Notable compositions were the bravura variations Le streghe (1813), the 24 Caprices op.1, and the second and third violin concertos. These works surpassed in brilliance any that had been written before. After conquering Vienna in 1828, he was equally successful in Germany (Goethe, Heine andSchumann admired him), Paris and London (1831-4). His hectic international career finally shattered his health in 1834, when he returned to Parma. Apart from his unparalleled technical wizardry on the violin, including the use of left-hand pizzicato, double-stop harmonics, 'ricochet' bowing and a generally daredevil approach to performance - all of which influenced successive violinists (Ernst, Bériot, Vieuxtemps) - Paganini is most important for his artistic impact on Liszt, Chopin, Schumannand Berlioz, who took up his technical challenge in the search for greater expression in their own works. It is well known that Paganini rarely practiced after his 30th birthday. Those who were closely associated with him used to marvel at his brilliant technique and watched him closely to discover how he retained it. Antonia Bianchi, a singer who toured with Niccolo in 1825, bore him a son, Cyrus Alexander on July 23, 1825. Known as a gambler, he unsuccessfully attempted to open a gambling casino in Paris in 1838. Paganini died in Nice, France on May 27, 1840.