That Jealous Demon, My Wretched Health : Disease, Death and Composers

The health - and especially deaths - of composers excite controversy. Was Mozart really poisoned? Did Tchaikovsky commit suicide? How did Beethoven lose his hearing? Much good previous scholarship has been sullied by unsubstantiated views, and many composers' reputations have been unfairly tarnished by scandalous commentary, often involving alcoholism or syphilis. This book, by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, charts the disturbed physical and mental health of 70 great composers. It attempts to unpick the evidence forensically and to define the cause of death based on the legal paradigm of a balance of probabilities. The author reviews where the composer was when thefinal illness or death overtook him and considers how many of them would have fared with modern treatment. Chapters are organised thematically, by illness; and numerous misconceptions, such as madness fuelling creativity, are challenged. The book relates the nature of composition to composers' suffering, showcasing much triumph in adversity, and, importantly, rehabilitates reputations. JONATHAN NOBLE is a retired surgeon, who has spent many years researching the illnesses and deaths of composers. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and was President of the British Association of Knee Surgeons as well as the British Orthopaedic Sports Trauma Association. He looked after Test cricketers, Manchester United, and dancers and musicians in the North of England. **Table of Contents** Introduction The Frailty of Youth A Triumphant Old Age Iatrogenic Afflictions Syphilis Alcoholism Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and Suicide Nerves Beyond the Edge: Other Afflictions of the Nervous System Broken Hearts Breathless: Respiratory Diseases Cancer The Ultimate Blow: Deafness Epilogue and Coda Appendix: Accidental and/or Violent Deaths Bibliography The illnesses and unusual deaths that befell many of the most famous figures in classical music are considered here, with the hear-say about causes of death in some cases debunked and notions of mental health fuelling creativity addressed. The health - and especially deaths - of composers excite controversy. Was Mozart really poisoned? Did Tchaikovsky commit suicide? How did Beethoven lose his hearing? Much good previous scholarship has been sullied by unsubstantiated views, and many composers' reputations have been unfairly tarnished by scandalous commentary, often involving alcoholism or syphilis. This book, by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, charts the disturbed physical and mental health of 70 great composers. It attempts to unpick the evidence forensically and to define the cause of death based on the legal paradigm of a balance of probabilities. The author reviews where the composer was when the final illness or death overtook him and considers how many of them would have fared with modern treatment. Chapters are organised thematically, by illness; and numerous misconceptions, such as madness fuelling creativity, are challenged. The book relates the nature of composition to composers' suffering, showcasing much triumph in adversity, and, importantly, rehabilitates reputations. JONATHAN NOBLE is a retired surgeon, who has spent many years researching the illnesses and deaths of composers. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and was President of the British Association of Knee Surgeons as well as the British Orthopaedic Sports Trauma Association. He looked after Test cricketers, Manchester United, and dancers and musicians in the North of England Despite much triumph in adversity, illness fuelling composition is a misconception.The health - and especially deaths - of composers excite controversy. Was Mozart really poisoned? Did Tchaikovsky commit suicide? How did Beethoven lose his hearing? Much good previous scholarship has been sullied by unsubstantiated views, and many composers'reputations have been unfairly tarnished by scandalous commentary, often involving alcoholism or syphilis. This book, by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, charts the disturbed physical and mental health of 70 great composers. It attempts to unpick the evidence forensically and to define the cause of death based on the legal paradigm of a balance of probabilities. The author reviews where the composer was when thefinal illness or death overtook him and considers how many of them would have fared with modern treatment. Chapters are organised thematically, by illness; and numerous misconceptions, such as madness fuelling creativity, are challenged. The book relates the nature of composition to composers'suffering, showcasing much triumph in adversity, and, importantly, rehabilitates reputations. JONATHAN NOBLE is a retired surgeon, who has spent many years researching the illnesses and deaths of composers. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and was President of the British Association of Knee Surgeons as well as the British Orthopaedic Sports Trauma Association. He looked after Test cricketers, Manchester United, and dancers and musicians in the North of England. Despite much triumph in adversity, illness fuelling composition is a misconception. The health - and especially deaths - of composers excite controversy. Was Mozart really poisoned? Did Tchaikovsky commit suicide? How did Beethoven lose his hearing? Much good previous scholarship has been sullied by unsubstantiated views, and many composers' reputations have been unfairly tarnished by scandalous commentary, often involving alcoholism or syphilis. This book, by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, charts the disturbed physical and mental health of 70 great composers. It attempts to unpick the evidence forensically and to define the cause of death based on the legal paradigm of a balance of probabilities. The author reviews where the composer was when the final illness or death overtook him and considers how many of them would have fared with modern treatment. Chapters are organised thematically, by illness; and numerous misconceptions, such as madness fuelling creativity, are challenged. The book relates the nature of composition to composers' suffering, showcasing much triumph in adversity, and, importantly, rehabilitates reputations. Frontcover Contents List of Illustrations Foreword by Petroc Trelawny Acknowledgements Medical Glossary Introduction 1 The Frailty of Youth MOZART BELLINI BIZET Pergolesi Purcell 2 A Triumphant Old Age JOSEPH HAYDN SAINT-SAËNS ELGAR SIBELIUS Monteverdi Verdi Johann Strauss II JanáĊek R Strauss Vaughan Williams 3 Iatrogenic Afflictions J. S. BACH HANDEL HOLST GERSHWIN RAVEL 4 Syphilis SCHUBERT SMETANA DELIUS WOLF Donizetti Chabrier 5 Alcoholism Arnold Lambert Field Satie MUSORGSKY GLAZUNOV 6 Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and Suicide SCHUMANN BRUCKNER TCHAIKOVSKY Gesualdo Jeremiah Clarke Warlock (aka Heseltine) 7 Nerves Beyond the Edge:Other Afflictions of the Nervous System SHOSTAKOVICH PROKOFIEV BERLIOZ Gluck Gounod MENDELSSOHN Copland 8 Broken Hearts LISZT WAGNER DVOŘÁK MAHLER NIELSEN BRITTEN Borodin Rimsky-Korsakov Poulenc 9 Breathless: Respiratory Diseases WEBER CHOPIN GRIEG STRAVINSKY Vivaldi Schoenberg 10 Cancer ROSSINI DEBUSSY BRAHMS PUCCINI RACHMANINOV BARTÓK FINZI Massenet 11 The Ultimate Blow: Deafness BEETHOVEN FAURÉ Epilogue and Coda Appendix: Accidental and/or Violent Deaths References Bibliography Index The health--and especially deaths--of composers excite controversy. Was Mozart really poisoned? Did Tchaikovsky commit suicide? How did Beethoven lose his hearing? Much good previous scholarship has been sullied by unsubstantiated views, and many composers' reputations have been unfairly tarnished by scandalous commentary, often involving alcoholism or syphilis. This book, by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, charts the disturbed physical and mental health of 70 great composers. It attempts to unpick the evidence forensically and to define the cause of death based on the legal paradigm of a balance of probabilities. The author reviews where the composer was when the final illness or death overtook him and considers how many of them would have fared with modern treatment. Chapters are organised thematically, by illness; and numerous misconceptions, such as madness fuelling creativity, are challenged. The book relates the nature of composition to composers' suffering, showcasing much triumph in adversity, and, importantly, rehabilitates reputations [Publisher description] The frailty of youth A triumphant old age Iatrogenic afflictions Syphilis Alcoholism Troubled minds: mental illness and suicide Nerves beyond the edge: other afflictions of the nervous system Broken hearts Breathless: respiratory diseases Cancer The ultimate blow: deadness.