Anyone know any fun facts?

[violinist4ever]

Does know anyone know any fun or interesting facts about composers? One of my music teachers was telling us a few stories yesterday and I was wondering if any of you know any...

[shostakovich]

Hi V4E. Maybe you should start with a couple of fun stories your teacher told. I think we'd all enjoy reading them.
Shos

[treebeau]

I once heard that Mozart wrote a piece for 2 violins on 1 music stand. The stand was supposed to be horizontal with one fiddler reading the music top down and the other bottom up. And somehow it works. WHAT the piece is (and if it is TRUE), I don't know.

Regards,
Tim B.

<small>[ 04-01-2006, 09:01 PM: Message edited by: treebeau ]</small>

[treebeau]

Another...

Vivaldi wrote the SAME concerto 400 times for various combinations of instruments.

Just kidding!!

Regards,
Tim B.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by treebeau:
Another...Vivaldi wrote the SAME concerto 400 times...

And it works, all 400 times...

[bignaf]

Scriabin wrote a piece called Mysterium (incomplete) which, according to him, was supposed to bring the universe to a higher level of existence...

[bignaf]

Rossini was laying in bed writing an aria. the paper on which he was writing slipped to floor. Rossini, too lazy to pick it up, wrote a different aria in its stead.

[navneeth]

You've probably heard it a million (or a billion) times before - Mozart producing the first "pirated-edition" of the the Miserere after having heard it only once, at the age of 12. I got to know about this on Jan 26th while attending one of the most popular annual quizzes that this city plays host, and a day before Mozart's 250th birth anniversary. It was then that I realised the genius of Mozart, and decided to listen to more of his music and western classical in general. And two months later I land up here boring you with details you already know.

<small>[ 04-02-2006, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: navneeth ]</small>

[Bones]

I think the story about Beethoven's getting mistaken for a vagrant and getting arrested is a good one - his slovenly appearance made him look like a vagrant and his deafness made it hard for him to communicate with the arresting police officers.

Also, the story about Haydn's head, which some guys stole from his grave, is interesting. The head was passed around many people for decades, and one person even kept it on his mantle for years. It was ultimately buried with the rest of his body.

The great composers are an interesting group, and there are many good stories about almost all of them.

<small>[ 04-02-2006, 10:05 AM: Message edited by: Bones ]</small>

[ai4i]

Originally posted by Bones:
...Haydn's head...was passed around many people for decades, and one person even kept it on his mantle for years...

We are glad that they waited for him to die!

[bignaf]

Mozart actually had to listen to the miserere a second time, to correct a few notes, what a loser!

[navneeth]

Originally posted by bignaf:
Mozart actually had to listen to the miserere a second time, to correct a few notes, what a loser!

What?!?

[treebeau]

Tchaikovsky was gay!

Regards,
Tim B.

[Shapley]

In all the pictures I've seen of him, he never looked all that happy. :confused:

[DavidS]

Not being in an era when he could come out of the closet (look what happened to Oscar Wilde), and getting into an ill-fated hetero marriage, must explain the tormented moods and overtones of some of PIT's works.

[Bones]

Schubert was very poor and shared a room with a few other guys. At one point, the group was so poor, they only had one pair of shoes between them, so they had to take turns going out to get a bite to eat, when they could afford food.

J.S. Bach was employed by the Duke of Weimar early in his career. When the Duke was prepared to appoint another guy as concertmaster, Bach lined up another job at Cothen. When the Duke found out about this, he had Bach arrested and Bach served a stretch in the Duke's dungeon before he was finally allowed to leave and take his new job. Also, Bach once walked 200 miles to hear the legendary organist, Dietrich Buxtehude play.

[treebeau]

Clara Schumann was NOT a dude.


Regards,
Tim B.

<small>[ 04-04-2006, 12:11 AM: Message edited by: treebeau ]</small>

[treebeau]

Originally posted by Bones:
Also, Bach once walked 200 miles to hear the legendary organist, Dietrich Buxtehude play.

Man, that would have SUCKED if TicketMaster had sold out before he got there.

Regards,
Tim B.

[DavidS]

Originally posted by treebeau:
Clara Schumann was NOT a dude.


Regards,
Tim B.

Neither were Fanny Mendelssohn or Cosima Mozart.

<small>[ 04-04-2006, 07:52 AM: Message edited by: DavidS ]</small>

[Bones]

I think you mean Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart, Wolfgang's sister, or Constanze Mozart, his wife. Cosima was Lizst's daughter and was married to Wagner.

Of the three, only Nannerl was a high-level musician and composer.

<small>[ 04-04-2006, 09:19 AM: Message edited by: Bones ]</small>