# Which Composer Had the Most Sublime Death?



## Ian Elliott (Nov 15, 2010)

I have a choice in mind, of course. But I would like to tap into everyone's knowledge of composers' biographies here to see what you come up with. Then I will post my choice.

Ian


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Alkan. Fell under a bookcase and died that evening.

Which, now I think about it, doesn't sound very sublime.


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## jurianbai (Nov 23, 2008)

we have a good choice for the list : http://www.talkclassical.com/11091-one-add-list-composers.html

but please list yours also....


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Mieczysław Karłowicz, died under avalanche in mountains while being in his early 30's. I'm not sure if tons of snow falling on your neck are most pleasing thing that you can feel, but it's not that bad to die in place that one loves so much.

Albéric Magnard had also great death. From wikipedia: _Magnard became a national hero in 1914 when he refused to surrender his property to German invaders and died defending it._

Compared to most of musical deaths there are really beautiful and poetic.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Dvorak's was very peaceful and quick at his home and surrounded by his family.


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## ShyBelgian (Nov 23, 2010)

some more inspiration....

http://listverse.com/2009/05/21/top-10-composers-who-died-unnatural-or-odd-deaths/


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

If any composers died in the saddle, that would seem to eliminate a lot of the competition.


:devil:


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Well, Prokofiev's death wasn't actually sublime, just ironic, but one interesting point is ... I'd like to bet he thought he _wasn't_ actually dying. :O Myaskovsky2002 may understand me.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Louis Vierne died from either a stroke or a heart attack while giving his 1750th organ recital at Notre-Dame de Paris. He died at the organ console, his dead body pushing on the keys continuosly. Like Karlowicz mentioned by Aramis above, he died what he liked doing the most, I guess...


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## charismajc (Nov 14, 2010)

I'm sorry, but I really must say something about choosing the word "sublime" to describe any death. Sure, that notion may exist in art (ie tristan) but for reality, Id use other phrases for those who died well. Perhaps some died honorable deaths, or principled ones. Perhaps they died in the presence of love, surrounded by family and friends. 

To me, the only context in which a death could be described as sublime is in a religious or spiritual context. Maybe the death is the trnasformative event for a person to enter the afterlife. I'm not sure this is what the poster meant though.

I would kindly suggest that this descriptive be replaced with something morer appropriate like interesting, honorable.


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

charismajc said:


> To me, the only context in which a death could be described as sublime is in a religious or spiritual context. Maybe the death is the trnasformative event for a person to enter the afterlife. I'm not sure this is what the poster meant though.


Richard Strauss, when he was dying, said it felt just like the way he described it musically in his piece _Death and Transfiguration_. That is, at least in my opinion, a sublime piece of music, so I guess he died a sublime death.


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## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

charismajc said:


> I'm sorry, but I really must say something about choosing the word "sublime" to describe any death. Sure, that notion may exist in art (ie tristan) but for reality, Id use other phrases for those who died well. Perhaps some died honorable deaths, or principled ones. Perhaps they died in the presence of love, surrounded by family and friends.
> 
> To me, the only context in which a death could be described as sublime is in a religious or spiritual context. Maybe the death is the trnasformative event for a person to enter the afterlife. I'm not sure this is what the poster meant though.
> 
> I would kindly suggest that this descriptive be replaced with something morer appropriate like interesting, honorable.


No, because that would be disrespectful to the thread starter.

OnT: Vierne gets my vote. Quite sublime. Way to go!


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## CageFan (Dec 2, 2010)

Poor Robert Schumann, though his death should not be parallel with a scale of "sublime" in a condition of paralysis and schezophrenia; his Traumerei to Clara but one of the most touching, pure love comfession that I deeply admired. R.I.P. Schumann.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

I wonder if being shot is a sublime death? It would seem to be somewhat of an epiphany anyway, now that I think about it... I'm thinking Anton Webern would be a fair nomination on that criterion...

I agree with Alkan, though. Being burying in centuries of pure knowledge seems a pretty good way to go. At least he had something to keep himself occupied while kicking the bucket.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Webern was martyred because he liked cigars too much ...


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## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

Hilltroll72 said:


> If any composers died in the saddle, that would seem to eliminate a lot of the competition.


*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frantisek_Kotzwara*

Here's the thread on his somewhat embarrassing death:

*http://www.talkclassical.com/11091-one-add-list-composers.html*


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Lully died when his baton fell on his toe which got injured, infected, then there was gangrena, and he died. A fitting death for a composer and conductor...


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Almaviva said:


> Lully died when his baton fell on his toe which got injured, infected, then there was gangrena, and he died. A fitting death for a composer and conductor...


If you want a really sublime ending for a conductor, try Felix Mottl or Joseph Keilberth... both died of heart attacks after Act 2 of Tristan und Isolde.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

That reminds me that conductor Eduard van Beinum died of a heart attack whilst conducting a Brahms symphony (his specialty) in rehearsal...


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## Ian Elliott (Nov 15, 2010)

Interesting, though I agree not quite sublime. Incidentally, the same end occurred to Humayun, the second Mogul emperor.


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## Ian Elliott (Nov 15, 2010)

My choice is Enrique Granados. He overstayed his tour in the U.S. to play a concert for Pres. Wilson and to record some piano rolls. I'll let Wikipedia describe his end:

The delay incurred by accepting the recital invitation caused him to miss his boat back to Spain. Instead, he took a ship to England, where he boarded the passenger ferry Sussex for Dieppe, France. On the way across the English Channel, the Sussex was torpedoed by a German U-boat, as part of the German World War I policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. In a failed attempt to save his wife Amparo, whom he saw flailing about in the water some distance away, Granados jumped out of his lifeboat, and drowned


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## Ian Elliott (Nov 15, 2010)

I'll try posting this again. My choice is Enrique Granados. He overstayed his tour in the U.S. to play a recital for Pres. Wilson and record a few piano rolls. I'll let Wikipedia describe his end:

The delay incurred by accepting the recital invitation caused him to miss his boat back to Spain. Instead, he took a ship to England, where he boarded the passenger ferry Sussex for Dieppe, France. On the way across the English Channel, the Sussex was torpedoed by a German U-boat, as part of the German World War I policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. In a failed attempt to save his wife Amparo, whom he saw flailing about in the water some distance away, Granados jumped out of his lifeboat, and drowned


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese (Jan 8, 2013)

Interesting thread, *Frantisek Kotzwara *wow just like michael hutchinson


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## Klassik (Mar 14, 2017)

EddieRUKiddingVarese said:


> Interesting thread, *Frantisek Kotzwara *wow just like michael hutchinson


It's about time that František Kočvara got some respect around here! 

Alessandro Stradella should be considered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Stradella

Stradella's life inspired two operas. That itself isn't a good thing, but one of the operas caused a then well-known soprano to permanently lose her singing voice. Sure, the real Stradella embezzled money from the Catholic Church, but silencing an operatic soprano should still keep him under consideration for sainthood! :angel:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradella_(Niedermeyer)


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

I'd nominate Albéric Magnard - killed while defending his estate single-handed from a detachment of marauding Uhlans in 1914. Perhaps not sublime in the strictest sense, but there's certainly a romantic heroism in the way he refused to yield up his property, even at the cost of his life.


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