Camillo Sivori
:
Sivori redirects here. For the Argentinian footballer, see
Omar Sivori.
Ernesto Camillo Sivori, (
October 25,
1815 -
February 18,
1894) was an
Italian virtuoso
violinist and
composer.
Born in
Genoa, he was the only pupil of
Paganini. He also studied with Restano, Giacomo Costa and Dellepiane. Like Paganini, Sivori's playing was renowned for its thrilling pyrotechnic spectacle.
From 1827 Sivori began the career of a travelling virtuoso, which lasted almost without interruption until 1864. He played Mendelssohn's concerto for the first time in England in 1846, and was in England again in the seasons of 1851 and 1864. He lived for many years in Paris, and died in Genoa on the 18th of February 1894.
He collaborated with composers of his day, including
Franz Liszt. He played the first performance of L.
Cherubini's "Requiem" in E minor.
He owned many valuable instruments, including violins by
Amati,
Stradivari,
Bergonzi, and
Jean Baptiste Vuillaume. His favourite was the Vuillaume violin, which he received from Paganini. It was an impeccably close copy of Paganini's famous
Cannone Guarnerius.
Sivori was known to adapt many peculiar pieces such that he could play them, and many of these pieces, once thought absurd, have now become quite popular. The best example of this is
Giovanni Bottesini's
Gran Duo Concertante, which was a double concerto originally written for two
double basses, alternating the melody. Sivori changed it from two
double basses to a
violin and a
double bass, alternating parts and sometimes playing together in the same
octave.
*
List of violinists*
luthiers
