# Classical composers adept at instrument(s) besides keyboard?



## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

We know that many composers used a piano while composing, and we know that some could handle organ and harpsichord. I'll bet there were a few string players. Anybody we know of good on woodwind, brass or percussion?


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Sibelius and Respighi come to mind as violinists. Paganini is too easy, so I will not name him here.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Bernhard Crusell, likely the top composer of Finland before Sibelius, was a good clarinet player.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Mozart could play viola. R. Strauss' father was a horn player (shows in his music) -- whether he passed that on, I don't know. Hindemith was an accomplished violist, Koussevitsky a virtuoso double bass player . . .


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## timh (Nov 14, 2014)

Holst played the trombone professionally.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Strange Magic said:


> Sibelius and Respighi come to mind as violinists. Paganini is too easy, so I will not name him here.


And of course Vivaldi.

Before keyboards became fashionable, composers played things like lute, I would guess. Dowland comes to mind. And of course Weiss.

As far as I remember, Beethoven could play violin, and a bit of horn. Haydn also played violin, or viola at times. Neither of the two were virtuosi at the instrument, but could hold their own in an ensemble.

I recently read that Telemann could play recorder, hence perhaps the many works he wrote for the instrument. I have seen a photo of Britten playing a recorder duet with Peter Pears. Not sure if they could really play or just blow tunes.

As mentioned in another thread, Berlioz was a good guitarist (as were, of course, all those guitarist-composers like Sor, Giuliani, Mertz etc.)

Dvorak wasn't a pianist. I can't remember which instrument he did play. Perhaps he was a violinist?

Wagner was a brilliant egoist.

I'm told Ravi Shankar could play the sitar. But he doesn't count, of course.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

brianvds said:


> Dvorak wasn't a pianist. I can't remember which instrument he did play. Perhaps he was a violinist?


Dvorak started a career as an organist early in life. He also took piano and violin lessons.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Theremin played the theremin.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Since I didn't mention Paganini, I will also not mention Tartini, though his music gives me a trill.

I will mention Ernest Bloch for violin.


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## ido66667 (Aug 29, 2016)

J. S. Bach played the Violin and Viola da Gamba unprofessionally. It is also known that he sang in Choir at Lüneburg.
I will join in and not mention that Paganini was also good at the Guitar.


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

Hindemith was a proficient violist/violinist who formed his own quartet in the early 1920s playing the former. Franz Schmidt and Jacques Offenbach were both cellists - the latter was considered to be an especially fine player.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Mozart was supposedly a fine violinist in addition to his renowned keyboard prowess.


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## cimirro (Sep 6, 2016)

brianvds said:


> Wagner was a brilliant egoist.


Ha-ha! True, that was his favorite instrument!


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## Orpheus (Jul 15, 2012)

Villa-Lobos was a skilled cellist and guitarist, and concentrated mainly on these two instruments in his youth (first cello, then guitar). I remember hearing that his father actually forbade him from playing piano for several years - judging by his sizeable later output of piano work, he must have later caught up on what he missed, though I don't know how far this translated into actual performance skills. He also learned the clarinet at some stage - he seems to have been quite the multi-instrumentalist!

I believe that Paganini used the guitar as his main compositional tool, when composing music besides the violin parts. Presumably its wide range and chordal capabilities made it particularly suitable for this, since he was already an able player. 

Dvořák was a capable keyboard player, having studied piano and organ intensively in his youth, and also played the violin; however he ended up specializing in the viola, and earned his living mainly as a professional violist until the age of about 30 (if memory serves) when he began moving into conducting and composition.


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## schzt (Mar 15, 2017)

Arcangelo Corelli


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Berlioz could play guitar, flute, and he sang in a choir professionally for a while.


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