# Historical figures that weren't primarily known for composing music



## humanbean (Mar 5, 2011)

I was reading up on the astronomer William Herschel today and found it rather interesting that the discoverer of Uranus (among other things) also composed 24 symphonies:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Herschel

There are even a few recordings up for sale on Amazon.

Anyone else know of any other historical figures who were not primarily known for composing music?


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Ben Franklin composed a few pieces. One string quartet he wrote with all the strings tuned to a different note so that it could all be played with open strings.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Didn't Henry VIII allegedly write music?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I think* Frederick the Great of Prussia *composed some things, esp. for flute which was his instrument. I've heard them on air, but didn't find them particularly memorable. I think in other ways, apart from music, the guy was a bit of an ****hole, but I think he did do some good things, just that he ruled with quite a bit of an iron fist...

[EDIT - seems the man was also a poet, of the "smutty" variety, article HERE]...


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Dane Rudhyar is mainly known as an astrologer but his music is really interesting, he was inspired by Scriabin and his work sounds like a continuation of the late compositions of the russian musician.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

The 13th century king Alfonso X of Castille - interests included poetry, astronomy, astrology and music composition aside from the usual skills expected of a medieval monarch such as warfare, political chicanery, religious intolerance and all-round ruthlessness though it has to be said that from what little I've read of him indicates that his conduct was considerably restrained bearing in mind the spirit of his age. I gather there is a Naxos disc of his works.


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Nietzsche wrote some pretty forgettable music for piano. Random sample:


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

^^I've got a disc of some of Nietzsche's songs on a disc of songs by others incl. Liszt, Wolf, Poulenc, Satie. I haven't really listened to it many times. I don't remember that music to be terrible, but certainly don't find it particularly memorable...


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Beaumarchais, J.J Rosseau.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

Was Borodin a chemist who composed, or a composer who chemisted?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

^^I think the first, his "day job" was a chemist, he was actually a leader in that field in Russia, maybe even Europe as a whole...


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Sid James said:


> ^^I've got a disc of some of Nietzsche's songs on a disc of songs by others incl. Liszt, Wolf, Poulenc, Satie. I haven't really listened to it many times. I don't remember that music to be terrible, but certainly don't find it particularly memorable...


Okay, Maybe I was unnecessarily harsh. 'Forgettable' is probably a better word. Apparently his songs are better than his piano music.


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## Chris (Jun 1, 2010)

Prince Albert (husband of Victoria)


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Philidor, known as probably the greatest chess genius of the 18th century, was also a composer.


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## GoneBaroque (Jun 16, 2011)

A Ballade attributed to Richard I of England (known as The Lion Heart)


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

George Gurdjeff (sp?), spiritualist and founder of theosophy, wrote some piano pieces that I've heard. From what I remember, they sounded like Rachmaninoff on downers.


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

E.T.A. Hoffmann, best remembered today as a writer, also wrote quite a bit of music. He didn't write the music for the Tales of Hoffmann, though.


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

The _Archduke Trio_, _Hammerklavier Sonata_, _Missa Solemnis_ and eleven other pieces were dedicated by Beethoven to his prize pupil, Archduke Rudolf of Austria. Besides being the son of the emperor Leopold II, Rudolf later became a Cardinal in the Catholic church.

Rudolf also wrote a bit of music - which must have been pretty intimidating, considering who his teacher was. Among his compositions are one of the variations on Diabelli's theme. If this clip is representative of his music, he had some real talent.


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## Dodecaplex (Oct 14, 2011)

Here's Jean-Jacques Rousseau.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Sid James said:


> I think* Frederick the Great of Prussia *composed some things, esp. for flute which was his instrument. I've heard them on air, but didn't find them particularly memorable. I think in other ways, apart from music, the guy was a bit of an ****hole, but I think he did do some good things, just that he ruled with quite a bit of an iron fist...


Just got a disc of J.S. Bach's_ A Musical Offering_, which was written for Frederick the Great. The notes say that the king asked (or demanded? - remember, this guy had an iron fist!) the composer to write and improvise a six voice fugue on the keyboard. This Bach did, but the notes say that this was even stretching his considerable abilities at the keyboard. It looks like absolutism kind of brought out the best and worst of different people attached to these imperial courts. In the case of Bach, it was obviously the former attribute that was enhanced by the king's (nearly unrealistic) demands...


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

Oh, wow, I'd missed this thread. It's weird, for me, because I've always heard the name in radio and have heard his pieces and then when I finally learned the name of the person who discovered the seventh planet out, I just had to confirm that they were the same guy. Indeed, they were one in the same. I think people, in general, did a lot more looking up and around and living off the land and basically were a lot more 'human' all in all back in the day. A day that is long gone.


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