Classical Canines: Composers And The Dogs Who Loved Them
By Randy Kinkel, Announcer and Producer

Many of us are animal lovers so it should come as no surprise that many of the famous composers were, too.  Many of the greats you hear daily on K-BACH were known to have one or more furry friends around them at all times.  Since I’m the host of the “Mozart Buffet", I thought I’d start with Mozart and his hound.

There’s not much information on the dog that the Mozart family kept.  According to some sources, it was a fox terrier.  Mozart family letters refer to a "Miss Bimbes", a "Bimperl" and a "Pimperl".   In an October 1777 letter from Leopold to 21-year-old Wolfgang (who was in France with his mother at the time), we read:  "As the weather is fine, [Nannerl and I] take an early walk every day with our faithful Bimperl, who is in splendid trim and only becomes very sad and obviously most anxious when we are both out of the house, for then she thinks that because she has lost you two, she is now going to lose us as well.” Then, while Mozart was writing and rehearsing his opera Idomoneo, in 1780, he wrote to his father, "Give Pimperl a pinch of Spanish snuff, a good wine-biscuit, and three busses (kisses)."  Obviously, the composer of “A Little Night Music” was fond of his furry friend.  Not only Mozart, but many other composers through the ages have had close friends with fur.

Chopin was followed home one day by a stray puppy and was so taken with it he adopted the dog, to George Sand's delight. The story goes that he wrote his Waltz Op.64 no.1 after seeing the puppy spinning round and round chasing its tail; which may or not be true, but to this day the piece is sometimes called the 'Dog Waltz' as well as the 'Minute Waltz'

Richard Wagner	Claude Debussy	Edward Elgar	Edvard Greig

Richard Wagner was another great dog lover, owning many over the years. Peps the spaniel sat with him while he composed and could allegedly distinguish between various keys. But the dog in the picture is the famous Newfoundland Russ who was buried at Wagner's feet and is immortalized in statues all over Bayreuth.  Another Newfoundland owner was Ferruccio Busoni, his Newfy was named Lesko, and he also had a St. Bernard!

Claude Debussy had a collie and a fox terrier.

Edward Elgar was so fond of dogs he dedicated the 11th Enigma Variation to one - Dan, a bulldog owned by a friend.   Elgar was very attached to his own two dogs Mina and Marco. Mina was a cairn terrier and Elgar named his last completed work after her.  Marco was a spaniel and clearly Elgar's favourite canine child.  After he  conducted one of his works for a live radio broadcast he turned to the microphone to wish everyone goodnight and then said "goodnight Marco"!

Edvard Grieg prowled the fjords with what looks like a rather handsome chocolate Labrador.  The 'March King' John Philip Sousa had more sheepdogs than he could shake a baton at.

Jazz Age composer George Gershwin had several dogs over the years, one in particular, named Tony, a wire terrier was featured on a home movie with Gershwin and was well known to New Yorkers for regularly getting out of the apartment and wondering the streets before finding his way back home (giving Gershin’s tune “Walking the Dog” a whole new meaning).

Glenn Gould	Diva Renee Flemming	Nigel Kennedy

Composers are not the only Dog lovers in the classical music world, though there are more than a few classical soloists who dig their dogs. It's a little-known fact that Glenn Gould's earliest duet partner was an English setter Named Nicky.  Nicky was the first of the young prodigy's several canine companions.   Gould himself said that he got along better with animals than humans.  

Diva Renee Fleming is fond of King Cavalier spaniels and Violinist Nigel Kennedy has two pups, a Bulldog, Bully, and a Weimaraner, Huxley. 

There are no doubt more than I am mentioning here.  Know that there are just as many classical musicians and composers who craved canine company as there are people (and dogs) who love their music.  Remember to please rescue a dog rather than buying from a breeder if you can and always spay and neuter your pets.

Randy Kinkel K-BACH Announcer & Producer	Mitz and Matz, Randy Kinkel's dogs

Randy Kinkel is a dog lover who volunteers with Arizona Animal Welfare league and has two rescued dogs, Mitzvah and Matzoball, and a foster who doesn’t have a name yet.