Our greatest connection to a composer is through his music. And as a lot of the music we listen to is so exceptional, it is easy to imagine that the person who created it is also entirely exceptional. While there is no doubt they would have had exceptional musical talent and artistic insight, this almost makes it impossible for us to look at the other parts of their personality and life. Here is a rare photo collection of some famous composers showing some interesting aspects of their day-to-day activities.
Dmitri Shostakovich showing off his billiard skills.
Olivier Messiaen with his son, Pascal.
Sergei Prokofiev playing chess against violinist David Oistrakh with violinist Liza Gilels watching.
Heitor Villa-Lobos playing billiards.
Jules Massenet petting his dog.
Antonín Dvořák having a picnic with his family.
Benjamin Britten playing tennis.
John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen flying a cartoon plane.
Samuel Barber smoking under a tree.
Anton Webern bowling.
John Philip Sousa reading daily news.
Aaron Copland eating an ice cream cone.
Erik Satie having a drink.
Ruth Crawford Seeger chopping wood on a beach with Carl Sandburg.
Richard Strauss playing cards.
Arnold Schoenberg and Winfried Zillig rocking one piece bathing suits.
Gian Carlo Menotti walking his dog in the rain.
György Ligeti pouring water on Pierre-Laurent Aimard on a train.
Theodor Adorno at the beach.
Leonard Bernstein going for a swim in Israel.
Claude Debussy holding an umbrella on a beach.
Igor Stravinski rocking a speedo.
George Gershwin painting a picture of Arnold Schoenberg.
Giacomo Puccini at the Brooklyn Bridge.
Béla Bartók looking trim.
Paul Hindemith at an early age playing with a toy carriage.
Jean Sibelius having an afternoon tea.
Johannes Brahms having a picnic with violinist Marie Soldat and a couple other ladies.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky properly dressed for winter.
Igor Stravinsky having breakfast.
Pierre Boulez and Simon Rattle chatting at a party in 1989.
Morton Feldman playing cards on a train.
Sergei Rachmaninoff cutting his birthday cake.
Ennio Morricone playing some ping-pong.
Zoltán Kodály playing with his children.
Gustav Mahler at a party.
Arvo Pärt and Alfred Schnittke reenact their high school yearbook photos.
John Corigliano having a beer with an eland.
Krzysztof Penderecki doing yardwork.
Giuseppe Verdi at a garden party surrounded by friends.
Camille Saint-Saëns wearing some fancy pajamas.
Tchaikovsky with his family.
Manuel de Falla checking out a menu.
Richard Wagner with his family.
Duke Ellington playing baseball.
Edward Elgar smoking a cigarette with his dog Marco.
Source: composersdoingnormalshit.com
All photos © their original photographers
Very Very interesting! Thank you