Some are sweet
while others are scandalous – this month Clef Notes looks at famous love
stories among classical composers. Also be sure to check out a Valentine’s Day
playlist that will post on February 14!
Frederic Chopin was
known to be a very proper man. It’s likely that this is the reason he was
initially turned off by Aurore Dudevant’s pursuits in 1836. Known by her pen
name, George Sand, Dudevant was a strong woman who was known to smoke cigars,
sleep around, and dress in more masculine attire (something not commonly
accepted in the nineteenth century). George Sand was persuasive, however, as
the pair were lovers no more than two years following their initial meeting.
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| George Sand Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Chopin and Sand
spent nine years together, a period that many may consider to be the peak of
the composer’s career. The affair ended as Sand’s two children grew up. The
exact reasons are unclear, but it’s likely that tensions existed between Sand,
Chopin, and the children due to the dysfunctional nature of the home. Chopin
did what he could to love and support the children and when he refused to
accept Sand’s mistreatment of her daughter, the relationship was broken off.
Just a few years later, he died from the tubercular symptoms he’d been battling
for years. It is said that Sand didn’t bother showing up for the funeral.
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| Frederic Chopin Courtesy of wikimedia.org |
Next time, join me
as we look at the famous affair between Franz Liszt and Countess Marie
d’Agoult.
