Visiting Decomposed Composers

Centuries after master composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss played in the city, Vienna still lives up to its reputation as the capital of classical music. That is why my daughter who has a bachelor degree in music piano performance came along with us after she learned that I will be attending a medical conference in Vienna.

One of the highlights of our visit in Vienna was watching a concert in Musikverein, Vienna’s most famous center for classical music. This historic building (photo below) has been the venue of many renowned music events since it opened in 1870.

The concert that we attended featured the works of Mozart performed by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra. If you look closely, the musicians were dressed in the 18th century fashion, complete with the white wigs (photo below), giving an experience as if you traveled back in time.

By the way, do you know why many people, including composers, in the 1700’s to 1800’s wore wigs? One reason is that wigs were worn by both men and women as a symbol of wealth, class and respect. Though some say that wigs were worn to cover baldness or other blemishes, and that many people during that time were so infested with lice that they shaved their heads and wore wigs instead.

You can argue that you can watch a concert or listen to the works of this famous composers anywhere in the world. But one thing you can only do in Vienna is to visit where these composers were buried. My daughter insisted that we go to the Vienna Central Cemetery, for I guess she wanted to pay her respects.

And that’s what we did, visit the resting place of the decomposed(dead) composers.

The Vienna Central Cemetery is huge, around two square kilometers in area; it is the second largest cemetery in Europe. It has a park-like feel and is lush with greenery.

Below is where Ludwig van Beethoven was laid, in the midst of trees, shrubs and flowers. I can almost hear “Für Elise” playing as the wind softly blows and the birds were chirping.

Here is Franz Schubert’s grave, who by the way helped carried the coffin of Beethoven during his burial. One year later, the young composer, died at the age to 31 and was also laid to rest. One of Schubert’s popular composition is “Ave Maria,” which is now often played in funerals. I don’t know if it was played during his own funeral.

Another famous composer buried in this cemetery is Johann Strauss (photo below). One of his compositions is “Blue Danube,” a waltz that is a favorite music and almost like the second national anthem of Austria. It gets its inspiration from the Danube River that flows through Austria and passes through Vienna.

I know the grave’s headstone also said Adele, who was the wife of Strauss, and not the English singer and songwriter, who is very much alive. Yet Adele’s song “Hello from the other side….” seems very appropriate here.

The tomb below is not of another famous musician. I was just impressed in the beautiful sculpture on its head stone, and I took fancy on taking a photo and including it on this post.

The site below has the name of W.A. Mozart, who is arguably the most famous of all classical musicians. Though the great composer was not buried in this site. This is only a memorial monument erected for him, as apparently Mozart was buried in an unmarked plot in an old cemetery which is now a public park.

Mozart’s last written masterpiece was “Requiem in D Minor” which is a music composition in honor of the dead. However, “Requiem” was not played in his own funeral, as the piece was quite unfinished when he died at the age of 35 years old. One of his students, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, finished this masterpiece. Mozart’s “Requiem” was performed at the funerals of other famous composers, including Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Frederick Chopin.

And that’s a wrap on this short visit from Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery). Auf Wiederschauen (Goodbye)!

(*all photos taken with an iPhone)