Interesting Facts about Composers Thread

[ElliotViola]

Okay, I don't know if it has been done before, but I'd like to start an 'interesting facts about composers' thread.

Rules are:

1. Each post in this thread must be an interesting fact about a composer.

Go.

[ElliotViola]

Beethoven's famous 'Für Elise' was originally written for somebody called Therese, but his handwriting was so poor that on the autograph the name 'Therese' looked like 'Elise'.

[TheGSMoeller]

Jean-Baptiste Lully died from gangrene that developed from stabbing his toe while beating his baton (then a long staff) on the ground while conducting.

[Gurn Blanston]

9 year old Vienna Choirboy Joseph Haydn was one of 6 choristers who sang at the funeral of Antonio Vivaldi in St. Stephan's in Vienna in 1741.

[TheGSMoeller]

9 year old Vienna Choirboy Joseph Haydn was one of 6 choristers who sang at the funeral of Antonio Vivaldi in St. Stephan's in Vienna in 1741.

Wow, that actually gave me a slight lump in my throat.

[classicalgeek]

Here's one I remember from a CD liner note:

When American composer Paul Creston needed an extra boost of energy to stay up late, he would smoke coffee grounds in a pipe. 

Strange.  Why not just make a cup of coffee and, you know, drink it?

[Gurn Blanston]

Wow, that actually gave me a slight lump in my throat.

Me too.

[Gurn Blanston]

Here's one I remember from a CD liner note:

When American composer Paul Creston needed an extra boost of energy to stay up late, he would smoke coffee grounds in a pipe. 

Strange.  Why not just make a cup of coffee and, you know, drink it?

Really! Does that even work? Anyone tried it? Pretty sure I got an old pipe around here somewhere.... 

[ElliotViola]

Beethoven wrote a short cantata for three tenors and chorus called 'Schuppanzigh ist ein Lump' about his very fat friend Ignaz Schuppanzigh.

It translates roughly as 'Schuppanzigh is a Scoundrel'. It's the first in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9KxAycEGmI

[classicalgeek]

Really! Does that even work? Anyone tried it? Pretty sure I got an old pipe around here somewhere.... 

I wondered that myself - seems like it would burn too quickly.  Did he mix coffee grounds with tobacco? 

I don't have the CD anymore, so I can't verify the details, but it was one of these:





Or maybe Gurn will be experimenting and sharing the results!

[classicalgeek]

Beethoven wrote a short cantata for three tenors and chorus called 'Schuppanzigh ist ein Lump' about his very fat friend Ignaz Schuppanzigh.

It translates roughly as 'Schuppanzigh is a Scoundrel'. It's the first in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9KxAycEGmI

Only 30 seconds long, but it's pure Beethoven all the way! 

[North Star]

Really! Does that even work? Anyone tried it? Pretty sure I got an old pipe around here somewhere.... 

I'd say that inhaling the smoke isn't going to make you any healthier - some ingredients/pesticide residue/whatever may well develop carcinogenic combustion products. I'd just drink the coffee, even if it may not work as fast. Still, it's almost certainly much less hazardous to one's health than smoking, so you could always give it a try and report in. I'd certainly be interested in the results. 

[The new erato]

Keith Richards was a boy soprano in Queen Elizabeth's coronation 60 years (or so) ago. Prompted by Gurn's Haydn post.

[Karl Henning]

Alban Berg died as the result of a bee sting. (My friend & esteemed teacher Walter Ross made a hobby of collecting unusual deaths of composers.)

Sounds made up, but Schoenberg suffered from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13.

[TheGSMoeller]

Alban Berg died as the result of a bee sting. (My friend & esteemed teacher Walter Ross made a hobby of collecting unusual deaths of composers.)

Sounds made up, but Schoenberg suffered from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13.

How about an interesting fact about the American composer Karl Henning?

[Karl Henning]

How about an interesting fact about the American composer Karl Henning?

He was married on the banks of the Neva. His mother was a nurse who worked in the office of the son of William Carlos Williams. He received a letter from his high school principal commending him for a marching band arrangement of a Star Wars medley. He suffered a dislocated kneecap in a soccer match while in the eleventh grade, and as a result gave up team sports.

[AnthonyAthletic]

I found this interesting about Granados.

'On March 24, 1916, while crossing the English Channel, the Sussex was victim to a German U-boat torpedo. Granados, despite a life-long fear of water, drowned after he jumped out of his lifeboat in a futile attempt to save his wife, Amparo, who also drowned. Ironically, the area of the boat where his cabin was located did not sink and the passengers in that part of the boat survived the attack'.

And this a waste akin to Wunderlich.

Chausson:  At the age of 44, Chausson was out for a bicycle ride outside his property in Limay when he lost control of the bike on a downhill slope and crashed into a brick will. He died instantly.

[Karl Henning]

Yes, a horrid accident.

As I recall, Prokofiev survived rather a potentially fatal automotive accident in France.

[AnthonyAthletic]

Webern, wasn't he shot at the end of WWII by an American Soldier after the Soldier saw this figure light up a cigar after cerfew...bang, sniped.  Probably more to it than that.  Real shame.

[Brian]

How about an interesting fact about the American composer Karl Henning?

He is not a lumberjack! (But he's okay.)