According to the date recorded in the
autograph manuscript,
“Nel cor più non mi sento” was completed in
Naples on November 23, 1821. The theme used in the composition is drawn from the popular aria
“Nel cor più non mi sento”, from the opera
La molinara by
Giovanni Paisiello. The opera was first performed in Naples in 1788 under the title
L’amor contrastato, and later revived in
Venice in 1798 under its more familiar title. It was also met with considerable success in German-speaking regions, where it was known as
Die schöne Müllerin. In that version, the aria appeared under the title “Mich fliehen alle Freuden.” Very little is known about the precise origins of the composition, but like much of Niccolò Paganini’s oeuvre, it was not published during his lifetime. It is still not clear whether he performed it publicly before 1828. However, in a letter dated December 19, 1827, written in
Milan to L. G. Germi, Paganini mentions that he would perform “the Variations without orchestra, in which [he] alone produce[s] the complete harmony.” The work subsequently became a regular feature of his concert repertoire between 1828 and 1834. The earliest documented performance took place in
Vienna on April 15, 1828, after which Paganini performed it widely across the
German states,
France, the
United Kingdom, and the
Italian peninsula. Following the composer’s death in 1840, various manuscript sources came to light. The only known autograph manuscript in Paganini’s hand is preserved at the
Deutsche Staatsbibliothek in
Berlin. This source contains only the opening capriccio, two variations (Andante and Presto), and a short codetta. An additional sketch also survives, though it includes numerous deletions and remains incomplete. Although not prepared by Paganini himself, it presents a more or less reliable reconstruction based on the recollections of contemporary musicians. Its credibility is supported, in part, by the inclusion of the two variations found in the surviving autograph, here placed at the end of the piece. At the same time, contemporary accounts indicate that Paganini frequently altered the variations in performance, often never repeating them in exactly the same way. This version has become the most widely accepted among performers and publishers and has often been treated as the authoritative form of the work. It was republished by
Schott Music in
Mainz in 1909 in an edition prepared by
August Wilhelmj, and later by
Editio Musica Budapest in an edition edited by
Tibor Ney. A modern edition based directly on the surviving autograph was published much later, in 1960, in
Frankfurt am Main by
Musikverlag Wilhelm Zimmermann. Edited by Erwin Schwarz-Reiflingen, this edition includes only the Andante and Presto sections.
Other versions Several derivative works stem from this composition. The earliest is a
potpourri for violin and orchestra (MS 24), composed in 1821 in
Naples. Another version appears as a set of variations for violin with accompaniment by a second violin and cello (MS 117). A third adaptation was written for guitar and included in
Ghiribizzi (MS 43). == Structure ==