Do you know your piano trivia?

[SteinwayTony]

Sorry, I didn't know where to put this.

I read somewhere recently that someone severly hurt himself by overpracticing Islamey.  I am 90% sure it was one of the big Russians (Prokofieff, Scriabin,...) but am not positive.

Who hurt themselves by practicing Islamey too much and where did I hear this??

[Nina_too]

It was Scriabin... and apparently the injury was bad enough that it hampered his career as a concert pianist.  He was working on Islamey and Reminiscences de Don Juan.

As to where you heard it, I have no idea!   

[athykay]

One of the Schus did too - - either Mann or Bert.  And I am not pulling yer leg.   Check your Groves.

[jodi]

Wasn't it Schumann who created some sort of exercise thingy to strengthen his fingers, and ended up messing them up for good?

Jodi

[chickering9]

Wasn't it Schumann who created some sort of exercise thingy to strengthen his fingers, and ended up messing them up for good?

Jodi

I thought his tragedy was tinitus?

[realitytest]

Quote from: jodi on Today at 03:14:17 AM
Wasn't it Schumann who created some sort of exercise thingy to strengthen his fingers, and ended up messing them up for good?

  Jodi

It was Schumann.

Chickering:

I thought his tragedy was tinitus?

Actually, his greatest tragedy was a hereditary predisposition to mental illness (father and sister suffered from serious disorders, his sister committing suicide).  Poor man, himself lost his mind and died at 46 in an insane asylum. 

rt

[chickering9]

  Jodi:

It was Schumann.

Chickering9:

Actually, his greatest tragedy was a hereditary predisposition to mental illness (father and sister suffered from serious disorders, his sister committing suicide).  Poor man, himself lost his mind and died at 46 in an insane asylum. 

rt

I knew about the insanity and the death at 46.  I just considered the tinitus the greater tragedy given his occupation.  Insanity alone didn't stop artistic geniuses like Van Gogh. 

(And with that one, I graduated from 6th grade! )

[athykay]

I heard an interesting piece on NPR awhile back about the pervasiveness of mental illness in many of the great artists and composers.  Bi-polar disorder is a biggy - which can also account for the depressive type of disorder that you describe Schumann having suffered, RT.