4 Many observers equated this disease with a Faustian bargain embraced by musical savants: a life of intense emotion and experience, followed by dissolution and death. (Photo by Louis-Auguste Bisson, 1849)Ī contagion similarly weighted with symbolic significance, syphilis afflicted a number of composers, including Donizetti, Schubert, Schumann, Smetana and Joplin. ![]() His facial features and posture suggest a long-standing pulmonary illness. This photograph of Frederic Chopin was taken in 1849, shortly before his death at age 39. 9 Many critics have seen his health troubles reflected in the delicacy and turbulence of his piano works. 8 Frederic Chopin’s (1810–1849) (figure 1 ▶) prolonged illness and death has generally been attributed to tuberculosis (though some modern writers suggest cystic fibrosis or another congenital bronchiectatic disorder). Tuberculosis, the condition of poets and heroines of Italian opera, was associated in the public mind with penury and artistic sensitivity, both of which musicians and poets (such as Keats and Shelley) typically possessed in spades. ![]() ![]() 5 – 7 In truth, many prominent composers of the 18 th and 19 th centuries led disordered lives punctuated by financial instability, romantic turmoil, and alcohol overuse, often leading to health crises. For instance, speculation about the death of Mozart, who may have died young from the consequences of rheumatic fever, and of Beethoven, a possible victim of syphilis, have led to a virtual cottage industry of medical detective writing. The medical histories of famous musicians have long been fodder for scrutiny and discussion, with the unorthodox nature of the artistic life often the focus. The Hectic Lives and Early Deaths of Classical Icons Comparison of the first two groups will illustrate how the infectious risk declined as orchestral music reached maturity in the last century, while an examination of jazz and rock musicians will show how new forms of artistic expression have engendered new risks. To illustrate the evolution of infectious diseases among musicians of the 20 th century, I have arbitrarily chosen musicians from four distinct periods: classical musicians who died before 1900, classical composers of the 20 th century, mid-century jazz innovators and rock’ n ’roll mavericks of the late 20 th century. Nevertheless, I feel that important conclusions can be drawn based upon anecdotes and observation. Moreover, though a highly objective statistical analysis would be ideal, the ambiguity of medical diagnoses in the historical record, and the difficulty of defining appropriate cohorts for study and comparison make a quantitative study of these infectious cycles virtually impossible. In reviewing this phenomenon, I have chosen primarily to focus on Western-based musicians and composers (while recognizing the importance of these issues, particularly HIV/AIDS, among musicians in the developing world). Again and again, as new musical forms have surfaced, innovative artists have pursued unorthodox lifestyles that put them at risk for lethal pathogens. However, infectious risks did not disappear, but instead reappeared several times since 1900 as waves of mini-epidemics linked to cycles of substance abuse and other risky behavior. Thus, by the middle of the 20 th century the titans of modern orchestral music, among them Copland, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Bernstein, lived comfortably and succumbed to diseases of old age, such as emphysema and cancer. Coincidentally, during this time the financial insecurity and chaotic lifestyle often experienced by earlier composers evolved into a more bourgeois predictability. 3 Beginning in the mid-1800’s, improved sanitation, vaccinations, and eventually antibiotics led to a steady decline in the incidence of life-threatening infections among the public at large, 4 and the average life expectancy increased 28 years over the next century. Indeed, the toll of contagious illnesses on the health of such luminaries as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven is well known. ![]() Baroque and classical musicians often died of infection, at a rate similar to that of their peers. The interplay between music and infectious diseases is long and complex. Moreover, these deaths, along with those of other well-known artists, raised provocative questions about the relationship between art and illness. 1, 2 His death, along with the demise two years earlier of film star Rock Hudson, focused public attention on the growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in a way that mere statistics and scientific reports could never have done. On February 4, 1987, the flamboyant pianist Liberace died at age 68 of cytomegalovirus infection associated with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |