Which composers all too often felt the pinch? From Mozart to Sibelius, here are 15 musical greats who suffered financial woes <\/p>
Money. Dosh. Wonga. Call it what you will, but all too often when it comes to art we like to ignore this unpalatable necessity. Ever since Beethoven, we\u2019ve harboured the Romantic<\/a> idea that composers simply live for their art alone, unfettered by everyday trivialities such as paying the bills or buying food.<\/strong><\/p>\n History, however, has shown that money \u2013 or a lack thereof \u2013 was often more than a bit of a worry to composers. Some had to battle with the uphill task of making money from their music, while others wrote smash hits but couldn\u2019t channel the profit back into their pockets.<\/p>\n Some lived wildly beyond their means, while yet others had unhappy experiences trying to invest the money they did have. Here are 15 composers from across the centuries for whom money was, at one time or another, a bit of an issue\u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Embroidered silk couches, rich tapestries, walnut dining tables, Japanese dressing gowns, flamingo-feather-lined carpets, satin shirts and pale pink silk underwear were just a few of life\u2019s little luxuries in which Richard Wagner liked to indulge.<\/p>\n The German composer\u2019s spending habits were as vast as his operas and he was always being pursued by one creditor or another \u2013 on one occasion, when he was director of the opera in Riga, he even had to flee the city to escape his debts. It was only when the wealthy King Ludwig became Wagner\u2019s patron that the composer had the funding for the lifestyle he wanted and was able to build his opera house at Bayreuth.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Nicknamed the \u2018Velvet Gentleman\u2019, the eccentric, whimsical Erik Satie was always impeccably turned out. Left a small inheritance in 1895, he bought seven identical chestnut-coloured corduroy suits and became a fixture of the Montmartre nightlife in Paris\u2026 and by\u00a0the summer of 1896 he was penniless.<\/p>\n1. Richard Wagner<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Erik Satie<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n