Talk of the Devil: Fiendish Musicians lain Burnside introduces an array of music allegedly composed under devilish influence. Giuseppe Tartini wrote his
Devil's Trill sonata having dreamt that he had been paid a visit by Beelzebub himself and treated to a dazzling personal performance. Violin virtuoso
Nicolo Paganini 's was described by one observer as belonging more to the "sulphurous realm of shadows than to the sunny world of living things" and his amazing technical skills led to a swell of rumours that his talent was not God-given but derived from a rather more sinister source. Over one hundred years later, similartales abounded about the Mississippi delta blues guitarist Robert Johnson , who died before his 21st birthday amid ominous circumstances.