Skip to main content.

Anecdotes of Great Musicians

Gelesen von LibriVox Volunteers

(4 Sterne; 1 Bewertungen)

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)

Chapters

Introductory

3:21

Read by Kerry Adams

The Gregorian Chant; The Bach Revival; Why We Should Sing; Glimpses of Cherubin…

14:27

Read by Kerry Adams

Balfe's Strange Room Mate; Berlioz and Paganini; History Repeats Itself; The Gr…

9:18

Read by Sonia

Irish Enthusiasm; Playing like "Zwei Gotts"; A Sudden Cure; Ole Bull at "Rouge-…

9:33

Read by Sonia

Whims of Composers; Ole Bull as a Duelist; He Didn't Purchase; A Critical Compo…

8:18

Read by Gillian Hendrie

The Youthful Beethoven's Trick on a Singer; An Untalented Royal Pupil; Händel's…

10:55

Read by BookBard

Southern Passion; Rather a Hard Opponent to Conquer; Catalani and Goethe; The M…

9:54

Read by Matea Bracic

Traveling in State; Tuning Up; Voice Against Trumpet; Beethoven's Kiss; Mendels…

8:40

Read by Matea Bracic

An Army, a Cow and a Prima Donna; A Musical Priest; Musical Criticism; High Art…

7:40

Read by Sonia

Slippers at a Premium; Artistic Aversion to Empty Honors; Music and Madness; Ba…

9:22

Read by Sonia

An Unorthodox Creed; The Devil's Trill; Unlucky Manuscripts; Forewarned is Fore…

11:06

Read by Sonia

An Earnest Student; A Witty Songstress; Moscheles' Blunder; Jealousy in the Fam…

7:33

Read by Sonia

Musical Gratitude; The Greater the Composer the Greater the Student; An Ignoran…

11:14

Read by BookBard

A Song for Forty; The Temple Organ; A Fiddler's Trick; Personal Appearance; Moz…

11:50

Read by BookBard

Operatic Sore Throat; Leoncavallo's Whimsical Opinion of his "Clowns"; How to M…

10:55

Read by Gillian Hendrie

Manuscript for Kettles; A Patti Reception that She Didn't Receive; The Encore F…

7:30

Read by Michelle Footz

Mendelssohn Composing for Fun; The Right Kind of a Patron; An Episode in the Li…

8:20

Read by De Anna Lee

Malibran's Generosity; How Berlioz Fooled the Critics; Music Hath Charms; Wagne…

11:59

Read by De Anna Lee

Playing on a Shoe; Händel's Successful Scheme; A Basso's Wit; Old Words to New …

9:10

Read by Rita Boutros

Sontag's Revenge; A Second Napoleon; A Singer's Sense; Haydn's Noble English Pu…

7:58

Read by Sonia

A Composer's Chagrin; The Friends, Mozart and Haydn; A Frightened Desdemona; Re…

10:43

Read by Ken Sheaffer

Clementi's Economy; Music at So Much per Note; Liszt's Precocity; Keeping at It…

10:17

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

Shaking all Over; The "Ox" Minuet; Nilsson and the Shah of Persia; Modulations;…

11:32

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

Napoleon Outwitted by a Songstress; Stubborn Composers; Clerical Wit; A Patient…

11:13

Read by JCzekaj

Saving a Fiddle; Absent Minded; The Prima Donna of the Eighteenth Century; The …

13:32

Read by jenno

Some Liberal Musicians; How Paganini Secured his Favorite Fiddle; Liszt on Mend…

11:34

Read by jenno

Spohr as a Horn Player; Securing Music under Difficulties; In Bülow's Class-Roo…

11:33

Read by jenno

From Humble Origin to Wealth and Fame; Gallant Haydn; Rossini and the Italian S…

13:30

Read by jenno

Rec'd in Full of A/c; Wagner's Working Costume; Cherubini as a Revolutionary Fi…

12:01

Read by jenno

Händel's Youth; A Violin for Eighteen Pence; Mendelssohn at Work; A Double Dose…

9:31

Read by Gillian Hendrie

A Sharp Rejoinder; Two Kinds of Bills; Von Bülow as a Political Speaker; Lind's…

10:16

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

