When we think of classical composers, we sometimes have a tendency to put them in a box, or take them out of the context in which they were living and working. But actually, a lot of composers we know and love also knew and loved each other, since they lived and worked in the same time periods and geographic areas. In honor of Friendship Day on July 30, we're exploring some musical friendships you might not know about.
1. Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann
Brahms was a good friend of both Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara. They met in the early 1850s, when Robert heard the younger Brahms' music and became a mentor of sorts. When Robert got sick just a few months after they met, Brahms threw himself into helping Clara take care of the kids and the house. They remained friends after Robert died, and Clara even performed and promoted several of Brahms' piano pieces. There has been speculation that there was a love triangle between Brahms and the Schumanns, based on letters between Clara and Brahms, but whether they acted upon their mutual affection is not known.
2. Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart and Haydn are perhaps the most famous musical friends, at least among music scholars and historians. They likely met in the early 1780s, and even though Mozart was 24 years younger, they became good friends. That they held each other in high esteem is evident from letters from the time. Moreover, Mozart borrowed extensively from Haydn (a common practice called "quoting") and mimicked his more conservative style while adding innovative techniques and elements. Haydn of course would have known about this, and by all accounts welcomed it. He regularly praised Mozart's talent and frequently called him the greatest composer he knew.
3. Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland
Another friendship that began with more of a mentor/mentee model, Bernstein and Copland first met when Bernstein was a young student at Harvard and Copland was already an established composer. Throughout Bernstein's early career, as he worked to establish himself as the great conductor, composer, and musician we now remember him as, letters of recommendation and good words from Copland helped secure him spots in many of the country's top programs. In turn, Bernstein championed Copland's music, and in 1989 he led a concert by the New York Philharmonic devoted to Copland's music. Bernstein was chosen to speak at Copland's Kennedy Center Honors ceremony when Copland was named an honoree in 1979. The two men died just a couple of months apart from each other in 1990.
4. Pauline Viardot and Frédéric Chopin
Viardot, a celebrated French mezzo-soprano formed a friendship with Chopin after they met as guests of George Sand at his family's château in central France. Viardot regularly played duets with Chopin to entertain the other guests, and she studied his works with him. From her, Chopin learned more about the voice as a musical instrument, and gained first-hand knowledge of Spanish music (Viardot was of Spanish descent). Their relationship was based on mutual admiration, and their collaborations and discussions elevated each of their musical areas. Viardot sang a movement of Mozart's Requiem at Chopin's funeral in 1849.
5. Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály
Bartók and Kodály were both Hungarian composers and ethnomusicologists who met in the early 1900s when they worked together to collect Magyar (ethnic Hungarian) folk tunes. They each championed the other's compositions and they were both invested in music education for children (see Bartók's Pieces for Children and Kodály's pedagogical contributions to children's music education). Their friendship lasted through two world wars and the rise and fall of Nazi Germany until Bartók's death in 1945.
1. Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann
Brahms was a good friend of both Robert Schumann and his wife, Clara. They met in the early 1850s, when Robert heard the younger Brahms' music and became a mentor of sorts. When Robert got sick just a few months after they met, Brahms threw himself into helping Clara take care of the kids and the house. They remained friends after Robert died, and Clara even performed and promoted several of Brahms' piano pieces. There has been speculation that there was a love triangle between Brahms and the Schumanns, based on letters between Clara and Brahms, but whether they acted upon their mutual affection is not known.
2. Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart and Haydn are perhaps the most famous musical friends, at least among music scholars and historians. They likely met in the early 1780s, and even though Mozart was 24 years younger, they became good friends. That they held each other in high esteem is evident from letters from the time. Moreover, Mozart borrowed extensively from Haydn (a common practice called "quoting") and mimicked his more conservative style while adding innovative techniques and elements. Haydn of course would have known about this, and by all accounts welcomed it. He regularly praised Mozart's talent and frequently called him the greatest composer he knew.
3. Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland
Another friendship that began with more of a mentor/mentee model, Bernstein and Copland first met when Bernstein was a young student at Harvard and Copland was already an established composer. Throughout Bernstein's early career, as he worked to establish himself as the great conductor, composer, and musician we now remember him as, letters of recommendation and good words from Copland helped secure him spots in many of the country's top programs. In turn, Bernstein championed Copland's music, and in 1989 he led a concert by the New York Philharmonic devoted to Copland's music. Bernstein was chosen to speak at Copland's Kennedy Center Honors ceremony when Copland was named an honoree in 1979. The two men died just a couple of months apart from each other in 1990.
4. Pauline Viardot and Frédéric Chopin
Viardot, a celebrated French mezzo-soprano formed a friendship with Chopin after they met as guests of George Sand at his family's château in central France. Viardot regularly played duets with Chopin to entertain the other guests, and she studied his works with him. From her, Chopin learned more about the voice as a musical instrument, and gained first-hand knowledge of Spanish music (Viardot was of Spanish descent). Their relationship was based on mutual admiration, and their collaborations and discussions elevated each of their musical areas. Viardot sang a movement of Mozart's Requiem at Chopin's funeral in 1849.
5. Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály
Bartók and Kodály were both Hungarian composers and ethnomusicologists who met in the early 1900s when they worked together to collect Magyar (ethnic Hungarian) folk tunes. They each championed the other's compositions and they were both invested in music education for children (see Bartók's Pieces for Children and Kodály's pedagogical contributions to children's music education). Their friendship lasted through two world wars and the rise and fall of Nazi Germany until Bartók's death in 1945.
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