Buzz
Through my years of reading and research, I've come across fascinating and peculiar stories about the greatest classical composers, especially those who met their untimely ends in unusual and tragic ways. Since this site often focuses on the oddities of human history, I felt it fitting to share some of the most shocking deaths of some of the world's greatest composers. Some of the individuals mentioned are lesser-known, yet their stories provide intriguing material. I would also like to note that several composers on this list attempted suicide and/or spent their final years in asylums. Given that suicide is an unnatural cause of death and being confined to an asylum is hardly where one would wish to breathe their last, I think it’s important to include these cases. The list is in no specific order, and musical examples are provided where available. I apologize if some of the pieces featured aren't the ones I would have preferred, but I had to rely on what was available on YouTube. Many of these composers are quite obscure, so the selection was limited.
10. Charles-Henri Valentin Alkan 1813-1888
Charles-Henri Valentin Alkan (born Charles-Henri Morhange) was one of the most celebrated piano virtuosos of his era and of Jewish heritage. A true prodigy, he entered the Paris Conservatoire at the tender age of 6, achieving many accolades during his youth. He later formed close relationships with notable figures like Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, George Sand, and Victor Hugo. Alkan was revered by his peers as one of the greatest pianists, and as a result, his compositions were almost exclusively for the piano. He was also known for his eccentricities and hypersensitivity. At the peak of his career, a series of events, including his failure to secure the position of head of the piano department at the Conservatoire and the death of Chopin, led him to retreat from public life. He no longer performed and became reclusive. Alkan spent much of his time studying the Bible and the Talmud. For many years, it was believed that he died while reaching for a Talmud book on a high shelf, causing the shelf to fall and crush him. However, this theory was recently debunked after a letter from his concierge surfaced, revealing that Alkan was found in his kitchen, possibly having fainted from a stroke or heart attack, and passed away later that night at the age of 74.
9. Jean-Marie Leclair 1697-1764
Leclair, another celebrated virtuoso of his time, was one of the most prominent violinists in 18th-century Europe. He composed one opera, 48 violin sonatas, and numerous chamber works. After the untimely death of his first wife, he remarried, but this second marriage ended in separation in 1758. Leclair was forced to settle in a modest apartment in a rough Parisian neighborhood, and in 1764, he was tragically found stabbed to death at his home. His death has always been surrounded by mystery, though it was believed that his estranged wife may have been involved for financial gain. His nephew, Guillaume-François Vial, was suspected, but according to my research, he was never arrested or put on trial.
8. Jean-Baptiste Lully 1632-1687
Staying within the Baroque era, Lully (born Lulli in Florence) was Louis XIV’s favorite composer and the leading musician at his court. Lully was not only a composer but also a dancer and violinist, known for his numerous ballets, operas, and incidental music for Molière’s comedies. He is considered the founder of French opera and played a key role in shaping what would later become Romantic French Grand Opera (with Rossini being considered the founder through his opera 'Guillaume Tell'). This included integrating ballet music, faster plot developments, expanded orchestration, and a revolutionary fusion of recitatives and arias. Lully was also famous for his many sexual exploits, with rumors persisting for centuries of a secret affair with the Sun King. In January 1687, during a performance of his 'Te Deum' celebrating Louis XIV's recovery, Lully accidentally struck his foot with the sharp end of his conducting staff. The injury became gangrenous, and despite refusing amputation, Lully ultimately died on March 22 of that year.
7. Alessandro Stradella 1644-1682
Alessandro Stradella, whose life and death inspired an opera by Friedrich von Flotow, was one of the great early Baroque composers of Italy. A precursor to composers like Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi, Stradella was renowned for his operas, oratorios, cantatas, and church chamber music. His success was remarkable, particularly given the Vatican's ban on secular musical works such as opera. This led Stradella to become a pioneer in the oratorio and cantata forms, as these Biblical works were considered acceptable. However, Stradella’s personal life was full of intrigue. In 1677, he was hired by a powerful Venetian nobleman to tutor his mistress, and the two began a passionate affair. Once exposed, Stradella fled, but the nobleman hired assassins to eliminate him. Stradella escaped this attempt, but later, in Genoa, another affair led to his tragic death. He was pursued through the streets of Genoa by a hired assassin who ultimately caught up with him and fatally stabbed him.
