Humans have loved to gossip and make up theories since the early dawn of creation. Even the era of classical music had some conspiracies and theories to keep the folks entertained. Today we’ll be exploring some classical music conspiracies and mysteries that have baffled the public for centuries.
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Popular Classical Music Conspiracy Theories
Music theory isn’t the only mind-bending aspect of classical music. Over the years several mysteries related to composers and their classical pieces have cropped up here and there.
These stories may not be the whole truth and obviously have some spice mixed up in the lore as they have been around for centuries, but these classical music myths and mysteries are bound to poke your curiosity and have you on a late-night Googling marathon.
Curse of the Ninth-is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Cursed?
You may have heard the famous composition Ode to Joy in cartoons or shows. This famous piece is the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. So why is it famous?
Beethoven premiered this famous symphony in 1824 and started working on his 10th symphony but died in 1827 before finishing it. This event was pivotal in the late Romantic eras as other famous composers such as Schubert, Dvořák, and Vaughan Williams all died after the 9th symphonies. After so many deaths, composers were starting to believe the ninth symphony was a curse.
Gustav Mahler tried to cheat the system by naming his 9th symphony “Song to the Earth” which was essentially a symphony but he termed it a song and premiered it. The plan seemed to work as Mahler was still alive after the premiere and he started work on the 10th but died of pneumonia.
Regarding this phenomenon, Arnold Schoenberg wrote “It seems that the ninth is a limit. He who wants to go beyond it must pass away.” This superstition was pretty popular in the late Romantic era and affected a large group of composers, who either skipped their 9th symphonies or premiered the 10th before the 9th. Fun times in the classical music world.
Mozart’s Requiem- a message of death?
You’ve probably heard of the epic masterpiece that is the Lacrimosa played ironically over death scenes or climax scenes in movies. This composition is a movement of the Requiem by Mozart which is his most controversial music piece.
Mozart’s music was famous for being light, airy, and cheery. But the Requiem sticks out like a sore thumb from all his compositions as it does not sound cheery or triumphant in the least. There’s a popular theory that Mozart already knew he was dying when he started composing this piece. It’s believed that Mozart only got to the first 8 bars of the Lacrimosa before dying and leaving his Requiem unfinished.
Another popular theory is that Mozart was commissioned to write the Requiem by an unidentified benefactor who also threatened his death. This would add to the theory that Mozart wrote the Requiem as his own death note. There’s a lot of mystery shrouding the Requiem- was it a suicide note? Who commissioned the piece? Was Mozart threatened and knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge the bullet?
It’s speculated that Mozart’s rival Salieri commissioned the Requiem as his last hurrah before conspiring his murder. Although, some people say Salieri and Mozart were great friends and had friendly competition.
Tachaikovsky’s 6th symphony – Was it a suicide note?
Tchaikovsky is probably one of the most common names that will pop up when music lovers are asked about their favorite classical composers. His famous piece “Swan Lake” is still one of the most performed ballet acts in history.
The Russian composer composed his final symphony-the Pathetique symphony with 4 movements conveying intense feelings and deep pain. When the symphony is performed live, the audience mistakenly starts clapping at the end of the 3rd movement as it sounds like the end of the symphony. But then starts the final movement, which is depressing, melancholic, and distressing.
It’s speculated that Tchaikovsky wrote the 6th symphony as a suicide note, to bid adieu to the musical world in his melodic way. This theory is often connected to the composer’s sexuality-Tchaikovsky was gay and the word had started to spread among the regular folk. The speculation was that Tchaikobsky was ordered to end his own life to outrank the news of his homosexuality, an attempt at “restoring” his honor in the musical world.
Adding more mystery to this theory are the circumstances of Tchaikovsky’s death. The composer famously died of cholera poisoning, by drinking unboiled tap water. But the autopsy had said it may have been arsenic poisoning.
There is no concrete evidence to support that the composition was indeed a farewell note and that Tchaikovsky ended his own life. But throughout the years, listeners have interpreted the last symphony to be a melancholic and distressing nod to the composer’s sad end.
Edward Elgar’s Enigma variations- what is the enigma?
This one’s for all the music nerds out there. Elgar’s Enigma Variations have perplexed classical music lovers for years. This is a beautiful classical piece that has a hidden theme playing all through the symphony, but it’s never heard.
This can be a bit confusing to understand for first-timers so let’s look at the conditions Elgar presented. If any of these 6 conditions aren’t met, the proposed musical piece isn’t the secret theme.
1. The enigma theme is a counterpoint to the principal theme.
2. The principal theme is not heard.
3. The principal theme is famous.
4. Fragments of the principal theme can be heard throughout the variations.
5. The principal theme is a melody that can be played through and over the whole set of variations including the entire enigma theme.
6. The enigma theme comprises measures 1 through 19.
The theme that is played throughout the piece isn’t the principal theme. Many have tried to crack the Enigma variations but whenever any of the conditions were unfulfilled, the proposed music piece was disqualified. Some deciphered that the theme must be “God Save the Queen” or one of Beethoven’s symphonies but the answers didn’t satisfy musical theory experts.
Edward Elgar had a lot of fun with ciphers and codes. He coded a letter to one of his friends by inventing the Dorabella cipher, a whole new enciphering language. Well, it’s a fun hobby to have but quite a nuisance for the people trying to pry into the hidden messages.
Devil’s Virtuoso Nicolo Paganini – Did he make a deal with the devil?
Niccolo Paganini is a famous name in the classical music world, famously titled “The Devil’s Violinist”. This name wasn’t for no reason. Paganini’s violin technique and transposing talent left people so shocked, that there was a rumor that he sold his soul to the devil to become a once in a lifetime violinist.
Paganini was hard at work, honing his skills on the violin since the early age of 5. The violinist quickly gained public approval and a fan following when he started touring at the age of 15. Around this time, the rumors started pouring in. Many said he sacrificed his soul for immeasurable talent on the violin, some said he sacrificed someone else’s life. There were also rumors flying around that Paganini had killed a woman, used her intestines to fashion violin strings, and trapped her soul inside the instrument.
Paganini’s habits sort of made it easy for the public to associate him with the devil-his alcoholism, gambling, and womanizer habits were frowned upon at the time. Paganini composed the 24 Caprices for the solo violin, which are famously difficult to play. He’s famous for his bow bounce techniques such as “spiccato” and the “left-hand pizzicato.”
Mysterious Classical Music Haunting
This may come as a surprise but there are several stories of people being haunted by classical composers. Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Aranyi claimed he talked to the ghost of Robert Schumann through an Ouija board. Schumann’s ghost reportedly told him to find and perform the Schumann violin concerto, which had not been released to the public. The violinist did end up performing the concerto to great acceptance from the general public.
Famous musician David Bowie also had an encounter with the ghost of Chopin in France at the Château d’Hérouville. Bowie was staying at the hotel while recording his album Low and claimed to feel an inhuman presence in his room, refusing to stay in his lodgings alone. Whether or not the two famous musicians ever exchanged words of wisdom on music across centuries remains undisclosed.
Final Words
These are just a few mysteries and theories the world of classical music holds. If you do a deep dive into the lore of composers and their famous pieces, you’re bound to dig up more dirt on these decomposing composers.
Have you heard any stories of people contacting classical composers from beyond the grave?