Think you know everything there is to know about music? Prepare to be blown away as we take a look at some of the most interesting, unbelievable facts about musicians and the music industry!
1. Classical music facts - piano tension;
The tension of the 230-odd strings in a grand piano exert a combined force of 20 tonnes on the cast iron frame.
2. Schumann's fingers;
Robert Schumann would often plunge his hands into the entrails of a slaughtered animal to heal his ailments.
3. Haydn's skull;
There are two skulls in Haydn’s tomb. His head was stolen by phrenologists and a replacement skull was put in his tomb. In 1954, the real skull was restored but the substitute was not removed.
4. Risotto;
Rossini wrote the aria ‘Di tanti palpiti’ while waiting for some risotto in a Venice restaurant.
5. Violin;
A single violin is made from over 70 individual pieces of wood.
6. Don Giovanni;
According to his boasts, Don Giovanni seduced 1001 Spanish, 640 Italian, 231 German, 100 French, and 91 Turkish women.
7. Leonard Warren;
Baritone Leonard Warren died on stage at The Met in 1960 just as he had finished singing Verdi's 'Morir, Tremenda Cosi' ('To Die, a Momentous Thing').
8. Dogfish;
Dogfish skin was often used in the 18th century to sand violins.
9. Nellie Melba;
Soprano Dame Nellie Melba died from a skin infection after an unsuccessful facelift operation.
10. Chicken on cellist;
During a performance of Boris Godunov at Sydney Opera House, a chicken fell off the stage and onto a cellist.
11. Expensive costume;
The most expensive opera costume of all time was worn by Adelina Patti at Covent Garden in 1895. It was worth £15 million.
Weird Music History
“Bohemian Rhapsody” is the Most-Streamed Song From the 20th Century
If you had to guess which song released in the 20th Century was the most-streamed, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” might be an obvious choice–but it would also be the right one! Originally released in 1975, it reached the top spot on the UK charts for the first that same year. And then, following the unfortunate death of Freddy Mercury, it reached the top again in 1991. Its popularity and place in popular culture has only grown in the 30+ years since then, reaching over 2.5 billion streams on Spotify alone.
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