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Composer studies can sometimes be quite a boring topic for youngsters but Kathleen Krull has written a fascinating book entitled, Lives of the Musicians, Good Times, Bad Times (And What the Neighbors Thought). From this book, I will share with you a few excerpts that are sure to create some enthusiasm for learning more about these great composers.
1678 - 1741 Vivaldi spent most of his life at the Pieta, an orphanage for girls. He taught violin and earned four times as much as his father. The girls at the orphanage sang like "angels" and played their instruments with great skill. It was said that Pieta had the best-disciplined orchestra in Italy at that time. The girls were seldom seen and played their concerts behind the gates of the school. Since the orphanage was at a church, no applause was allowed so the audience showed their appreciation by coughing and blowing their noses and shuffling their feet. Vivaldi kept the audience entertained at intermission by playing his violin. He had thick, curly red hair, and sometimes wore red robes. He had the nickname, the Red Priest, but he did not seem especially "priestly." Vivaldi was obsessed with money and he always asked the highest price for his music. But he also spent his money. When he died at sixty-three, he died poor, his music out of fashion. Here's another link on Vivaldi. 1685 - 1750 In Bach's free time at night, he would sit in his armchair, smoking his pipe and drinking a beer, with a baby Bach on his lap while his wife and children played and sang. Bach loved food and coffee. He once wrote a whole cantata about coffee. Among his most prized possessions were two silver coffeepots. Later in life, Bach went blind, probably from copying his own music in poor light for so many years. He died of a stroke at age sixty-five. Other Bach links: Johann Sebastian Bach
1756 - 1791 Music was the one thing that made Mozart's face light up. He usually woke up at 6 a.m., composed until nine, gave music lessons till one (though he didn't enjoy teaching), then had lunch at someone's house, where he had to entertain his hosts. Then, unless there was a concert to attend, he composed far into the night. He could get by on as little as four hours sleep. The doctors told him he needed to get more regular recreation, which may be why he eventually bought a pool table.
The copyright of the article Cool, Classical Composers in Music Education is owned by Deborah Jeter. Permission to republish Cool, Classical Composers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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