Sensuous Level
“Cantabile E valzer”, the classical piece by Paganini has the effect of engulfing nearly all of one’s senses once the piece begins. This classical piece has the ability to make an individual abandon any task just to maintain and sustain a deep connection with the piece. A violin based classical piece, the music is rendered in waves of slowly rising short strokes of the violin that lead to a near climactic rise as the piece progresses, hooking the listener intently with every experienced stroke of the violin.
Many of Paganini’s compositions are easily identified because the tone color, or timbre of his pieces is primarily the violin, and this instrument was his signature instrument. The piece captures the senses beginning with hearing, which acts as the first step in appreciating the piece. The melodious and accompanying piano in the piece makes a great combination of musical instruments that carries the listener to a different level of existence dictated purely by the classical violin music in “Cantabile E valzer”.
A listener gets the feeling of the sun rising, or the dawn of a new day, when listening to the piece. This particular violin classic by Paganini, the “Cantabile E valzer”, has a great cathartic effect that makes the piece seem like it is slowly rising over one’s body, delightfully consuming the listener in a rising tone of pure surrender.
Having a relaxing effect, the piece has been widely used in hospital settings to create a relaxing environment for both doctors and patients especially before commencement of major and minor surgeries. Paganini’s “Cantabile E valzer” makes the listener forgo all the cares of ones’ immediate environment, and be immersed into the sensual ebb and flow of the classical violin used to create the piece.
The piece is especially relaxing when listened after the end of a long and tiring day, as it invigorates the listener’s inner soul, creating at once a sense of relation and refreshment.
Expressive and Emotional level
Paganini’s piece primarily invokes a sense of relaxation, creating an easygoing mode for both the immediate ambience within which the piece is played, and the listener listening to the musical piece. The state of relaxation gets more and more ‘loose’ as the piece progresses reaching its most relaxed level when the climax of the piece dictated to by the violin, is reached.
Whenever I listen to this particular composition by Paganini, I get a mood that oscillates between desire for peaceful sleep and a need for human companionship. The composition is somehow able to make me feel equal parts lonesome and restful, and this state of convergence of two contrasting feelings leaves me relaxed and I let go of all my cares for the day.
The piece always makes me remember my happiest memories, from childhood and therein, I believe, lies in its ability to make me feel relaxed. The composition always has a different ‘angle’ to it whenever I hear it, and despite having listened to the piece hundreds of times, it always seems to maintain its freshness.
The positive memories in my life that it induces never seem to run out, and the piece has slowly become my ‘feel good’ music, with an innate ability to make me see the positive side of various bad situations that I may have encountered. I always find it rather unfortunate that Niccolo Paganini could compose music that gives listeners like me such a sense of relaxation yet his own personal and professional life was full of tragedies and plagued with chronic illnesses.
Music Content Level
The ubiquitous sound of the violin in the composition almost makes the listener forget the other instruments in the composition. The short strokes of the violin that bring about an overall sense of continuous relaxation are the primary emotion-inducing entities of the composition.
The piano in this piece takes a slight ‘background’ role, but the combination of the two instruments is still able to create a harmony in the music composition. The listener is able to hear both the violin and the piano in concert. The resultant melody is continuous and reaches various climactic phases throughout the composition.
Additionally, the chords that emanate from the piano and the violin create harmony in the composition. The harmonic overall effect makes this piece of composition quickly recognizable and engulfing. The overall rhythm is maintained throughout the piece, albeit with long and short varying strokes. Many composers create harmony after creating the chords of a composition, but in this piece, it is almost as if the harmony and the chords were created simultaneously – there is an almost flawless rhythmical continuity in the composition.
In conclusion, Niccolo Paganini’s “Cantabile E valzer” is a most engrossing piece of music. A classic in both form and quality, this composition by the musical genius Paganini has stood the test of time. “Cantabile E valzer” will rest in the hearts and minds of many of those who will be privileged to listen to it: both for its aesthetical value and its compositional expertise.