Anecdotes of Great Musicians


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(4 stars; 1 reviews)

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

Reviews


(4 stars)

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