Dark Episodes in Classical Music History 🌍
A selection of credible resources on tragic, conspiratorial, and horrific episodes in European classical music history, suitable for classroom use.
Tchaikovsky: His medical life and his death
A medical humanities essay exploring Tchaikovsky’s lifelong psychological struggles and the controversy around his 1893 death. Provides historical context on mental health and unsolved mysteries in classical music for classroom discussion.
🔗 https://hekint.org/2025/06/12/tchaikovsky-his-medical-life-and-his-death/
Mozart Was Poisoned by Salieri – Fact or Fiction?
A concise essay that debunks the myth of Salieri poisoning Mozart by analyzing historical evidence and medical records. Helps teachers discuss how sensational legends in music history can be separated from fact.
🔗 https://serenademagazine.com/mozart-was-poisoned-by-salieri-fact-or-fiction/
Carlo Gesualdo: composer or crazed psychopath?
A Guardian article exploring the gruesome story of Carlo Gesualdo, the Renaissance composer-prince who murdered his wife and her lover. Provides well-researched historical detail to engage students with a real-life crime and its cultural context in classical music.
🔗 https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2010/mar/18/carlo-gesualdo-composer-psychopath
Schumann's suicide attempt: how mental illness and money woes pushed a great composer close to the edge
A BBC Music Magazine feature detailing Robert Schumann’s 1854 suicide attempt and the mental health struggles leading up to it. Offers a factual narrative and context for classroom discussions on composers’ mental health and historical attitudes toward illness.
🔗 https://www.classical-music.com/features/composers/schumann-suicide-attempt
Pondering Gustav Mahler & the ever-enduring curse of the ninth symphony
An article from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra examining Mahler’s superstition about the 'Curse of the Ninth' and his preoccupation with mortality. Provides insight into how death influenced Mahler’s life and music, enriching classroom discussions on superstition and fate in classical music.
🔗 https://cso.org/experience/article/23072/pondering-gustav-mahler-the-ever-enduring-cur