Classical composers' hobbies and pastimes
- Laura Salvas
- Aug 18
- 3 min read
For many of us, music is a hobby. Whether it’s playing an instrument or delving into our favourite records, music becomes an escape from stresses of work and the every day. But when music is one’s full-time job, other pastimes must fill in the silent spaces of downtime.
Even some of history’s greatest composers took breaks from their work to indulge in diversions. Here are some hobbies famous composers partook in to help move music to the background.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was very social and active, and it’s of no surprise he had a collection of hobbies as expansive as his repertoire. The composer was a huge fan of billiards, so much so that he had his own billiards table.
Always one for a laugh, Mozart was also a fan of playing charades, and was known to do card tricks. He could otherwise be found enjoying sports such as fencing, bowling horseback riding, and dancing at masquerades. Beyond his more social hobbies, Mozart was a proud pet papa, and spent his downtime playing with his furry and feathered friends.
Felix Mendelssohn
A talented painter, Felix brought his supplies on tour and would indulge in this art when on the road. Working mostly with watercolours, Mendelssohn had an eye for landscapes and cityscapes. This, of course, would have been the only real way to bring home travel images at the time.
Approximately 300 of the composer's paintings and sketches survive to this day.
Franz Schubert
A very different sort of artist from Felix Mendelssohn, Franz was a caricature artist, mostly sketching exaggerated images of himself and his friends.
Ludwig van Beethoven & Johann Sebastian Bach
No, these two composers didn't hang out. Bach passed away before Beethoven was even born. But the two composers may have been kindred spirits, as they shared the same two hobbies.
Both Beethoven and Bach loved coffee, perhaps bordering on obsession. Beethoven used to count out 60 coffee beans each morning in order to brew the perfect cup, and Bach actually wrote an entire comedic operetta called Coffee Cantata.
These composers then expelled their over-caffeinated energy into taking long walks in nature. It's been told that Bach once walked 250 miles just to see a concert.
Franz Lehár
While this Franz didn't dabble in creating his own visual art, he did collect art by others. This composer collected a wide array of valuable oil paintings and antique furniture, which can all be viewed at his former lakeside villa, now museum Lehárvilla, in Bad Ischl.
Anton Bruckner
Bruckner's hobbies may be less relatable than coffee and watercolours. To put it mildly, Anton had a fixation with the macabre. To be more frank: he liked looking at corpses.
Bruckner would drop in to funeral parlours just to view deceased strangers. When the bodies of Beethoven and Schubert were being exhumed, Anton reportedly caressed and kissed their skulls. And, no, this was not typical social behaviour at the time.
Johann Strauss Jr.
Okay, we promised to lay out what these composers would do when not immersed in their owm music. But when it comes to Strauss II, he pretty much always had music on the brain.
Johann regularly kept a little notebook with him, in which to jot down musical ideas and notes. If he didn't have a notebook, he would use a napkin. Yes, he would play a game of billiards to be social, but in general this composer was simply obsessed with his music.
While we believe taking a break from work is healthy and enriching, we can't help but be thankful for Johann Strauss Jr.'s commitment to his craft. After all, his waltzes, polkas, and marches are the heart of Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert,
If your hobby happens to be indulging in the music of Vienna's golden age, and experiencing stunning singers, dazzling dancers, and wonderful waltzes, we likely have a lot in common. Perhaps we will see you this New Year's when we bring our celebratory concert to your city!
