Back in school I heard the story that Haydn wrote the "Surprise Symphony" because he was sick of people sleeping through his music, and wanted to startle them awake. It seems like this was a myth.
From the Wikipedia article:
In Haydn's old age, his biographer Georg August Griesinger asked him whether he wrote this "surprise" to awaken the audience. Haydn replied:
No, but I was interested in surprising the public with something new...
Why do all the cool stories from history end up being made up?
9 Comments
Hildegarde@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 2y
But symphony 45 really was written to resolve a labor dispute. That is true.
Bougie_Birdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 11 pts · 2y
Aw man, in the tenth grade we had to do a music recital and this was the song I chose. Specifically because I knew thirty kids would have to play some music whether they were interested in the course or not, and I thought the whole sleepy thing was a funny bit.
All the cool stories really are made up :(
FullOfBallooons@leminal.space · 9 pts · 2y
Wow, I have such a vivid memory of my elementary school music teacher telling us the exact same story.
delirious_owl@discuss.online · 2 pts · 2y
Throw a citation needed at that bitch
unreachable@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y
i wish someone made up cool stories about my history
southsamurai@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 2y
Hey man, you remember that time we went to vegas and had that shootout with some mob goons, banged fifteen hookers, and rescued dogs from a fighting ring?
Great weekend! We gotta do it again sometime
Plopp@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y
He can't, as he's currently serving a life sentence for selling grannies.
delirious_owl@discuss.online · 3 pts · 2y
Grannies? Like enslaving old women?
pelletbucket@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 2y
it is, however, the reason Emeril Lagasse yells BAM!
apparently he used to be a culinary teacher and he would do it to wake people up.