PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI WALDEN: Near at hand, upon the topmost spray of a birch, sings PEOPLE OF the brown-thrasher –or red mavis, as some love to call him– all WALDEN the morning, glad of your society, that would find out another farmer’s field if yours were not here. While you are planting the seed, he cries, –“Drop it, drop it, –cover it up, cover it up, – pull it up, pull it up, pull it up.” But this was not corn, and so it was safe from such enemies as he. You may wonder what his rigmarole, his amateur Paganini performances on one string or on twenty, have to do with your planting, and yet prefer it to leached ashes or plaster. It was a cheap sort of top dressing in which I had entire faith. NICOLÒ PAGANINI THE BEANFIELD HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1782 October 27, Sunday: Nicolò Paganini was born to Teresa Bocciardo at #1359 Via Fosse del Colle in Genoa (this was to become #38 Passo di Gatta Mora). The lad would begin to receive music lessons from his father Antonio Paganini, a cargo handler and shipping clerk, before the age of 6. The Reverend Gilbert White wrote: Two of my brother Henry’s gold-fish have been sick, & cannot live with the rest in the glass-bowl but in a tin-bucket by themselves they soon become lively, & vigorous. They were perhaps too much crouded in the bowl. When a fish sickens it’s head gets lowest; so that by degrees it stands as it were on it’s head; ’till getting weaker & losing all poise, the tail turns over; & at last it floats on the water with it’s belly uppermost. Gold & silver-fishes seem to want no aliment, but what they can collect from pure water frequently changed. They will eat crumbs, but do better without; because the water is soon corrupted by the pieced of bread, & turns sour. Tho’ they seem to take nothing, yet the consequences of eating frequently drop from them: so that they must find many animalcula, & other nourishment. With their pinnae pectorales they gently protrude themselves forward or backward: but it is with their strong muscular tails only that Fishes move with such inconceivable rapidity. It has been said that the eyes of fishes are immoveable: but these apparently turn them forward or backward in their sockets as their occasions require. They take little notice of a lighted candle, though applied close to their heads, but flounce and seem much frightened by a sudden stroke of the hand against the support whereon the bowl is hung; especially when they have been motionless, and are perhaps asleep. As fishes have no eyelids, it is not easy to discern when they are sleeping or not, because their eyes are always open. Nothing can be more amusing than a glass bowl containing such fishes: the double refractions of the glass and water represent them, when moving, in a shifting and changeable variety of dimensions, shades, and colours; while the two mediums, assisted by the concavo-convex shape of the vessel, magnify and distort them vastly; not to mention that the introduction of another element and its inhabitants into our parlours engages the fancy in a very agreeable manner. ESSENCE IS BLUR. SPECIFICITY, THE OPPOSITE OF ESSENCE, HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN IS OF THE NATURE OF TRUTH. Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1786 February 13, Monday: At the height of an epidemic in northern Italy, Nicolò Paganini and his sister contracted the measles. Nicolò’s exposure resulted in catalepsy and his sister died. An ode to the Humane Society, performed at Free-Masons’ Hall, February 13, 1786, under the direction of Dr. Arnold, Dr. Hayes, T. S. Dupuis, Written by Edward Burnaby Green, Esq. to which is added, several detach’d parts of an Oratorio Called Elijah, by Tho[mas] [Skelton] Dupuis. The Music ... by J.W. Callcott, M.B. (London: printed gratuitously by John Nichols for the benefit of that institution). NO-ONE’S LIFE IS EVER NOT DRIVEN PRIMARILY BY HAPPENSTANCE Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1790 Child prodigy Nicolò Paganini composed his 1st sonata at the age of 7 or 8. His father Antonio Paganini had begun by teaching him the mandolin and guitar — only later would the lad specialize in the violin, initially under Giovanni Cervetto, then under the choirmaster of Genoa cathedral, Giacomo Costa, and finally under opera composer Francesco Gnecco. “NARRATIVE HISTORY” AMOUNTS TO FABULATION, THE REAL STUFF BEING MERE CHRONOLOGY Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1794 May 26, Monday: At San Filippo Neri in Genoa, Nicolò Paganini played during mass to “universal admiration.” “HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE” BEING A VIEW FROM A PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME (JUST AS THE PERSPECTIVE IN A PAINTING IS A VIEW FROM A PARTICULAR POINT IN SPACE), TO “LOOK AT THE COURSE OF HISTORY MORE GENERALLY” WOULD BE TO SACRIFICE PERSPECTIVE ALTOGETHER. THIS IS FANTASY-LAND, YOU’RE FOOLING YOURSELF. THERE CANNOT BE ANY SUCH THINGIE, AS SUCH A PERSPECTIVE. Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1795 Having performed at various churches throughout Genoa, Nicolò Paganini was sent to Parma, Italy to study under Alessandro Rolla –who forwarded him to Ferdinando Paër –who forwarded him to Gaspare Ghiretti — eventually these teachers confessed that they had nothing more to offer him and he commenced a course of HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN self-training so rigorous that often he would be at his violin for 15 hours a day. WALDEN: Near at hand, upon the topmost spray of a birch, sings PEOPLE OF the brown-thrasher –or red mavis, as some love to call him– all WALDEN the morning, glad of your society, that would find out another farmer’s field if yours were not here. While you are planting the seed, he cries, –“Drop it, drop it, –cover it up, cover it up, – pull it up, pull it up, pull it up.” But this was not corn, and so it was safe from such enemies as he. You may wonder what his rigmarole, his amateur Paganini performances on one string or on twenty, have to do with your planting, and yet prefer it to leached ashes or plaster. It was a cheap sort of top dressing in which I had entire faith. NICOLÒ PAGANINI THE BEANFIELD YOUR GARDEN-VARIETY ACADEMIC HISTORIAN INVITES YOU TO CLIMB ABOARD A HOVERING TIME MACHINE TO SKIM IN METATIME BACK ACROSS THE GEOLOGY OF OUR PAST TIMESLICES, WHILE OFFERING UP A GARDEN VARIETY OF COGENT ASSESSMENTS OF OUR PROGRESSION. WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP! YOU SHOULD REFUSE THIS HELICOPTERISH HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN OVERVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL PAST, FOR IN THE REAL WORLD THINGS HAPPEN ONLY AS THEY HAPPEN. WHAT THIS SORT WRITES AMOUNTS, LIKE MERE “SCIENCE FICTION,” MERELY TO “HISTORY FICTION”: IT’SNOT WORTH YOUR ATTENTION. July 31, Friday: The 1st benefit concert for, and featuring, Nicolò Paganini took place at the Teatro Sant’ Agostino of Genoa. This event included the premiere of his “Variations on La carmagnole” for violin and orchestra. The Philadelphia mint had been the 1st federal building constructed under the US Constitution, and had begun to produce copper coins as of 1793. On this day the mint released an initial batch of 744 $5 gold coins with the same image on each side, of a pleasantly plump Liberty with an optimistic expression and a turban. (On the open market these coins now fetch something like $150,000 each, despite the fact that they can no longer function legally as US federal currency. After this the mint would produce some $10 gold coins, and by 1796 would be producing $2.50 gold coins as well.) NEVER READ AHEAD! TO APPRECIATE JULY 31ST, 1795 AT ALL ONE MUST APPRECIATE IT AS A TODAY (THE FOLLOWING DAY, TOMORROW, IS BUT A PORTION OF THE UNREALIZED FUTURE AND IFFY AT BEST). Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1796 At a reception held at the villa of the Marchese Gian Carlo Di Negro, Nicolò Paganini was introduced to a musician who was passing through Genoa, Rudolph Kreutzer. LIFE IS LIVED FORWARD BUT UNDERSTOOD BACKWARD? — NO, THAT’S GIVING TOO MUCH TO THE HISTORIAN’S STORIES. LIFE ISN’T TO BE UNDERSTOOD EITHER FORWARD OR BACKWARD. Nicolo Paganini “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF WALDEN: NICOLO PAGANINI PEOPLE MENTIONED IN WALDEN 1797 Nicolò Paganini started his concert tours. WALDEN: Near at hand, upon the topmost spray of a birch, sings PEOPLE OF the brown-thrasher –or red mavis, as some love to call him– all WALDEN the morning, glad of your society, that would find out another farmer’s field if yours were not here. While you are planting the seed, he cries, –“Drop it, drop it, –cover it up, cover it up, – pull it up, pull it up, pull it up.” But this was not corn, and so it was safe from such enemies as he.