Our greatest connection to a composer is through his music. And as a lot of the music we listen to is so exceptional, it is easy to imagine that the person who created it is also entirely exceptional. While there is no doubt they would have had exceptional musical talent and artistic insight, this almost makes it impossible for us to look at the other parts of their personality and life. Here is a rare photo collection of some famous composers showing some interesting aspects of their day-to-day activities.
Igor Stravinski rocking a speedo.
Leonard Bernstein going for a swim in Israel.
Paul Hindemith at an early age playing with a toy carriage.
Pierre Boulez and Simon Rattle chatting at a party in 1989.
Samuel Barber smoking under a tree.
Antonín Dvořák having a picnic with his family.
Camille Saint-Saëns wearing some fancy pajamas.
Igor Stravinsky having breakfast.
Olivier Messiaen with his son, Pascal.
Sergei Prokofiev playing chess against violinist David Oistrakh with violinist Liza Gilels watching.
Ennio Morricone playing some ping-pong.
Gian Carlo Menotti walking his dog in the rain.
John Corigliano having a beer with an eland.
Béla Bartók looking trim.
Zoltán Kodály playing with his children.
Giuseppe Verdi at a garden party surrounded by friends.
John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen flying a cartoon plane.
Erik Satie having a drink.
Krzysztof Penderecki doing yardwork.
Richard Strauss playing cards.
Arvo Pärt and Alfred Schnittke reenact their high school yearbook photos.
Heitor Villa-Lobos playing billiards.
Manuel de Falla checking out a menu.
Giacomo Puccini at the Brooklyn Bridge.
Benjamin Britten playing tennis.
John Philip Sousa reading daily news.
Jules Massenet petting his dog.
Anton Webern bowling.
Claude Debussy holding an umbrella on a beach.
Morton Feldman playing cards on a train.
Duke Ellington playing baseball.
Dmitri Shostakovich showing off his billiard skills.
Aaron Copland eating an ice cream cone.
Gustav Mahler at a party.
Johannes Brahms having a picnic with violinist Marie Soldat and a couple other ladies.
Ruth Crawford Seeger chopping wood on a beach with Carl Sandburg.
Theodor Adorno at the beach.
Arnold Schoenberg and Winfried Zillig rocking one piece bathing suits.
Edward Elgar smoking a cigarette with his dog Marco.
George Gershwin painting a picture of Arnold Schoenberg.
Jean Sibelius having an afternoon tea.
Tchaikovsky with his family.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky properly dressed for winter.
György Ligeti pouring water on Pierre-Laurent Aimard on a train.
Very Very interesting! Thank you