“Anecdotes and maxims are rich treasures to the man of the world.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The universe of classical music is jam-packed with musical anecdotes. Frequently these short narratives delineate subtle stories that highlight specific traits of a classical composer or a performer. Often humorous, anecdotes of classical composers don’t simply provoke laughter but can reveal a more general and subtle truth. We find Sophia Corri escaping her inattentive husband in an empty harp case, Beethoven being thrown in jail for vagrancy, and Rossini and Pavarotti both cooking their favorite meals. Napoleon gave free reign to his infatuation with an opera singer, Bach was challenged to a duel, and Frederick the Great had not only a great passion for music but also for a handsome Lieutenant in the Royal Guard. A musical anecdote is part of the process of telling a story, but it means sharing an experience with someone and not simply supplying him or her with information. And don’t worry, embellishment, exaggeration or fictitious invention are all part of the process. Anecdotes of classical composers impart the sense of a lived experience, as they usually involve real people in recognizable places and locations. In fact, musical anecdotes exhibit a special kind of realism and an identifiable historical dimension. Check back with us for more insightful and delightful musical anecdotes.
In her 64 years as the reigning monarch of the British Empire, Queen Victoria oversaw a prolific era of cultural, industrial, and political change. Even more remarkable was the fact that music occupied a central place in the lives of
The Austrian dramatist Franz Xaver Told (1793–1849) had a home on the stage of the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna, producing a large number of plays for the theatre. He was talented, but worked so quickly that most of
The Spanish opera singer, composer, impresario, and singing teacher Manuel Garcia (1775-1832) was father to Pauline Viardot and Maria Malibran, two of the most brilliant dramatic operatic voices of all time. Garcia, it was said, had an extravagant and violent
Together with Jenny Lind and Thérèse Tietjens, Adelina Patti (1843-1919) was one of the most famous sopranos in history. According to Verdi and others, her voice possessed an unmatched bird-like purity, beauty, and remarkable flexibility. In addition, Patti had the
Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) was one of the most renowned virtuoso pianists of his time. A critic in 1821 wrote, “He is one of the best players that we have ever heard. He has Clementi’s science, Cramer’s expression, and Kalkbrenner’s brilliance.
Alessandro Stradella’s life ended tragically at the age of 42 when a shadowy assassin stabbed him to death for reasons unknown. Allegedly, a certain Giovanni Battista Lomellino organized the murder. Lomellino, it has been said, became jealous when he realized
George Frideric Handel’s first season at the Royal Academy of Music was a huge success. By staging Rinaldo, Teseo, Amadigi, and Radamisto, he had quickly reached the commanding position he sought. In fact, Handel considered the aria “Ombra cara” from
The spa town Baden-Baden is located in the German state of Baden Württemberg, at the border of the Black Forest and within ten kilometers of the Rhine River. The Romans knew the curing springs at Baden-Baden, and in the 19th
