Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst was born on June 8, 1812, and died on October 8, 1865. He was a violinist, violist, and composer from Moravia, a region in what is now the Czech Republic, and of Jewish heritage. He was regarded as the best violinist of his time and one of the most important followers of Niccolò Paganini. Ernst helped develop music with multiple independent melodies and created new methods for writing such music for the violin. His most well-known and challenging works include the sixth piece from his Polyphonic Studies, titled Die letzte Rose, and the Grand Caprice based on Schubert's Erlkönig.

Biography

Ernst was born in Brno, Moravia on 8 June 1812. He began playing the violin at the age of 9 and studied at the Vienna Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde from 1825. There, he learned violin from Joseph Böhm and Joseph Mayseder and studied composition with Ignaz von Seyfried.

In 1828, Niccolò Paganini visited Vienna. Ernst heard Paganini play and was deeply impressed. It is said that Paganini listened to Ernst play and predicted he would have a successful career. Paganini gave 14 concerts in Vienna, and Ernst attended many to watch him perform. In April 1829, Ernst left Vienna for Munich to work in the royal orchestra. However, Paganini encouraged him to aim for greater achievements. After that, Ernst performed concerts in the same cities as Paganini. His performances were well received, but he often felt overshadowed by Paganini. This sadness led him to lock himself in his room for five days. Later, in Frankfurt in the spring of 1830, Ernst met Paganini again. There, Ernst played Paganini’s Nel cor pìù non mi sento with such accuracy that the audience and Paganini himself were amazed. At that time, Paganini’s work was not published, so Ernst must have learned it by listening to Paganini’s concerts. Soon after, Ernst visited Paganini, who was writing music on his guitar. Paganini quickly hid his manuscript under a bedsheet and said he needed to protect his composition from Ernst’s hearing and sight.

In the years that followed, Ernst traveled to France. When he heard that Paganini would perform in Marseille in January 1837, Ernst went there to hear his teacher again. He wanted to learn the secrets of Paganini’s complex technique. With help from relatives of his secretary, Ernst rented a room next to Paganini’s. He stayed there day and night, listening to Paganini rehearse and writing down what he heard. This was difficult because Paganini practiced little during his tours, and when he did, he used a mute to reduce the sound. Ernst also secretly attended all of Paganini’s rehearsals in Marseille. He performed concerts there and created a competition between himself and Paganini. He organized two concerts before Paganini’s first performance, which were well received. When Paganini began his concerts, the audience expected more because of the comparison to Ernst’s playing. Paganini struggled to meet these expectations. To prove himself, Paganini performed his Moïses, variations on the G string, which moved some listeners to tears. After this concert, people had different opinions. Some believed Paganini mastered the music better, while others thought Ernst played with more emotion. Ernst learned this piece by listening through the wall from his room next to Paganini.

Later, Ernst composed his own set of variations on the theme Carnaval de Venise, which he often played at the end of his concerts. He used scordatura, a technique similar to Paganini’s variations. This piece became popular with audiences and was his signature performance.

Ernst also played the viola. He performed the viola solo in Berlioz’s Harold en Italie many times, including under Berlioz’s direction in 1842.

In 1844, Ernst moved to England, where he joined London’s Beethoven Quartet Society. He performed Beethoven’s string quartets with Joseph Joachim, Henryk Wieniawski, and Carlo Alfredo Piatti. He spent his final seven years in Nice, composing works such as Polyphonic Studies, Othello-Fantasie, and Concerto pathétique.

In 1862, severe neuralgia left Ernst unable to play the violin. He died in Nice on 8 October 1865.