Secret Lives of Great Composers
What Your Teachers Never Told You About the World's Musical MastersBy Elizabeth Lunday
I loved this book! Lunday did a great job of not overwhelming the reader with her humor and instead let the hilarity of these composers' "shining moments" speak for themselves. I was aware of some of the stories of Stravinsky and Beethoven, but there are so many more composers with skeletons in the closet! Here is an excerpt to enjoy:
"Richard Wagner liked to present himself as a man's man, a fighter in revolutions, a wooer of women; but the composer also adored silks and satins, particularly pink silks and satins. In fact, Richard Wagner habitually wore women's underwear.
...Since he couldn't traipse around the house in a petticoat, he needed a special sanctum for their delectation, and so all of his later homes included a private room covered from floor to ceiling in pale silk and ornamented with as many rosettes, ruchings, and tassels as it could hold."
I was on the floor of my apartment clutching my side I was laughing so hard when I learned Wagner was privately effeminate! This book is a treasure. It is historically accurate to the best of my knowledge, witty, and provides a great service to other music geeks like me that like learning random (sometimes incriminating) facts about our favorite composers. For any music lovers out there, this is a must read.
Basil Howitt has written two books on composer escapades: Love Lives of the Great Composers, and More Love Lives of the Great Composers. Nigel Cawthorne has written an intimate book on composers as well: Sex Lives of the Great Composers.
I haven't read these books, but knowing they are out there makes me wonder - what hasn't been discovered about the composers we love? Are all the cats out of their bags? I hope there is a niche somewhere for me to research. Some possibilities, perhaps?...
Secret Cooking Habits of Great Composers
Mistresses of Great Composers and their Shoes
Unfinished Works of Great Composers that Others Stole
Composer Techniques for Keeping a Mistress
... Maybe I should stick to being a music history fan...
Anyway, that's all for today. Tomorrow will be another post about music and life. See you then!
