24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)


The 24 Caprices for Solo Violin were written in groups 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
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 and 6 Guitar Quartets. When Paganini released his Caprices, he dedicated them "alli artisti" 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 the following 'dedicatee' for each Caprice : 1: Henri Vieuxtemps; 2: Giuseppe Austri; 3: Ernesto Camillo Sivori; 4: Ole Bornemann Bull; 5: Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst; 6: Karol Józef Lipiński; 7: Franz Liszt; 8: Delphin Alard; 9: Herrmann; 10: Theodor Haumann; 11: Sigismond Thalberg; 12: Dhuler; 13: Charles Philippe Lafont; 14: Jacques Pierre Rode; 15: Louis Spohr; 16: Rodolphe Kreutzer; 17: Alexandre Artôt; 18: Antoine Bohrer; 19: Andreas Jakob Romberg; 20: Carlo Bignami; 21: Antonio Bazzini; 22: Luigi Alliani; 23: ; 24: Nicolò Paganini, sepolto pur troppo.
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 "mit hinzugefügter Begleitung des Pianoforte von Ferdinand David" and published by Breitkopf & Härtel.
Unlike many earlier and later sets of 24 pieces, there was no intention to write these caprices in 24 different keys.

Details

Scores

Violin and Piano

  • version of No. 24 by composer himself, for violin and piano or guitar published separately as Variazioni di bravura
  • piano accompaniments for Nos. 1–23 by Robert Schumann
  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by Ferdinand David for violin and piano
  • version of the 24 caprices "avec accompagnement de pianoforte" by John Liptrot Hatton
  • arrangement of No. 13 by Jenő Hubay
  • arrangement of Nos. 13, 20 and 24 by Fritz Kreisler
  • arrangement of Nos. 17 and 24 by Leopold Auer
  • arrangement of No. 6 by George Enescu
  • arrangement of No. 9 "La chasse" by Jacques Thibaud
  • arrangement of No. 9 and 23 by Florizel von Reuter
  • arrangement of No. 9 by Albert Spalding
  • arrangement of Nos. 17, 9, 13, 19 and 24 by Adolf Busch
  • arrangement of No. 24 by Mischa Elman
  • arrangement of Nos. 13, 22, 14, Nos. 21, 15, 9 and Nos. 20, 24 by Mario Pilati
  • arrangement of Nos. 13, 17, 24 by Zino Francescatti
  • re-composition of No. 20 as Concert Caprice by Max Rostal
  • arrangement of No. 24 by Eduard Tubin

    Violin and string orchestra

  • arrangement of Nos. 13, 24 by Jascha Heifetz, No. 24 is based on Leopold Auer's piano arrangement
  • arrangement of Nos. 2, 21, 20, 9, 24 as Five Paganini Caprices by Edison Denisov
  • string orchestra accompaniment for Nos. 1–24 by Giedrius Kuprevičius

    Viola solo

  • arrangement of Nos. 5 and 13 by William Primrose
  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by Emanuel Vardi

    Viola and piano

  • arrangements of No.17 by William Primrose and No. 24 by David Stimer

    Cello solo

  • arrangement of Nos. 9, 14, 17 by Yo-Yo Ma

    Cello and piano

  • arrangement of Nos. 13, 20 and 24 by Fritz Kreisler / re-arranged by Yo-Yo Ma for cello and piano

    Flute solo

  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by
  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by Patrick Gallois
  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by Roberto Pasquini

    Guitar solo

  • arrangement of No. 24 by John Williams
  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by Eliot Fisk
  • arrangement of No. 24 by Marcin Patrzalek

    Electric guitar solo

  • arrangement of Nos. 1–24 by Steve Jeffrey 2023
  • various caprices arranged and performed by Luke Fortini

    Chamber orchestra

  • arrangement of No. 24 by Adolf Busch

    Clarinet and jazz band

  • arrangement of No. 24 by Skip Martin and Benny Goodman

    Complete set recordings of arrangements

  • Berman, Pavel – Orchestra dei Talenti Musicali – live, Biella, Teatro Sociale, 2013
  • Boyd, Bonita – arranged by Jules Herman for flute
  • Drahos, Béla – arranged by Jules Herman for flute. Première recording of the 24 Caprices performed on the flute
  • Fisk, Eliot – arrangement by Fisk for guitar
  • Gallois, Patrick – arranged by Gallois for flute
  • Pasquini, Roberto – arrangement by Pasquini for flute
  • Slapin, Scott – arranged for viola
  • Vardi, Emanuel – arranged for viola. Recorded on a 17" Dodd viola in Vardi's home studio
  • Wihan String Quartet – arranged by William Zinn for string quartet

    Original works, based on Paganini's Caprices

Especially for compositions in the form of "Variations" see the related article: Caprice No. 24 #Variations on the theme.

Violin solo

  • 9 variaciones sobre el capricho núm. 24 de Paganini by Manuel Quiroga
  • 12 variaciones sobre el capricho núm. 24 de Paganini by Manuel Quiroga
  • Paganiniana, Variations for violin solo by Nathan Milstein
  • 50 Caprice Variations by George Rochberg

    Violin and piano

  • Paganini Variations on the 24th caprice by Eugène Ysaÿe
  • Trois caprices de Paganini Op. 40 by Karol Szymanowski
  • Trois caprices de Paganini Op. 97 by Darius Milhaud
  • Paganini Variations Op.25 for Violin and Piano dedicated to Ruggiero Ricci by Paolo Pessina