Anecdotes of Great Musicians


Lu par LibriVox Volunteers

(4 étoiles; 1 critique)

Three hundred anecdotes and biographical sketches of famous composers and performers.

I have attempted to cull from the mass of material that came to my notice such anecdotes as have two features,—that of being characteristic of the person referred to, and that of possessing sufficient interest; and in this re-narration I have incorporated such bits of musical information, along biographical and historical lines, as came to mind at the time of writing, but letting this feature be secondary to the main idea of the work. Thus it is hoped that while my readers may find interesting anecdote, they may also incidentally find that which is of more permanent value.

No classification has been made in the body of the work, thus avoiding monotony in a consecutive reading. The indexes furnish ample references.

If these narrations awaken a more general interest in musical biography, one purpose of my labor will have been accomplished. - Summary by W. Francis Gates (from the Introduction) (10 hr 55 min)

Chapitres

Introductory 3:21 Lu par Kerry Adams
The Gregorian Chant; The Bach Revival; Why We Should Sing; Glimpses of Cherubin… 14:27 Lu par Kerry Adams
Balfe's Strange Room Mate; Berlioz and Paganini; History Repeats Itself; The Gr… 9:18 Lu par Sonia
Irish Enthusiasm; Playing like "Zwei Gotts"; A Sudden Cure; Ole Bull at "Rouge-… 9:33 Lu par Sonia
Whims of Composers; Ole Bull as a Duelist; He Didn't Purchase; A Critical Compo… 8:18 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
The Youthful Beethoven's Trick on a Singer; An Untalented Royal Pupil; Händel's… 10:55 Lu par BookBard
Southern Passion; Rather a Hard Opponent to Conquer; Catalani and Goethe; The M… 9:54 Lu par Matea Bracic
Traveling in State; Tuning Up; Voice Against Trumpet; Beethoven's Kiss; Mendels… 8:40 Lu par Matea Bracic
An Army, a Cow and a Prima Donna; A Musical Priest; Musical Criticism; High Art… 7:40 Lu par Sonia
Slippers at a Premium; Artistic Aversion to Empty Honors; Music and Madness; Ba… 9:22 Lu par Sonia
An Unorthodox Creed; The Devil's Trill; Unlucky Manuscripts; Forewarned is Fore… 11:06 Lu par Sonia
An Earnest Student; A Witty Songstress; Moscheles' Blunder; Jealousy in the Fam… 7:33 Lu par Sonia
Musical Gratitude; The Greater the Composer the Greater the Student; An Ignoran… 11:14 Lu par BookBard
A Song for Forty; The Temple Organ; A Fiddler's Trick; Personal Appearance; Moz… 11:50 Lu par BookBard
Operatic Sore Throat; Leoncavallo's Whimsical Opinion of his "Clowns"; How to M… 10:55 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
Manuscript for Kettles; A Patti Reception that She Didn't Receive; The Encore F… 7:30 Lu par Michelle Footz
Mendelssohn Composing for Fun; The Right Kind of a Patron; An Episode in the Li… 8:20 Lu par De Anna Lee
Malibran's Generosity; How Berlioz Fooled the Critics; Music Hath Charms; Wagne… 11:59 Lu par De Anna Lee
Playing on a Shoe; Händel's Successful Scheme; A Basso's Wit; Old Words to New … 9:10 Lu par Rita Boutros
Sontag's Revenge; A Second Napoleon; A Singer's Sense; Haydn's Noble English Pu… 7:58 Lu par Sonia
A Composer's Chagrin; The Friends, Mozart and Haydn; A Frightened Desdemona; Re… 10:43 Lu par Ken Sheaffer
Clementi's Economy; Music at So Much per Note; Liszt's Precocity; Keeping at It… 10:17 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
Shaking all Over; The "Ox" Minuet; Nilsson and the Shah of Persia; Modulations;… 11:32 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
Napoleon Outwitted by a Songstress; Stubborn Composers; Clerical Wit; A Patient… 11:13 Lu par JCzekaj
Saving a Fiddle; Absent Minded; The Prima Donna of the Eighteenth Century; The … 13:32 Lu par jenno
Some Liberal Musicians; How Paganini Secured his Favorite Fiddle; Liszt on Mend… 11:34 Lu par jenno
Spohr as a Horn Player; Securing Music under Difficulties; In Bülow's Class-Roo… 11:33 Lu par jenno
From Humble Origin to Wealth and Fame; Gallant Haydn; Rossini and the Italian S… 13:30 Lu par jenno
Rec'd in Full of A/c; Wagner's Working Costume; Cherubini as a Revolutionary Fi… 12:01 Lu par jenno
Händel's Youth; A Violin for Eighteen Pence; Mendelssohn at Work; A Double Dose… 9:31 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
A Sharp Rejoinder; Two Kinds of Bills; Von Bülow as a Political Speaker; Lind's… 10:16 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
Händel's Duel; Paganini's Generous Deed; A Gentle Critic; Art Before Business; … 8:00 Lu par quartertone
Bülow's Bits; An Interrupted Concert; Coöperative Composition; An Absent-minded… 8:44 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
Wine and Music; Schubert's "Erl-King"; Royal Honors to a Singer; The Deaf Beeth… 9:42 Lu par Rita Boutros
"Vorts" vs. Music; French Wit; Too Literal; Imagination a Factor in Hearing Mus… 10:59 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
Von Weber to a Bawling Choir; An Interrupted Opera; Beethoven Punished; Violin … 8:17 Lu par Rita Boutros
Gounod's Faust; Madame Patti; An Even Distribution of Honors; Rapid Composition… 11:40 Lu par valroth
Haydn's Reception by Prince Esterhazy; Proving Identity; A Great Thief; Von Bül… 13:53 Lu par valroth
A Kind Act; Public Criticism; Fun on the Stage; The Thirty-three Variations; A … 7:49 Lu par valroth
Il Trovatore; Music vs. Commerce; A Narrow Escape; A Pyrotechnic Violoncello; M… 8:53 Lu par valroth
The Discovery of a Tenor; A Long Encore Number; "Englyshe Meetre"; "The Devil o… 13:43 Lu par Claudia Peri
The Hallelujah Chorus; Beethoven a la Cupid; Wagner and the Beggars; Vox Populi… 12:12 Lu par Claudia Peri
A Costly Fiddle; Bach's Great Works. How Enjoyed by Some; Peculiar English; Ori… 7:50 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
A Burial Place Denied; Von Bülow's Peculiarities; Not at First Sight; Restoring… 11:02 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
An Interrupted Strain; A Musical Tragedy; Beethoven's Gratitude; Choleric Hände… 10:33 Lu par Rita Boutros
The World's Reward to Genius; An Obese Basso; Preserving Identity; A Great Germ… 12:09 Lu par MarcThomsen
Paganini in Court Dress; A Gory Drumstick; Great Musical Memories; A Comical Re… 12:27 Lu par Seraphina
But One Seat Left; A Compliment from Haydn; A Particular Prima Donna; Mendelsso… 7:22 Lu par quartertone
To Make a Player Play; True Kindliness; Viotti's Independence; Not the Geese th… 15:28 Lu par quartertone
Longevity of Musicians; Liszt as an Advertiser; Arrested for Treason; Rothschil… 15:42 Lu par Larry Wilson
Schumann's Failure; Genius Discovered by Punishment; Richard Wagner and the Num… 10:38 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
Delayed Appreciation; Overfed Composers; Nasal; A Bold Pupil; Wagner's Activity 9:14 Lu par Nick Donald
An Opera Sacrificed; An Erratic Prima Donna; When They Began; Sarcasm; A Prima … 10:34 Lu par valroth
Paganini's Method of Study; Goat Hair for Hero Worshipers; Stage Censorship; Fa… 10:48 Lu par quartertone
Aristocratic Patronage—Haydn's Farewell; The Hebrew in Music; The Story of Moza… 13:16 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
Beethoven, Brain-owner; Schubert's Modesty; Our Musical Advancement; Honest Opi… 9:13 Lu par Michelle Footz
Fugues and Chess; Fortunes in Fiddles; One Kind of Criticism; Musical Cooks; Ar… 10:09 Lu par Michelle Footz
Beethoven's Friends; Prolific Composers; Music for the Eye; Schumann's Madness;… 14:51 Lu par valroth
Haydn's Last Appearance; The Heroic in Music; A Peculiar Visiting Card; Origin … 15:34 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
A Charitable Trio; Beethoven's Forgetfulness; Rossini's Arrogance; To a Pauper'… 7:36 Lu par Gillian Hendrie
Notable Musical Antagonisms: Händel—Buononcini; Gluck—Piccinni; Cuzzoni—Bordoni… 13:33 Lu par Chuck Lavazzi
The Financial Circumstances of the Great Composers 9:19 Lu par quartertone

Critiques


(4 étoiles)

A few chapters and individual stories are repeated. Most of the readers are tolerably good. This collection was apparently originally produced in 1894.