genius composers prank too...

[Preston]

I heard something funny that Brahms once said on the radio not that long ago. So I was thinking it may not be a bad idea to have a thread about some of the pranks the master's did?

For instance, the thing Brahms said was something like this:

Brahms went over to an aristocrats house where he was having a small dinner party.

The aristocrat pulled out one of his finest bottles of wine and said to Brahms, "this is the Brahms of wine". He then poured Brahms a glass.

Brahms swished the wine around in his mouth, surely, enjoying the taste.

Then he told the aristocrat- "WELL LET ME TRY YOUR BEETHOVEN"!!!

LOL!

[Michael]

I can't remember the details, but I read somewhere of a prank that was played on Beethoven himself. I think it was some disgruntled musician whom Beethoven had offended (as was his wont). To get revenge, this musician wrote to B about a wonderful new invention: a lamp for the blind. Poor Beethoven kept telling all his friends about this until he realised he had been conned.

[Michael]

I heard something funny that Brahms once said on the radio not that long ago.

Preston, you actually heard Brahms speaking on the radio?

[Preston]

LOL! Bad grammar on my part!

[Preston]

Got another one. Schikaneder was playing Papageno during a performance of The Magic Flute. While he was supposedly playing the harpsichord on stage, Mozart. who was really playing the harpsichord off stage suddenly stopped. This left Schikaneder humiliated and Mozart full of laughs!

[Michael]

LOL! Bad grammar on my part!

Now I think of it, I do have a recording somewhere of Brahms actually speaking. It was a sort of history of recorded sound and included some of the very early cylinder recordings. Brahms says a few words like: "I am Johannes Brahms" in German and I remember he sounded very harsh and difficult to make out due to the background noise.
Anyway, sorry for changing topic.

[Hofrat]

Brahms was a notorious prankster. Here is a prank he played on Gustav Nottebolm, the music scholar who researched Beethoven's sketchbooks. Brahms got a piece of very old music paper and jotted down on it using Beethoven's handwriting a popular tune from the 1880's. He gave the paper to a street vender who sold hot sausages. Later in the evening, Brahms and Nottebolm were walking and Brahm offered to buy Nottebolm a hot sausage. The vendor wraps the sausage in the "Beethoven MS" and hands it to Nottebolm. Brahms split a gut watching Nottebolm try to extradict the sausage from the "MS."

[Peter]

Erik Satie has to be the most eccentric prankster of them all. here is an excerpt from his 'Memoirs of an amnesic'.

An artist must regulate his life.

Here is a time-table of my daily acts. I rise at 7.18; am inspired from 10.23 to 11.47. I lunch at 12.11 and leave the table at 12.14. A healthy ride on horse-back round my domain follows from 13.19 to 14.53. Another bout of inspiration from 15.12-16.07. From 1621-18.47 various occupations (fencing, reflection, immobility, visits, contemplation, dexterity, natation, etc.)

Dinner is served at 19.16 and finished at 19.20 pm. From 20.09 to 21.59 symphonic readings (out loud). I go to bed regularly at 22.37. Once a week (on Tuesdays) I awake with a start at 3.19 am.

My only nourishment consists of food that is white: eggs, sugar, shredded bones, the fat of dead animals, veal, salt, coco-nuts, chicken cooked in white water, mouldy fruit, rice, turnips, sausages in camphor, pastry, cheese (white varieties), cotton salad, and certain kinds of fish (without their skin). I boil my wine and drink it cold mixed with the juice of the Fuschia. I have a good appetite but never talk when eating for fear of strangling myself.

I breathe carefully (a little at a time) and dance very rarely. When walking I hold my ribs and look steadily behind me.

My expression is very serious; when I laugh it is unintentional, and I always apologise very politely.

I sleep with only one eye closed, very profoundly. My bed is round with a hole in it for my head to go through. Every hour a servant takes my temperature and gives me another.

I have subscribed for many years to a fashion magazine. I wear a white cap, white stockings, and a white waistcoat.
My doctor has always told me to smoke. He adds to his advice: "You should smoke, my friend: for if you don't, someone else will smoke in your place."

[Peter]

Some more Satie - a selection of interpretation markings in his scores.

Be an hour late.
Behave yourself, please: a monkey is watching you.
Be visible for a moment.
Breathe.
Do not cough.
Do not look disagreeable.
Do not torment yourself.
Do not sweat.
Flat on the floor.
Even duller if you can.
Have a drink.
In a very peculiar manner.
Lacquered like a chinaman.
Look like a fraud.
On the tips of your back teeth.
Shake yourself.
Take your hand off and put it in your pocket.
Turn pale.
Winking.
Without your fingers blushing.
With your head between your hands.

[Michael]

Satie sounds like he'd be quite at home in this forum, Peter.

[Roehre]

Well, let's return to Brahms then:

Brahms' usual habit at parties and other public meetings was to disagree or even offend people.
Quite often as he left such a meeting he would say or shout: "If there is someone left whom I haven't offended, please accept my sincere apologies"

[Roehre]

Hello JLvB56, nice to see you here. Your description of Brahms' behaviour at parties and so on seems curiously close to my own. I do hope the reason for his outbursts was not related to the plastic arts (see passim).

Thanks Philip.