Back in school I heard the story that Haydn wrote the “Surprise Symphony” because he was sick of people sleeping through his music, and wanted to startle them awake. It seems like this was a myth.
From the Wikipedia article:
In Haydn’s old age, his biographer Georg August Griesinger asked him whether he wrote this “surprise” to awaken the audience. Haydn replied:
No, but I was interested in surprising the public with something new…
Why do all the cool stories from history end up being made up?
Aw man, in the tenth grade we had to do a music recital and this was the song I chose. Specifically because I knew thirty kids would have to play some music whether they were interested in the course or not, and I thought the whole sleepy thing was a funny bit.
All the cool stories really are made up :(
i wish someone made up cool stories about my history
Hey man, you remember that time we went to vegas and had that shootout with some mob goons, banged fifteen hookers, and rescued dogs from a fighting ring?
Great weekend! We gotta do it again sometime
But symphony 45 really was written to resolve a labor dispute. That is true.
