Diabolic Artists

Since 1840, a single interpreter exhibition, occasionally accompanied by other instrumentalists, was named recital.
Although people seemed to preferred the Academies (musical evenings with a large number of performers), the exceptional virtuosity of musicians such as Paganini at the violin and Liszt on the piano gradually changed the audience’s preferences.
Virtuosity was not only the exhibition of exceptional technical skills, rather a way of performing influenced by the Romantic ideas.
The performer’s desire was to achieve the greatest knowledge of its instrument; the execution was seen as a challenge of one’s limits to let the instrument express its potentiality, to reach the core of the music.
Quite frequently, the audience indeed believed the best virtuosos to have also demonic powers, and many were the legends and bizarre anecdotes.
Before Paganini, a famous Italian violinist from the 18th century, Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), wrote a sonata titled "The Devil’s Trill”, which was said to be inspired by the devil appeared in person to the composer.