Music and Sexuality - 5 LGBTQ+ Composers Everyone Should Know

[@johanweir9848]

Tchaikovsky has been my favourite composer all my life. His violin concerto, the 4th and 5th symphonies, Swan Lake etc are just marvellous. As a queer person, discovering that he was gay made his music even more emotional since it was his way of expressing how he felt about life. The way you talked about queerness and queer composers with so much respect and how you articulated how it matters and why was absolutely spot on. Thank you for the video!

[@xxsaruman82xx87]

Great video! Hailing from the UK myself, I would have of course included Benjamin Britten :)

[@CzarDodon]

We don't have hard evidence to definitively prove that they were gay but circumstantial evidence does point to Handel Schubert and Bellini as being among the greats of our community. And then there's the beautiful romance between composer Reynaldo Hahn and writer Marcel Proust.

[@RossCompose]

How could you not mention Ned Rorem who just died at age 99? He is known as one of the greatest composers of contemporary art songs but also wrote for piano, orchestra and opera. Also a prolific author, he came out years ago in his frank (and once controversial) Paris and New York diaries. Truly one of the American greats. (He was also movie-star handsome!)

[@Sploooks]

Ned was a stunning composer, I suppose he’s not mentioned because he’s not presently well known which is a shame :(

[@dickjoe]

While I appreciate the sentiment, a 20 minute piece on gay composers, were it to be a "complete" compendium, would be reduced to a list of names and little else.

[@lauriethompson740]

Thanks for that, very interesting, I wasn't aware of any of it. It can surely only help to reduce prejudice if everyone understands the enormous contribution people of the LGBTQ+ community have made to our cultural heritage? One 'ray of light' on the Catholicism front I spotted recently, was a somewhat more accepting attitude towards gay people from Pope Francis. I watched a television programme about some celebrities walking a pilgrimage route to Rome, even though most of them weren't Catholic. They gained a audience with Pope Francis, and the gay British comedian Stephen K. Amos, was astonished and moved by the accepting reception he received from the Pope. Let's hope that continues and opens up.

[@stvp68]

I love the Poulenc Gloria! Thank you for featuring it!

[@Tatlone]

Two things... 1) I love that you're making videos again. 2) Your bookshelf rainbow made my day. 😊

[@chocolatemilk2173]

Excellent video. I'm sorry this subject is controversial. I'm proud to be subscribed to a channel that's willing to talk about this.

[@ilynov]

Dear Matthew, dear Dr. Nilson, I loved all of your videos so far (all historical, and your gig one), so professional, so short and inspiring. For this one - a deep bow, many thanks! Happy Pride month!

[@theboiyouddate5722]

Oh my goodness, I had no idea that for TMEA I was singing a peice by a queer person. This changes so much on how I view Francis Poulenc work! Thank you, wonderful video!!!

[@tedwilks]

Your program is very interesting and informative except on the matter of Tchaikovsky's death. He died prematurely in 1893. The first published cause was that he committed suicide by deliberately drinking a glass of unboiled water, which in those days would almost certainly have given him cholera. A theory widely promulgated in the 1980s stated that Tchaikovsky was strongly advised to commit suicide because of his alleged homosexual affair with the nephew of a prominent Russian aristocrat. In January, 2005 Philadelphia Orchestra Program Annotator Christopher Gibbs wrote that Alexander Poznansky and other scholars had new evidence that invalidated both of these accounts, and that there is no reason to believe that the 53-year-old Tchaikovsky thought his end was near in 1893; on the contrary, his health appeared to be fine. So how did Tchaikovsky die, and from what? Poznansky finally provided a convincing argument, which fits all of the recorded facts, that Tchaikovsky died not from cholera per se, but from its devastating after-effects. Although no longer infectious, a fact attested to by doctors and consistent with their permission for him to lie in an open coffin at his funeral, he had become critically dehydrated, and the subsequent onset of renal failure led to his death. The suicide theories are now dismissed as incorrect. Ted Wilks Program Annotator, Lancaster (PA) Symphony Orchestra

[@moniquelemaire5333]

We're the Gershwin brothers gay as well? I do believe George was the best American composer, period!!! And Ira had an excellent way with the lyrics he composed. Thank you for your channel. I teach piano lessons and I will have my students listen to your channel. God bless!! Miss Monique 🙂🙏💗🎶

[@anEyePhil]

Tchaikovsky was a musical and melodic genius. His attempt to hide his sexuality led him into deep depression and concern for himself. He doubted his own talents despite the evidence otherwise. His Sixth Symphony perfectly represents his torment and depression. Nevertheless his music lives on. I wish he had been born in a more enlightened age. He should have had a happy creative life with a loved partner. I’m straight, but I love the man and his music dearly.

[@danawinsor1380]

First of all, thanks for your wonderful channel! I look forward to watching the rest of your videos. Also, regarding Dame Ethel Smyth, there is a wonderful BBC miniseries about the women's suffrage movement called "Shoulder to Shoulder," in which they sing her "March of the Women."

[@yuuri9064]

Thank you for such an informative video!

