# Bespectacled composers & musicians



## Sid James

Here's a totally useless thread - unless maybe you're an optometrist Speaking of which, I was just walking past a local optometrist who had some old LP covers of guys like Buddy Holly & Roy Orbison in the window. Here's them & a few more I could think of. It's hard to imagine these people without their glasses! Feel free to add your own favourites & of course it's not limited to just classical musicians & composers...

*Buddy Holly*










*Roy Orbison*









*
Aaron Copland*









*
Nana Mouskouri*










*Dizzy Gillespie*


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## Webernite

*Shostakovich*










Beat that


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## Sid James

The roundness of Shosty's specs reminded me of *John Lennon's* "granny glasses" -


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## Almaviva

Oh well, useless thread or not, I'm kind of relieved to see a benign thread here, after what we've been through for the last couple of days...:lol:


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## Sid James

Almaviva said:


> Oh well, useless thread or not, I'm kind of relieved to see a benign thread here, after what we've been through for the last couple of days...:lol:


Maybe we'll get into fights here about whether say Roy Orbison's or Shosty's specs are "coolest." There might be some very hardcore fashionistas out there waiting to pounce on this thread!!!


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900), English composer who wore the old monocle. :lol:


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## Art Rock




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## Art Rock




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## Couchie




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## Meaghan

Art Rock said:


>


 Schubert's specs look a little upside-down.










Mahler's look kind of broken.


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## Sid James

> Mahler's look kind of broken.


*Offenbach* had the same style...


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## Weston

John Kay (of Steppenwolf) was never without his glasses in the 1960's, though these days he gets by fine without them.









Mstislav Rostropovich









The latter day Geddy Lee.









Sometimes Mahler.








[Phooey! Meaghan beat me to it.]

And of course the original architects of heavy metal, Ozzy and Argus' avatar went from being spectacles to bespectacled.


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## peeyaj

@Art Rock

Thanks for the pic. Here's more..

*Young Schubert with glasses *










*Another pic with glasses *










*Franz without glasses! *


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## Sid James

Weston said:


> And of course the original architects of heavy metal, Ozzy and Argus' avatar went from being *spectacles* to *bespectacled*...


Good one:tiphat:


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## Couchie

Bach in his oft-seen Wayfarers.


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## elgar's ghost

When one pair just won't do...


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## Almaviva

I think the conclusion is that the better your ears, the worse your eyes.:lol:


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## Delicious Manager

I don't think we've had Prokofiev yet.


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## Delicious Manager

Or Messiaen.


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## Art Rock

NZ's best composer, Douglas Lilburn:


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## Art Rock

Zemlinsky:


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## Art Rock

This is addictive...
Penderecki


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## Delicious Manager

Some more who occurred to me:

Berio (in Peter Sellars mode)










John Adams










Milhaud










Gennadi Rozhdestvensky


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## Argus

Talking shades:


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## Il Seraglio

Georges Bizet








Terry Riley








Susumu Yokota








Mark-Anthony Turnage


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## elgar's ghost

The wonderfully-understated Overlord of Funk, Bootsy Collins.

p.s. Bloody hell - Turnage has piled it on a bit, hasn't he? I thought it was Johnny Vegas at first.


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## Weston

Gunnar de Frumerie, a great underrated accessible 20th century Swedish composer.


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## Il Seraglio

elgars ghost said:


> p.s. Bloody hell - Turnage has piled it on a bit, hasn't he? I thought it was Johnny Vegas at first.


I'm not sure when the picture was taken, but judging by those glasses, 2010 at the earliest.


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## World Violist

I often think that if Bach had gotten glasses earlier in life he would have been more prolific, cutting out the greedy and sadistic middleman known as the dictateer (or, alternately (but no less charmingly)... the dictated).

I can't think of any more, darn it... bespectacled composers and musicians are kinda hard to come by.

Oh, but I have thought of one! Just when I thought all hope was lost and was about the push the "reply" button out of sheer desperation! It's...









No no no, that's not it... hmm...

Oh! It's Pietari Inkinen!


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## mamascarlatti

Andreas Scholl.


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## Polednice

Korsee ......................................................


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## Meaghan

World Violist said:


> I can't think of any more, darn it... bespectacled composers and musicians are kinda hard to come by.


But wait, there's more!










Cesar Cui, the least popular of the Mightly Five. Polednice beat me to posting Rimsky, so I'll settle.










John Philip Sousa, who thought having an army of first clarinets playing high A's was a good idea.


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## Sid James

Some interesting pics here. Some of them I could separate from their specs - eg. Andreas Scholl, wearing the more modern and less heavy specs, almost looks like he has none. It was good to see a picture of Terry Riley, I didn't know how he looked.

Here's some more:

*Dave Brubeck*










*Bill Evans*










*Ray Charles*










*Andre Hodeir* - French jazzman who worked with the likes of legendary drummer Kenny Clarke & also significant theoretician/writer on music, particularly on European/avant-garde jazz.


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## World Violist

Meaghan said:


> Cesar Cui, the least popular of the Mightly Five. Polednice beat me to posting Rimsky, so I'll settle.


His facial hair is no less spectacular, I'll give him that.


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## Sid James

Some more...

*Alfred Brendel*










*Bono*










*John Lee Hooker* (here's to you, stlukesguildohio!!!)


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## Couchie

Erik Satie:


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## Sid James

Another odd trio:

*Warren Zevon*










*Elvis Costello*










*Andre Previn*


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## Huilunsoittaja

Couchie said:


> Erik Satie:


Can't even see his eyes for all the glare!


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## starthrower




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## Il Seraglio

Penderecki








He suits glasses so well, shame he didn't have a better pair.


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## nickgray




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## Il Seraglio

John Shuttleworth, responsible for such fine compositions as "Two Margerines" and "Cake or Biscuit"


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