What are some composers' eccentricities that make them and their music more memorable to you?
Interesting stories about classical composers' unusual behaviors or beliefs make their lives and their compositions stick in my mind. I find their eccentricities to be very endearing...and in a way comforting...since it means I'm not alone in mine!
One example:
Erik Satie, a French composer and pianist (1866-1925), who I read elsewhere is booboo's favorite piano composer. My orchestra is currently playing Erik Satie's "Gymnopedie," arranged by Debussy, and so today I learned some interesting information about Satie from our conductor and from this website (
http://www.wfmu.org/~kennyg/popular/...s/satie.html):
~ Erik Satie made up his own religion in which he was the leader...and the only member! He used his church to rant against his music critics.
~ When Erik Satie died, his office was found to contain a total of four pianos: two of which were back to back, and two of which sat upside-down on top of the other two. He was using the upside-down pianos to store sheet music, says my conductor.
~ Erik Satie is considered the parent of "furniture music" (background Muzak music).
Here is perhaps his most famous piano piece:
Gymnopedie (No. 1), by Erik Satie. The piece gives me a feeling of emptiness, sadness, and nostalgia.
And here is
Debussy's orchestral arrangement of Gymnopedie (No. 1), by Erik Satie: