Unusual facts from the life of composers.

Do you enjoy your favorite tracks every day and can’t live a day without them? But even the most ardent music lovers cannot know everything about their hobby. But the world of music hides many interesting facts. "Which ones?" - you ask. You will learn some of them in this material.

Without notes

To begin with, let's pay attention to Interesting Facts about classical music.

Probably not everyone knows, but in order to fulfill classical works, you don’t have to be musically literate. This may sound a little strange for a modern performer, but in fact it is so. For example, someone like Luciano Pavarotti did not understand anything. Moreover, he did not even try to hide his inability to read music. He earned world fame and the title of the greatest tenor of the 20th century only thanks to his unique hearing. In addition, Pavarotti developed own system, which he used to learn opera parts. This news should be pleasant for lovers of classical music, because you can become a real professional in your field, even if you have no experience under your belt. music education. But unfortunately, contemporary performers It is considered bad manners to deviate from the original sheet music.

But it was not always so. Let's remember Every musician who wanted fame and recognition had to include something of himself in the part. If he did not do this, the audience considered such a performer to be quite boring and uninteresting. A little later, Franz Liszt, who lived in the 19th century, adhered to the same rule. Critics at the time wrote that familiar music performed by Liszt sounded different every time. It can be argued that classical music even now sounds different depending on the soloist, the orchestra and, of course, the conductor.

Bloodthirsty music, or “cat harpsichord”

Do you want to know bloodthirsty but interesting facts from the world of music? Then we will tell you about such a musical instrument as the “cat harpsichord”. This invention appeared in the Middle Ages, when even the concept of “music” was adjusted to the wishes of the church or the Inquisition. This time it was the unfortunate cats who got it. They were put in a long box, which was divided into fourteen compartments. Before the animals were distributed into these boxes, they were “bugged” by stepping on their tails. The animals' reaction was natural: they began to scream. Depending on the pitch of the voice, the “tuner” determined which compartment to place each of the sufferers in. But this is just the beginning.

The animals' heads were inserted into special holes, and their tails were firmly fixed under the keyboard. Each key had a needle underneath it, which dug into the fluffy's tail with each press. Thus, the “musicians” tried to get some semblance of melody from the “instrument”.

According to historians, such a “cat harpsichord” existed at the court of the Spanish King Philip II. Why were the poor animals tortured? It's quite simple: the church declared them minions of the devil. Therefore, live long life the animal couldn't anyway.

Educational and interesting facts about music

In the Middle Ages, there was a special profession related to music - the piper-pied piper. It is unknown why, but the rats could not listen to the sound of this musical instrument. Thus, the breeding rats were driven out of the city using an ordinary pipe. By the way, there are similar interesting facts about rock music. When a rock concert was held in one of the ancient English castles, after it there was not a single rat left in the premises.

It is difficult to find music that one did not love more than the works of Glinka. In this regard, he sent the guilty soldiers not to the guardhouse, but to the opera “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.

Interestingly, the phonogram is not modern invention, as many believe. The fact of its use was first recorded in the 19th century. One of Italian composers To each of his performances he brought a phonograph on which his works were recorded.

Modern music surprises

And now interesting facts about modern famous performer Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" is used most often at weddings in America. The same song, but in Britain, is the most popular among funerals.

In Islamic countries, whistling is prohibited, as this sound is perceived as “the music of the devil.”

In America, a study was conducted on the influence of music on mental condition person. Scientists have concluded that most suicides, depression, divorces and other personality disasters happen to those who listen to country music.

Creators famous group When choosing a guitarist, Offspring were not guided by musical interests. They just wanted to buy alcohol freely. The fact is that at the time of the creation of the group, Holland and Crissell were still in school and, accordingly, were minors. The future guitarist - Wasserman - could officially buy alcohol.

One of the American radio stations in 1991 decided to change the format to rock. In this regard, the DJ was forced to meet the police twice. For the first time, the law enforcement officers were called by a compassionate listener, who suggested that the DJ had a heart attack and therefore did not switch the composition. At that time, the radio station played the song Stairway to Heaven, which is known to be performed by Led Zeppelin. By the way, this group was Saddam Hussein’s favorite, so the second listener suggested that the radio station had been captured by Iraqi special forces.

In the repertoire Russian group"Aria" is the song "Will and Reason". Interestingly, this is exactly what the motto of the Italian fascists sounded like during the Mussolini government. Fortunately, neither the musicians themselves nor Soviet officials knew about this when they allowed the release of a record of the same name.

"Musical Trembling"

You will learn no less interesting facts about music further. For example, such a phenomenon as “musical trembling”. Many people have experienced it when they listened to music that suited their preferences. Here the expression “goosebumps” takes on a new meaning. Scientists have confirmed that some compositions can be so liked by a person that they cause a physical reaction in him. It is expressed in a rapid heartbeat, a slight increase in temperature, and changes in breathing. This reaction can occur in almost every person, but much more often “musical tremors” happen to creative and sensitive people.

The pleasure of music

Scientists continue to find new and more interesting facts about music. For example, recent research has revealed that the human body reacts to music in the same way as it does to taking drugs, food or having sex. Regardless of which of the above a person has been doing, his body begins to produce dopamine. It is a neurotransmitter that allows the brain to feel euphoria. But at the same time, not a single scientist can explain why this happens.

Music of Mozart

Rounding out the interesting facts about music are compositions that are considered the pinnacle of world classics. Of course, we are talking about the works of Mozart. The same scientists have proven that it promotes the mental development of people. The thing is that his music creates certain vibrations that have a positive effect on the brain. At the same time, rough music, which is now at the peak of popularity, leads to dullness, so listening to it is not recommended.

Musical instruments are an integral part of the amazing and diverse world of culture. These melodic products keep many secrets and interesting stories. They made life more interesting and filled free time people with cheerful, sad or romantic melodies. People sang and danced to the rhythm of the music, and through songs, experiences were passed on from generation to generation. Let's look at some interesting facts about musical instruments.

Story

Not only the instruments themselves are of interest, but also their history. Scientists agree that the most ancient musical instruments of humanity that we use today are the flute and the harp.

Chinese carillon

The tuning fork, with the help of which symphony orchestras are tuned, now sounds much higher than before, this is due to the fact that this instrument was not the same before and, accordingly, in different countries sounded different. Thus, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the highest sound of a tuning fork was in Italy, and the lowest in France. Over time, Europe began to strive to ensure that symphony orchestras sounded the same in all countries. However, the specifics of the new large concert halls and the desire to make the performance bright and memorable led to the fact that orchestras began to tune to a louder sound. Accordingly, the sound of the tuning fork began to be raised.

Archaeologists found ancient notes during excavations Sumerian civilization. They were images left by the Sumerians on special clay surfaces.

Cuneiform notes

The expression “raspberry ringing”, which refers to the beautiful sound of church bells, comes from the Belgian city of Malina, because in the 17th century this city was a center for the manufacture of bells.

The ancestors of the piano and grand pianos were the harpsichord and clavichord.

In the 19th century in Great Britain, during concerts, special covers were put on the legs of the piano to make it look more decent.

Archaeologists found the harp in an ancient tomb in the city of Ur. It was made of gold, thanks to which it was well preserved. Images of this instrument are found on ancient Egyptian paintings.

In the 16th century, the guitar was played with a bow.

Unusual guitar

Manufacturers of musical instruments claim that violin strings made from light horse hair, as opposed to dark ones, give a softer sound.

The creator of the Fender company, specializing in the production of guitars, L. Fender, who designed the world-famous electric guitars, never played this instrument and did not know how to tune it.

Since Stradivarius violins are the most famous and by far the most expensive, it is believed that their sound is the best, but this is not so. In 2010, an experimental study was conducted in which 21 musicians took part. The violinists had to play 3 musical instruments modern production, 2 Stradivarius violins and 1st Guarneri violin. At all stages of the study, the musicians did not know which instrument they were testing. After which the researchers came to the conclusion that modern violins sound much better than their ancient counterparts.

In Finland there is a competition for playing air (imaginary) guitar. Participation in this competition is open to people who do not know this musical instrument, but are good at playing the guitar. The winner of the competition is the one who plays the non-existent guitar more emotionally and artistically. To the thunderous applause of the audience, the participants play the air strings with all their hearts and fall to their knees.

Brass

Non-standard musical instruments include a pyrophone, which produces sounds through special pipes using the movement of air masses heated by fire.

Chinese legends say that the man who invented the music was named Ling Leung. He invented a bamboo flute and began to use it to make sounds similar to birdsong.

Vegetable pipe

Despite the fact that the saxophone was invented back in 1840, it became popular in the 40s of the last century, when jazz appeared.

In America, the Luray Caves were equipped with unique organs made from stalactites, connecting 37 stalactites to the organ pipes, which have different sounds.

The bazooka is called not only a formidable weapon, but also an instrument resembling a trombone.

Music is something extraordinary, magical, bewitching. We sometimes think it is very simple, but in fact music is one of the most complex and delightful things in the universe. It is built on mathematical principles, it obeys the laws of physics, it affects the human brain, healing it or destroying it. Music is a separate world into which each of us is immersed every day. This world is amazing and interesting. There's a lot to do with him incredible facts, which will be discussed further.

Facts from the world of classical music

1. The world composer Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov had a unique feature - the greatest coverage of the keys. So, he could cover 12 white keys at once, and with his left hand he could absolutely freely play the “do-e/flat-g-do-g” chord. His hands were so beautiful that the paparazzi wrote the following caption under Rachmaninov’s photo in their article: “Hands that are worth a million!”
2. Lullabies have a beneficial effect on a child: they calm, create a comfortable emotional background, and bring balance.
3. Compositions by Vivaldi, Beethoven (2nd movement of the 6th symphony), Brahms (“Lullaby”), Schubert (“Ave Maria”), Debussy (“Light of the Moon”) help get rid of fear and excessive anxiety and evoke a feeling of security.
4. Correctly selected classical works can reduce irritability, nervous excitement and aggressiveness. Therefore, classics are often used in music therapy.
5. Mozart's music helps reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in patients.
6. Mozart's works improve the functionality of the human brain. Researchers have called this ability of the composer's works the "Mozart Effect."
7. Mozart's unique musical abilities began to emerge when he was only 3 years old. Then the legendary composer, playing the harpsichord, composed various harmonies and played melodies from plays he had heard earlier.
8. Beethoven created music while deaf. However, his hearing gradually disappeared over several years. Lack of hearing did not cause Beethoven to give up his favorite activity.
9. Bach after unsuccessful operation After cataract removal, he became completely blind, but this did not stop him from continuing to create extraordinary musical compositions.
10. Antonio Vivaldi might not have become a great composer. IN adolescence(at the age of 15) he was ordained a priest. But he was so passionate about music that he was never able to become a full-fledged clergyman. They say that during the service, Vivaldi often ran into the sacristy in order to write down the melodies that came to his mind.
11. Beethoven, before starting to compose compositions, immersed his head in a basin with not just cold, but ice water.
12. Paul Wittgenstein, an Austrian pianist, lost his life in the First World War right hand. However, this did not stop him from resuming his concert career. He learned to play music with his left hand so deftly that he achieved exceptional skill. At the same time, he played compositions that were difficult even for musicians with two hands.
13. Plants love classical music– flowers grow faster if they are regularly given classics. But heavy music (rock, metal, rap) causes plants to die.
14. If cows are regularly played soothing classical music, their milk yield will increase significantly.
15. Musicians' hearing is much better developed than people without musical education.

1. Worldwide famous song“Happy Birthday to You” is still under copyright protection. It can be performed with family or friends, but commercial performance (for example, in a movie, a musical greeting card) is prohibited, unless, of course, a royalty has been paid to the company that owns the rights to it.
2. Music improves a person's endurance if listened to while exercising.
3. Not a single participant of the legendary music group The Beatles didn't know how to read music.
4. The heartbeat adjusts to the rhythm of the music being listened to.
5. The famous inventor of the Telecaster and the Stratocaster guitars, Leo Fender, did not know how to play these instruments at all.
6. In 2001, the world's longest organ concert began in Halberstadt (Germany), which is scheduled to end in 2640.
7. The world-famous idol of millions Elvis Presley for his musical career didn't write a single song.
8. Researchers have proven that too loud music provokes the desire to drink alcohol.
9. The musicians from the band Metallica are so tough that they were not afraid to play a concert in Antarctica. Thus, this group became the only one that played on all 7 continents of our planet.
10. The fastest rapper can read 23 syllables per second. However, the guy never got into the Book of Records, because for this he needs to rap in English.
11. In Islamic countries, whistling is considered “the music of the devil.”
12. The lowest note of 0.393 Hz was sung by Roger Menis in 2010 and was included in the Guinness Book of Records. But the paradox is that a person is not able to hear sounds below 18 Hz.
13. Surprisingly, in the Middle Ages, rats were lured out of urban settlements by playing the pipe. There was even such a profession - piper-pied catcher.
14. Music can improve memory, attention, develop Creative skills person.
15. There are music roads in Japan. These are sections of the route with grooves of different depths located at a distance from each other. Driving at a certain speed along this section, the vibration from the wheels falling into the grooves moves into the cabin, where it turns into a melody.

There are still many amazing things in the world of music. Enjoy exploring it!

Until the 1990s, Iceland had a law that required a foreigner wishing to take Icelandic citizenship to Icelandic name or change yours according to the traditions of the Icelandic language. But exceptions were made for celebrities. When did he emigrate to Iceland? Soviet conductor and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, the government of the country added a new name to the official list of permitted names - “Vladimir Ashkenazy”. Austrian pianist Paul Wittgenstein lost his right hand in World War I, but resumed his concert career and achieved exceptional skill playing with his left hand. Wittgenstein's virtuoso mastery of pianistic technique allowed him to successfully perform works comparable in complexity even to a pianist with two hands. Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov explained to his students in one of his lessons that the last movement of a symphony or sonata must necessarily be written at a fast tempo.
- Why did Tchaikovsky write the fourth movement of the Sixth Symphony in at a slow pace? - asked M.F. Gnesin.
The professor paused, then solemnly said:
- Exceptions are possible if they are brilliant. Why is it wonderful? Queen of Spades"? Perhaps the most original answer to this question was given in 1911 by a reviewer for the Volzhskoe Slovo newspaper:
"The opera is remarkable in that two great artists, A. S. Pushkin and P. I. Tchaikovsky, came to the same idea - to nail it forever to pillory our shameful adherence to cards." Over the past three hundred years, about two hundred artificial language projects have been proposed. All of them, however, are consigned to oblivion, since they turned out to be unsuccessful. Interesting musical language, called "Sol-re-sol".
Its author was the Frenchman Jean Francois Sudre. He published the rules of his language in 1817. For forty years his followers developed the grammar, vocabulary and theory of this language. In 1868, works in this language appeared in Paris.
The roots of the words of the new language were seven basic musical notes, they also formed some new words: si meant “yes”, do - “no”, re - “and”, mi - “or”, do-re - “I”, do-fa - “he”, re -do - “my”, etc.
Such a speech could be played. But this language turned out to be more difficult than the most difficult modern language and was also forgotten. One day a young man came to the director of the Milan Conservatory and asked to be examined. At the entrance exam, he played the piano and showed his compositions. A few days later he received the answer: “Give up the thought of the conservatory and find a teacher among the city musicians.” This was in 1832, and several decades later the Milan Conservatory sought the honor of bearing the name of the musician it had once rejected. This name is Giuseppe Verdi. The word "MUSIC" was given to us by the ancient Greeks. Muses in ancient greek mythology- daughters of Zeus, goddesses who patronize the sciences and arts. There are nine of them. True, among them there was not a single one who was specifically involved in the art of sounds. Some believe that it was the muse of dance, Terpsichore, who, as if on duty, had to patronize the music that accompanies the dances. Others believe that this was the work of Euterpe, the muse of lyric poetry (the ancient Greeks sang poems to the sounds of an instrument). Even today, the word MUSIC is a reminder of distant gods and legends. The word "PIANO" comes from the name Cristofori gave to his instrument: "piano et forte", which means "quiet and loud." The term "ROYAL" was first used in 1777. The word "KEY" comes from the Latin "claves", which means key. And the reason for everything is the ancient instrument organ. On an organ, each key acts like a key: a pressed key opens air into one of the organ pipes - and it produces a sound of a certain pitch. On very old simple organs of the 10th century, the keys, so that the player does not get confused, were signed with letters Latin alphabet A, B, C etc. Recording from keyboards moved to paper. In the distant past, music was written in letters. And at the beginning of the entry there was a key letter. Over time, three key letters were preserved: C (the sound of C), F (the sound of F) and G (the sound of G). These are now the keys in modern notes.
This is the path from keys to keys. The ancestor of the violin, cello and other bowed instruments was the VIOL family - also stringed instruments bowed instruments. The main types of viols are treble viol, alto, tenor and double bass, which was called violone.
The sound of the viola was gentle and weak. There were 6 strings (sometimes 5-7).
The viol appeared in the 15th century, and by the 18th century it was completely replaced by instruments of the violin family. The word STATION in its origin has a connection with music. The fact is that the word is English and consists of two concepts - “wok” - part of the word “vocal” (singing) and the word “hall” (a large room for the public). Thus, it turns out that the station is a room for singing in front of an audience.
This concept came into the Russian language thanks to the Pavlovsky railway station (near St. Petersburg), which served both as a railway station (a waiting room for passengers) and as an entertainment place.
To prevent passengers from getting bored while waiting for the train, they were entertained by singing in the station hall. A grand piano has a faster response time than upright pianos (e.g. spinet, upright) due to its rehearsal mechanism. It allows the pianist to repeat a note when the key is not fully released. The vertical version of the piano mechanics requires a full return of the key for repeated hammer action. ÍName wind instrument French Horn (WALDHORN) translated from German means “forest horn”.
A modern horn is a copper (brass) tube rolled into a circle, more than three meters long, with many curls, and a wide bell. The name of the instrument CLARNET comes from the Latin word “clarus”, which means “clear”, “light” and very expressive. The word GUITAR comes from the Greek "kifhara". The first mention of the guitar dates back to the 14th century.
They differ: Spanish guitar (6 strings) and Russian guitar (7 strings). There is also a ukulele (6 strings), the sound of which is produced by a plector, or mediator (a flexible bone or plastic plate). The word CONSERVATORY comes from the Italian “conservatorio” - shelter
and the Latin “conservo” - I guard. Initially, a conservatory was called in Italy a city orphanage where children were taught crafts (the first orphanage was opened in Naples in 1537). In the 17th century, music teaching was introduced in orphanages, which over time became the main occupation of the pupils. Conservatories as the highest musical educational establishments were opened in Russia, in St. Petersburg (1862) and Moscow (1866), later in Saratov (1912) and Odessa (1913). The SAXOPHONE was designed in 1841 in Paris by the Belgian master A. Sax; in whose honor the brass musical instrument saxophone was named. The word HARMONY Greek origin, it means “harmony”, “proportionality”, “consonance”..
The word "harmony" is very respected among musicians. HARMONIUM - this is how a new musical instrument like a small indoor organ was proudly named at the beginning of the 9th century. Its main feature is the sounding metal reeds that vibrate under the pressure of air jets. The same structure can be called FISHARMONY - FIS translated from Greek bellows, blowing. The smallest type of such instruments is HARMONIKA. It is from this that the famous Russian HARMONI and HARMONIUM came. The trumpeter who saved the city.
There is such a legend in Poland. In ancient times, a warrior stood on patrol on the tower of the fortress wall of the city of Krakow. He looked vigilantly into the distance to see if the enemy would appear. He held a copper pipe in his hands to give a signal in case of danger. And then one day he saw a whirlwind of dust in the distance. And after a few moments there was no longer any doubt: enemies! The watchman raised his trumpet and an alarm sounded over Krakow. Arrows rained down on the tower in a cloud. One of them pierced the trumpeter's chest. Gathering all his strength, he finished playing the signal. Only at the last sound did the trumpet fall out of his hands...

For many centuries, the people have carefully preserved the memory of the hero who saved his city at the cost of his life. And now the call sign of Krakow is an ancient military trumpet signal, ending at the last sound.

Music is the best thing in the world. Music can be simple and complex at the same time. Think about it for a minute - waves of different frequencies are combined into a beautiful melody, and we catch this melody through our ears. The brain deciphers frequencies, and as a result, every person enjoys music that is magical in its properties.

Inventor electric guitars Leo Fender never knew how to play a musical instrument - the guitar.

The heavy metal band Metallica, after their unsurpassed performance at a concert in Antarctica, entered the Guinness Book of Records. Metallica is the only band that performed on all continents of the world within a year.

Every year Warner Brothers receives about two million USD. for his right of authorship to the composition “Happy Birthday”.

Ozzy Osbourne bit off the head of an unfortunate woman at his concert in the eighties bat, and as a result was hospitalized because he was suspected of having rabies.

The name of the Russian group Bi-2 is its abbreviated name, its full name is “Coast of Truth”.

John Lennon was famous for sleeping in a coffin.

Withering plants are perfectly revived by a classical melody. If you turn on a melody near a fading plant, the plant will gradually begin to fill with colors, moreover, it will begin to reach where the sound is coming from.

It is important to know that music reduces pain. Thanks to classical melody sensory pathways are activated, which significantly dampens extremely unpleasant and painful sensations. Music allows you to get rid of anxiety and stress. Psychologists are confident that thanks to music, it is a little easier and much more effective to achieve your goal.

Not the world-famous Michael Jackson, or even the Beatles, hold the record for the number of people gathered in one place at one concert. The record holder is the Norwegian band “A-ha”. In 1991, “A-ha” gave a concert in Brazil, at which the presence of 195 thousand people was recorded. Previously, Paul McCartney held the record; his performance was attended by 191 thousand people.


The A-ha musicians were forced to sign more than ten thousand autographs on their way to the hotel after the performance.

Michael Jackson was sure that all his haunting misfortunes began at the time of recording a commercial for the Pepsi drink. While filming, a hot spotlight fell on the star, instantly burning his hair, eyelashes and eyebrows, after which he became a “yellow press” star.

Elton John has always been distinguished by his bright and very extravagant stage outfits, which is why fashion critic Blackwell included him in the list of “most extravagantly dressed ladies.” To this day John cannot forgive him for this act.

In the USA, the most popular music for wedding celebrations is musical composition W. Houston entitled “I Will Always” Love You" Coincidentally, this composition is already at the same level of popularity in Britain.

Do you know why there was a quarrel between the Beatles and the EMP recording studio? During the recording of Sgt. Pepper at the studio, musician J. Harrison did not like the paper in the toilet.

If you like music the way we like it, then listen to it with us on