Händel's Duel; Paganini's Generous Deed; A Gentle Critic; Art Before Business; …

8:00

Read by quartertone

Bülow's Bits; An Interrupted Concert; Coöperative Composition; An Absent-minded…

8:44

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

Wine and Music; Schubert's "Erl-King"; Royal Honors to a Singer; The Deaf Beeth…

9:42

Read by Rita Boutros

"Vorts" vs. Music; French Wit; Too Literal; Imagination a Factor in Hearing Mus…

10:59

Read by Gillian Hendrie

Von Weber to a Bawling Choir; An Interrupted Opera; Beethoven Punished; Violin …

8:17

Read by Rita Boutros

Gounod's Faust; Madame Patti; An Even Distribution of Honors; Rapid Composition…

11:40

Read by valroth

Haydn's Reception by Prince Esterhazy; Proving Identity; A Great Thief; Von Bül…

13:53

Read by valroth

A Kind Act; Public Criticism; Fun on the Stage; The Thirty-three Variations; A …

7:49

Read by valroth

Il Trovatore; Music vs. Commerce; A Narrow Escape; A Pyrotechnic Violoncello; M…

8:53

Read by valroth

The Discovery of a Tenor; A Long Encore Number; "Englyshe Meetre"; "The Devil o…

13:43

Read by Claudia Peri

The Hallelujah Chorus; Beethoven a la Cupid; Wagner and the Beggars; Vox Populi…

12:12

Read by Claudia Peri

A Costly Fiddle; Bach's Great Works. How Enjoyed by Some; Peculiar English; Ori…

7:50

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

A Burial Place Denied; Von Bülow's Peculiarities; Not at First Sight; Restoring…

11:02

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

An Interrupted Strain; A Musical Tragedy; Beethoven's Gratitude; Choleric Hände…

10:33

Read by Rita Boutros

The World's Reward to Genius; An Obese Basso; Preserving Identity; A Great Germ…

12:09

Read by MarcThomsen

Paganini in Court Dress; A Gory Drumstick; Great Musical Memories; A Comical Re…

12:27

Read by Seraphina

But One Seat Left; A Compliment from Haydn; A Particular Prima Donna; Mendelsso…

7:22

Read by quartertone

To Make a Player Play; True Kindliness; Viotti's Independence; Not the Geese th…

15:28

Read by quartertone

Longevity of Musicians; Liszt as an Advertiser; Arrested for Treason; Rothschil…

15:42

Read by Larry Wilson

Schumann's Failure; Genius Discovered by Punishment; Richard Wagner and the Num…

10:38

Read by Gillian Hendrie

Delayed Appreciation; Overfed Composers; Nasal; A Bold Pupil; Wagner's Activity

9:14

Read by Nick Donald

An Opera Sacrificed; An Erratic Prima Donna; When They Began; Sarcasm; A Prima …

10:34

Read by valroth

Paganini's Method of Study; Goat Hair for Hero Worshipers; Stage Censorship; Fa…

10:48

Read by quartertone

Aristocratic Patronage—Haydn's Farewell; The Hebrew in Music; The Story of Moza…

13:16

Read by Gillian Hendrie

Beethoven, Brain-owner; Schubert's Modesty; Our Musical Advancement; Honest Opi…

9:13

Read by Michelle Footz

Fugues and Chess; Fortunes in Fiddles; One Kind of Criticism; Musical Cooks; Ar…

10:09

Read by Michelle Footz

Beethoven's Friends; Prolific Composers; Music for the Eye; Schumann's Madness;…

14:51

Read by valroth

Haydn's Last Appearance; The Heroic in Music; A Peculiar Visiting Card; Origin …

15:34

Read by Gillian Hendrie

A Charitable Trio; Beethoven's Forgetfulness; Rossini's Arrogance; To a Pauper'…

7:36

Read by Gillian Hendrie

Notable Musical Antagonisms: Händel—Buononcini; Gluck—Piccinni; Cuzzoni—Bordoni…

13:33

Read by Chuck Lavazzi

The Financial Circumstances of the Great Composers

9:19

Read by quartertone

Bewertungen

(4 Sterne)

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