/FinaleNicolò Paganini, (to my self, regrettably buried).The theme from Caprice No. 24 is well known; it has been used as the basis for many pieces by a wide variety of composers. This caprice uses a wide range of highly advanced techniques such as tremendously fast scales and arpeggios, double and triple stops, left hand pizzicato, parallel octaves and tenths, rapid shifting, and string crossings.

Scores Critical edition by (Ed. Curci, 1982)Paganini 24 Capricci, Rev. F.Gulli – Ed. Curci Milano (1982) Critical edition by (Urtext, 1990)Paganini 24 Caprices, Rev. R. De Barbieri – G. Henle Verlag (1990)

Complete set / commercial recordings In 1940, to celebrate the centenary of Paganini's death, the complete set in the arrangement for violin and piano by Ferdinand David was recorded by the 20-year-old Austrian violinist Ossy Renardy (pseudonym of Oskar Reiss), with Walter Robert on piano (78 rpm's, RCA Victor; CD reprint by Biddulph).78rpm's RCA Victor: matrix 16276/8 (Album M-672) Paganini Caprices Nos. 1 to 12 (6 sides) + matrix 17636/8 (Album M-738) Paganini Caprices Nos. 13 to 24 (5 sides) This was the world premiere recording of any version of the 24 Caprices.CD Symposium 1311, review by Jonathan Woolf on "Music Web International" Renardy had played the solo violin version of the 24 in his Carnegie Hall debut the previous October. In 1953, shortly before his untimely death, Renardy recorded the 24 again (on Paganini's Guarnieri del Gesù violin, 'Il Cannone'), in the same arrangement by David, with Eugene Helmer accompanying (2LPs, Remington R-99-146 & R-99-152).Ossy Renardy on "the Remington site"Ossy Renardy on "Maestronet – forum", by Alan Sanders, 2003 In 1947, Ruggiero Ricci made the first complete recording of the 24 Caprices in their original version (Decca). Ricci later made further recordings, as stated below: I) 1947 | 2LPs | Decca LK.4025 Nos.1–12; LXT.2588 Nos.13–24 -mono-; 1950 reprint | 2LPs | London Decca LL.264 Nos.1–12; LL.252 Nos.13–24 mono (London, July 1947) II) 1959 | LP | Decca LXT.5569 -mono- / SXL.2194 -stereo- (Victoria Hall, Geneva, 1–9 April 1959) III) 1973 | LP | Vox Turnabout TV-S 34528 | + premiere recording of Caprice d'adieu in E major, MS 68 (USA, 1973) IV) 1978 | 2LP | Price-Less C–93042 (CD reprint: Price-Less D12179) | "Golden Jubilee" – recorded direct-to-discThis process records the original sound direct to master discs without using a magnetic tape. Thus the full dynamic range and the original sound are fully preserved. at Soundstage Recording Studio, Toronto, Canada | + Caprice d'adieu in E major, MS 68 + Duo merveille in C major, MS 6 (Toronto, 1978) V) 1988 | CD | Radio Vaticana 061–003 / Biddulph LAW 016 | performed on Paganini's Guarneri del Gesù "Il Cannone" (Genova, 16–20 April 1988) VI) 1998 | CD | Dynamic CDS244 | 80th Birthday Concert, live in Szeged Synagogue, Hungary | version for violin and orchestra by Laszlo Meszlény (Nos.1–23) and Chris Nicholls (No.24), based on the piano accompaniment composed by Robert Schumann (Hungary, 17 May 1998) VII) 1982 | LaserDisc-NTSC | One Eleven, Ltd. URS-V-91610 | 69 mins. | BBC Scotland, Live television performance (p)1991 VIII) 1987 | VHS-NTSC | Shar Products Company RR–1 (Michigan University, 10 January 1987) | unedited performance Other violinists have since recorded the complete set (listed in alphabetical order): ACCARDO, Salvatore (1st rec: RCA Italia, 1970 / 2nd rec: DGG, 1977 / 3rd rec: Foné, 2002) (Fonit Cetra Italia, 1981) – from the original Paganini's manuscript BARTON-PINE, Rachel (Avie, 2017) BECKER-BENDER, Tanja (Hyperion, 2007) BERICK, Yehonatan (Equilibrium, 2014) BERMAN, Pavel (iClassical Academy, Italy 2018) - complete set of all 24 Caprices on video; instructional lessons and performances) BRADLEY, Desmond (Classics for Pleasure Ltd / EMI, 1973 -self produced LP-) CHUMACHENCO, Nicolas (Edelweiss, 1982) (Italian issue – DGG, 2012) DUEÑAS, María (DGG, 2025) + further composers incl.: Berlioz, Cervelló, Kreisler, Ortiz, Saint-Saëns, Sarasate, Wieniawski. EHNES, James (1st rec: Telarc, 1995 / 2nd rec: Onyx, 2009) – unedited performance, each caprice recorded in a single take ERLIH, Devy (Adès, 1967 / CD reprint, 1987) -selection of 19 from the 24 Caprices: Nos. 2, 3, 8, 22 & 23 are not included FANFONI, Luca (Aulicus Classics, 2022) -24 + 1 Caprices FEDOTOV, Maxim (Russian and Japanese issue – Triton, 1996) FISCHER, Julia (Decca Classics, 2008/09) GARRETT, David (DGG, 1996) – w. Bruno Canino, playing the Robert Schumann piano accompaniment version for Nos. 1–23 GITLIS, Ivry (Philips, 1976) – first approved release: 2007 GRINGOLTS, Ilya (Orchid Classics, 2012) HADELICH, Augustin (Warner Classics, 2017/8) IBRAGIMOVA, Alina (Hyperion, 2021) KALER, Ilya (Naxos, 1992) KAMIO, Mayuko (Japanese issue – BMG/RCA Victor Red Seal, 2009) – CD+DVD features an interview with Kamio KAVAKOS, Leonidas (Dynamic, 1989/90) KAWACIUK, Ivan (Supraphon, 1959 - released on: Ultraphon, 1994) KINGA, Augustin (RovenRecords, 2016)