Some of the most beautiful classical music you’ve ever heard may have had direct ties to mental illness, and you probably did not even realize it.
For example, it’s common knowledge that Beethoven was deaf, but it’s wrongly assumed that he was also a cranky curmudgeon and something of a misanthrope.
In fact, Beethoven’s letters show that he was a gentle, kind man who felt tremendously isolated and lonely from his hearing loss and how it cut him off from society.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, best known for Swan Lake, the Nutcracker, and the 1812 Overture, is now understood to have been a homosexual at a time when homosexuality was not permitted in society.
Homosexuality is of course not a mental illness, but Tchaikovsky was likely coping with anxiety and depression trying to navigate a world that would not have made his true self feel welcome.
These stories are just some of the many found in We All Have A Story, a recent reissue of his 1986 book Bach, Beethoven and the Boys that was done exclusively for High Notes Avante to promote mental health awareness.
““I think classical music still does have this reputation as being kind of stuffy and unapproachable and very serious,” said David. “What I’m hoping is that it made it more approachable and less daunting, less intimidating.”
A music historian by training, David had initially trained in the ‘classical’ musical education of learning names and dates and cities etc., but when he learned more about the composers themselves he learned that there was much more to the story.
In his undergraduate studies, David was required to do deep research on a composer, and he picked Franz Joseph Haydn. In his research, he learned that Haydn’s wife used his manuscripts to line her cake pans and curl her hair, suggesting that she was underwhelmed by the magnitude of his work.
While David noted his professor penalized him for being “too distracted by the non-essentials,” David realized that he was onto something.
David sees the book as fulfilling two purposes. On the one hand, it shows that there are individuals touched by mental illness in every area of history, and how some of our most revered musicians went through true struggles.
It also shows that ordinary people can do extraordinary things, said David. When you see a great composer’s laundry list, you learn that these individuals were more than just their sheet music – they were relatively average aside from their musical talents.
In David’s words, he’s trying to “make classical music less stuffy, and more enjoyable.” While he enjoys telling the stories behind the composers, he’s also advocating for the lesser-known composers, such as female composers and composers of colour that are too often ignored by history.
David also notes the strong connection that these composers had to their own mental health. While he’s said he wishes that there were more mental health supports available to them in their time, he also noted that that may have ultimately changed the music.
“For some of them music was their way of coping with the stress and anxiety that they had,” said David.
We All Have A Story, with an introduction by High Notes Avante founder Ingrid Taheri, is available from High Notes directly or on Amazon, with a portion of all proceeds going directly towards High Notes’ mental health support such as our free music lessons.