6. Bedřich Smetana 1824-1884
Beethoven’s hearing loss occurred gradually over time, but Smetana’s was abrupt, happening within a few weeks after enduring intense tinnitus for many years. Suffering from a constant high-pitched sound in his ears, he lost his hearing completely in a short period. A gifted and nationalistic Czech composer, Smetana is renowned for his operas, his monumental orchestral suite Ma Vlast (My Country), and several chamber works. One of his most famous compositions is his first String Quartet, ‘From My Life,’ where each movement portrays a significant moment in his life, including the onset of his deafness. His musical style was groundbreaking, drawing deeply from Czech folk music, dance rhythms, and the country’s myths and fairytales.
Like many other prominent Czech composers, Smetana faced great challenges in gaining recognition, often thwarted by rivals in Bohemian musical circles. His professional struggles, compounded by his deafness, had a toll on his mental health. Additionally, personal tragedy struck early as three of his four children from his first marriage and his first wife had passed away by the time he was 35. Smetana remarried and had two more children with his second wife. In 1882, a stroke-seizure left him unable to compose, but he continued to push himself to complete his final opera. However, the mental strain ultimately led to a breakdown, and he spent his final months in the Prague Insane Asylum, where he died from progressive paralysis, possibly as a result of syphilis.
5. Hugo Wolf 1860-1903
Hugo Wolf, a German composer known for his extensive and prolific song writing, led a life marked by eccentricities and emotional turmoil. A child prodigy, he excelled in piano, violin, and composition, but his rebellious temperament, frequent mood swings, and struggles with depression hindered his progress, causing him to be expelled from several musical institutions. Despite this, he was supported by wealthy patrons who recognized his musical genius. Wolf, influenced heavily by Richard Wagner’s music and compositional style, focused mainly on songs for voice and piano, preferring smaller works over large-scale compositions. His passion for poetry was immense, and he dedicated himself to setting poems that had been largely ignored by other composers. When he did reuse texts already set to music, it was because he believed other composers had failed to do justice to the words. Wolf was known for his sharp criticisms of works he deemed inferior, including those by Anton Rubinstein and Johannes Brahms, although his time as a critic left little time for his own compositions.
From 1888 to 1892, Hugo Wolf was at his peak as a composer, producing his most famous song cycles, including the Mörike-Lieder, Eichendorff-Lieder, Goethe-Lieder, as well as the Spanish and Italian Songbooks. During this period, his talents gained widespread recognition. However, in early 1897, signs of mental instability appeared, largely brought on by syphilis, and he eventually ceased composing altogether. In a desperate moment, he attempted suicide before entering an insane asylum, where he lived in complete mental decline until his death. An interesting aspect of his life is his affair with Melanie, the wife of his close friend and patron, Heinrich Köchert. The affair became public but Heinrich continued to remain friends with Wolf. Melanie, deeply devastated by both Wolf’s death and her infidelity, tragically took her own life in 1906.
4. Ernest Chausson 1855-1899
Ernest Chausson, the composer behind the beloved Poème for Violin and Orchestra, along with numerous songs and orchestral works, met an untimely death in a bizarre accident. Born into a wealthy family, he initially pursued a career in law, but his dissatisfaction with that path led him to turn to music at the age of 25. Chausson studied under the renowned Jules Massenet at the Paris Conservatoire, and his compositions evolved into deeply dramatic, poetic, and emotionally charged works, heavily influenced by Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms, and César Franck. He was the first to incorporate the Celeste into orchestral music, an instrument later popularized by Tchaikovsky in the “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” from The Nutcracker ballet. Although not highly prolific, Chausson’s works are still performed regularly. He also served as the secretary for the Société Nationale de Musique and forged close relationships with the leading figures of Paris’s musical and artistic circles. His love for Russian literature and French Impressionist art further shaped his creative output. At 44, while cycling near his Limay estate, he lost control on a downhill slope and crashed into a brick wall, dying instantly.
3. Anton von Webern 1883-1945
Anton von Webern, an influential Austrian composer known for his role in developing Serialism, met an unfortunate end. Webern studied at the Vienna University under Arnold Schoenberg, where he also became acquainted with Alban Berg. Together, these three composers helped establish Serialism, a mathematically structured compositional method based on the 12-Tone Technique, where each of the 12 chromatic notes of the Western scale is used in a specific order, avoiding tonal centers to create a more atonal sound. Among them, Webern pushed Serialism furthest, reaching what is known as Total Serialism. His music, characterized by its highly structured, dissonant nature, remains controversial and has not been widely embraced by many listeners.
