Edvard Grieg

In Norway, I visited the city of Bergen. The great Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg was born, lived and died in this city.

I visited Grieg’s villa, which he called Troldhaugen (troll mountain) and his museum. I was allowed to play on Grieg’s piano displayed at that museum. This beautiful “Steinway” was given to him as a gift. Grieg lived there during summers. Because of his poor health, he spent winters abroad, in a warmer climate.

Since his youth, Grieg was able to work only in complete solitude. He had a little cabin build fifty yards downhill from the house. He used it just for work. This cabin has a large window facing the beautiful fiord.

The villa became a Mecca for music lovers from all over the world. The stream of admirers was so steady that Grieg had to post a sign: “Edvard Grieg does not desire to receive callers earlier than four in the afternoon.”

After such an inspiring trip, I decided that one of my concert-lectures during that season will be: “Edvard Grieg, his life, and music.”

Amadeus Mozart

What is Mozart’s real name? Never mind Amadeus: Mozart’s real name was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. Try saying that one fast three times.

The Wolfgang, of course, is short for Wolfgangus, but his father preferred  Gottlieb to Theophilus, and in Latin, that translates into Amadeus (love of God).

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

One woman played the most important and the most curious role in Tchaikovsky’s life. She was an incredibly wealthy widow and a mother of 17 children. She admired music by Tchaikovsky. Her name was Nadezhda von Meck.

Tchaikovsky and Mme. von Meck was in correspondence for thirteen years. They wrote to each other daily. But they never met. That was the condition Mme. von Meck imposed upon the composer.

During all this time, she supported Tchaikovsky with an income that made him financially independent. After thirteen years, she suddenly ended her annual subsidy and stopped their correspondence.

One day, in November 1893, Tchaikovsky drank a glass of unboiled water. There was a cholera epidemic in St. Petersburg. He got infected. Before his death he kept repeating the name of Nadezhda von Meck, adding the word “prokliataya” which means “the accursed one.” Three months later, she died.

Sergey Prokofiev

A group of environmentalists picketed one performance of “Peter and the Wolf” because the wolf was portrayed as a mean, nasty animal. One of the activists even created a sequel to the story (using other Prokofieff’s music) where Peter helps the wolf escape from the zoo.

Robert Schumann

The love affair of Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck was one of the most beautiful and most celebrated in all music biography, but it was also very stormy and painful.

When Schumann first met Clara, he was 18 years old, and she was only 9. He became impressed by her talent and growth as a pianist. As to Clara, she worshiped Schumann from her 12th year.

When Clara was 16 and Robert – 25, they understood that they were in love.  However Clara’s father, Fredrich Wieck would not allow anything to stand in the way of Clara’s career. He forbade Clara to meet or communicate with Schumann.  He used lies and deceit to poison Clara against Schumann.  Whenever he met Robert in the street, he spat in his face. For many months, Clara and Schumann had no way of seeing each other.  This cruel affair dragged on for four years.

However, their love became even stronger. They decided to marry when Clara would reach legal age and could resist her father.

After Schumann married Clara (he was 30, and she was 21), he found a new source of creative energy. Clara used every opportunity to bring up his music to the public. For some time, Robert was known just as a husband of Clara, who was a famous concert pianist.

Clara survived Robert by 40 years.  During her lifetime he became the most popular German composer.

Johann Sebastian Bach

ohann Sebastian Bach had 20 children, 7 from his first wife, and 13 from the second one. All his children were musical, all of them were good singers and played instruments.

Bach used to say: I can make a whole orchestra out of my family. Four of Bach’s sons became famous.