Random Facts (or Fiction).

In the absence of anything meaningful to post today, I thought I'd write down some of my favorite gems in the world of composers. While I have tried to research all of these, of course they are mostly open to debate. If you have any to add let me know!


• Anton Webern died during a post-war curfew in Berlin in 1945 when an American GI shot him for stepping outside to smoke a cigar.
  
• Antonin Dvorak's wife slept with a tuba player, so he got revenge in the "New World" Symphony. The tuba part consists of about 15 seconds of playing at the beginning and end of the second movement and rests for the remainder of the symphony.
  
• Hector Berlioz once conducted his "Damnation of Faust" with a 150 member orchestra and 300 member choir.
  
• Henry Purcell often came home late from the theater to the annoyance of his wife. One winter night he found himself locked out, which lead to his death from pneumonia at 36.
  
• Ludwig Van Beethoven used a rod attached to the soundboard of a piano that he could bite on while composing. This increased his perception of sound through vibrations.
  
• Ludwig Van Beethoven's hearing loss may have been caused by the large amounts of lead found in his hair samples. He was also famous for dipping his head in a bucket of water to stay awake while composing, which is also thought to be a cause.
  
• Percy Grainger was home schooled by his mother and was punished with a whip. This is thought to be a cause of his "cheerful sadomasichism." Several pornographic photos, whips and even clothing are on display at the Grainger Museum in Melborne.
  
• Robert Schumann heard "choirs of angels" and "cries of demons" in his head, and eventually tried to kill himself by jumping in the Rhine, only to be rescued. He died after committing himself to an institution.
  
• After sitting through Ralph Vaughn Williams' 5th Symphony Aaron Copland said "it was like looking at a cow for 45 minutes."
  
• Mozart's full birth name was Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. Theophilus was later changed to the more recognized latin name, Amedeus.