Initially, Webern was outspoken in private against the Nazi regime, who labeled his music as ‘degenerate.’ However, as World War II progressed, he shifted his stance and became a supporter of Adolf Hitler. Despite this, he struggled to make a living as a composer, as his work was considered too radical for widespread appreciation. Towards the end of the war, Webern moved to Salzburg to ensure his safety. One evening, not wanting to disturb his sleeping grandchildren, he left his home to enjoy a cigar, unaware that a curfew had been imposed by the Allied occupying forces. As he lit his cigar, he was shot and killed by an American soldier, who mistook his action for a threat. Webern was 61 years old when he was killed on 15 September 1945. The soldier, deeply troubled by the incident, turned to alcohol and died from alcoholism ten years later.
2. Enrique Granados 1867-1916
Enrique Granados, best known for his piano suite Goyescas and its accompanying opera, was a Spanish composer with a nationalistic flair. His music was infused with the essence of Spain’s culture, and he drew significant inspiration from the works of painter Francisco Goya, often modeling his own artistic style after Goya’s. Granados led a relatively successful life, though it ended in tragedy. The premiere of his opera was initially canceled in Europe due to the onset of World War I, but it was later successfully premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He was invited by President Woodrow Wilson to perform a piano recital at the White House, but in the process, he and his wife missed their boat back to Spain. Instead, they took a ship to England and boarded the French ferry Sussex for passage to France.
On March 24, 1916, as they crossed the English Channel, the Sussex was struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat. Granados, who had a lifelong fear of water, tragically drowned after jumping out of his lifeboat in a desperate attempt to save his wife, Amparo, who also drowned. Ironically, the section of the ship where Granados’s cabin was located did not sink, and the passengers in that part of the boat survived the attack.
1. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the most famous and widely recognized composer on this list, remains an enduring figure in music. A Russian composer whose works still shape our world today, Tchaikovsky struggled with the public exposure of his homosexuality. He forced himself into unhappy relationships with women, even marrying briefly, but the union ended without a divorce. In 1877, he met Nadezhda von Meck, a wealthy widow who became his patron and, in a way, his emotional soulmate. Despite their close bond, she insisted they never meet in person. The two exchanged over 1000 letters, offering a window into Tchaikovsky’s personality and the emotional difficulties he faced, until she severed their correspondence in 1890, citing bankruptcy. This severance was a devastating blow to him as she had provided both financial and emotional stability.
After years of traveling and composing throughout Europe, Tchaikovsky’s life ended mysteriously, just nine days after the premiere of his deeply personal and autobiographical 6th Symphony, the Pathétique. The exact cause of his death remains unclear. For years, it was believed he succumbed to cholera, with numerous ‘eyewitness’ accounts describing him drinking a fatal sip of un-boiled water. However, it’s speculated that Tchaikovsky may have been involved in an illicit relationship with a young nobleman or royal, whom he was tutoring at the time. This sparked a Court of Honor held by alumni from the School of Jurisprudence, where the potential punishments discussed included exile from Russia (which Tchaikovsky could not bear) or suicide, with a cover-up. Most widely accepted today is that Tchaikovsky was pressured into taking his own life to protect both his and the school’s reputation, but the true circumstances will likely remain a mystery.
3. Antonio Salieri 1750-1825
Antonio Salieri, often remembered through the lens of the movie *Amadeus*, is portrayed as the villain who worked Mozart to death and ended up in an insane asylum as a result. However, the real Salieri, far from the dramatic figure depicted in the film, was a prolific and respected composer. He composed over 50 operas, numerous sacred works, concertos, sonatas, chamber music, and more than 100 arias and scenes that were incorporated into other composers’ operas. His success in Europe was unparalleled, and for 36 years, he served as the Royal and Imperial Kapellmeister in the Viennese court. Salieri was also a sought-after teacher of harmony, counterpoint, and prosody, with notable students including Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Carl Czerny, Franz Schubert, Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Franz Xaver Süssmayr, the true composer who completed Mozart’s *Requiem*, not Salieri.
There is little evidence to support the notorious feud between Salieri and Mozart. In reality, the two composers were quite friendly, and Mozart even entrusted his children to Salieri’s care upon his death. Salieri also tutored Mozart’s son, Franz Xaver, and did all he could to assist Mozart’s widow in clearing her debts and ensuring her comfort until she remarried. Moreover, the two composers collaborated on a cantata (now lost) that was published, and Salieri even conducted some of Mozart’s works after arranging performances for them.