[@Sheepchase]

Subscribed because of this video. Thank you!

[@lynnatkins2289]

Thank you!!! This is important information for no other reason than it might help other artists who are struggling with their sexuality realize that there are others just like them.

[@btat16]

Thoroughly fascinating. I did not realise all the American composers you mentioned (or even Poulenc) were gay. Thoroughly informative video, and I do notice something interesting. Lgbtq+ people on average seem to have a much deeper connection to the arts than the average person. I’m definitely curious as to why that is, but it’s pretty hard to deny that it’s the case (and the works created are lovely). Hope you can ignore the hatred that will fill up this comment section soon enough…

[@CzarDodon]

I've looked through the comments and there's no hate. except for one person who doesn't like pride month, there's nothing remotely negative. @keepitclassical did you have to remove some nasties?

[@stevenak115]

Imagine it being 2021 when this came out and people think this is "controversial" and "not to talk about pride month." That's why people don't come out. They fear they'll get hurt, destroyed, ruined, ect by people they trust and love. it's quite sad. we need to stop living in the past and move to the future. being lgbtq+ is just as "controversial" as being straight. as in it's not. people have every right to be whom they are and not have to fear death, hurt, pain, sadness, ect because of such hate and nonsense. keep up the great work on your channel.

[@moritzherkommer285]

I love Tshaikowski

[@gegemec]

Oh, left out Reynaldo Hahn, big oversight I think. To add, though I appreciate your video a lot, I am not sure that talking about "the community" is useful in talking about many of these composers who may well have been homosexual but probably didn't live in an inner city ghetto defined by sexuality. Even for me, and I am 68 so I went through interesting times in my younger years, I prefer to identify as a homosexual, and certainly do not live in any urban gay "community". I have always found it too limiting emotionally, intellectually and socially. ps: I LOVE your closing remarks about "why talk about a composer's sexuality" ... it hit the nail on the head I reckon.

[@KeepitClassical]

Thanks for your kind words, and for bringing Reynaldo Hahn to my attention. I'd never heard of him before! I left out a bunch of different composers that I'm planning on putting into a video next year. As for the word "community," I've never associated that word with a specific location but rather anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ anywhere in the world. I'm pretty sure that all my friends use that word the same way, and when we want to talk about a specific portion of a city defined by sexuality, we sometimes colloquially call it "the gayborhood."

[@hannahchristinah]

Tchaikovsky was most assuredly homosexual, life was surely hard for him, and he most assuredly died of cholera. :)

[@KeepitClassical]

Very likely, but from my reading I still find some strong holdouts to the contrary. I probably could have been clearer that not every scholar agreeing on the subject.

[@hannahchristinah]

Have you read Taruskin's essay on the subject? He debunks the suicide theory pretty thoroughly, and though I wouldn't go as far as to accuse its pundits of blatant scholarly irresponsibility, he does have me convinced that it's a theory that ought to be put to bed. Tchaikovsky is done no favors when his life story is twisted around for the sake of creating a sexier narrative.

[@KeepitClassical]

@@hannahchristinah I haven't read the Taruskin, but I did read the theories that he died of accidental suicide (drinking unboiled water) rather than intentional suicide. I'll have to check that one out. At the moment, I remain skeptical either way.

[@KeepitClassical]

@@hannahchristinah Also, forgot to say that I miss chatting about/making music with you and hope you are doing great at Princeton!

[@mikewilder6728]

One of my uncle is a pianist, and he never married, and always lived alone. He must be gay! I can't imagine anything else, that must be it. That's it!

[@OldToby53]

Bringing leftist political garage into this subject...nice 🙄

[@Baltie3]

Don't remind us of pride month!

[@KeepitClassical]

It's Pride Month 🌈

[@Baltie3]

@@KeepitClassical why my answer to your comment disappeared? Due to algorithms of KZbin? This is against freedom of speech.

[@Baltie3]

@@KeepitClassical send your pride month to hell. Our Lord Jesus Christ loves every human, but hates sin.

[@pianoforteyt]

@@KeepitClassical We don’t like pride month 🤮 it’s so weird!!

[@Baltie3]

Valuable materials formerly, but now I must unsubscribe. I wish you a lot of God blessing and considering not covering controversial topics on this music channel.

[@btat16]

It’s only controversial if you think certain people don’t have the right to exist. Also no worries because nobody will be sad that you’re leaving^^

[@Baltie3]

@@btat16 certain people don't have to follow every path of our lives and make us discuss topics we are not interested in.

[@Baltie3]

@BVale generally speaking, we are not interested in deviations. However, books on the bookshelf in the background are in colours of rainbow. On stadium during Euro 2020 each advertisement has rainbow in the background. The same when you look at logos of companies, including this of mine. This is sick, very sick!

[@maxiapalucci2511]

@@Baltie3 so don’t watch this video. You can just wait for his next one if you like

[@gegemec]

@@Baltie3 Oh dear, I am so sorry for you, you must find life in the world very challenging indeed. Enjoy your invisible friend if that helps but please don't judge others for being who they were born to be.