1. When Beethoven premiered his 9th Symphony his legendary deafness was complete. One of the most important and influential composers of all times could not hear even a single note, a whisper, a word. So not only he conducted often losing the rhytm of the music, but at the triumphant end of the symphony he had to be turned around in order for him to see the enthusiastic reaction of the lucky audience. 2. Franz Liszt was so hugely popular in his time that his admirers (especially the ladies) wanted a lock of his hair as a keepsake. Tired with the relentless begging, Liszt simply sent fur from his favourite dog as his own. And it seemed to work.
3. When composing his Fugue in G minor Domenico Scarlatti was actually inspired by his beloved cat, when the pet simply ran across the keys of the piano. Or so the legend goes.
4. Erik Satie was a brilliant and original composer, but also an excentric individual, filled with obsessions and quirks. He had no less that a dozen identical grey suits, and wore one until it was completely worn out. He also had a huge collection of over 100 umbrellas. And, to make matters worse, his diet consisted exclusivelly of foods that were white, from sugar, salt and coconut to some varieties of fish and milk.
5. Franz Schubert was so small that he gained an amusing nickname from his close friends - the little mushroom. Not that he was too crazy about it.
6. Edvard Grieg was a rather superstitious individual, so he kept in his inner pocket a small frog figurine, and would often touch it for good luck before a performance.
7. Sometimes the strangest place might be the most inspirational. It is said that Rossini wrote his famous "Di tanti palpiti" aria while simply waiting in a Venice restaurant for a risotto.
8. Richard Strauss appeared on the cover of famous Time magazine on two occasions, in 1927 and 1938.
9. Felix Mendelssohn was a hugely influential composer, but also he had a habit of forgeting things, as he was simply obsessed with his work. So when he forgot his original overture for A Midsummer Night's Dream in a cab, he simply rewrote the whole piece from memory.
10. There are over 70 different pieces of wood in a single violin.
Photo: biography.com
