Discover the Beat: Top 8 Music History Fun Facts That'll Blow Your Mind

1. Beatles' Illiteracy in Musical Notation

Before they conquered the world, The Beatles didn't "Let It Be" with musical notation – they just couldn't read it! It's hard to "imagine" them painting the world with wonderful tunes without peeking at a single note like folks at a silent rave: Despite their inability to read or write conventional musical notation, The Beatles' strong understanding of musical concepts like keys, scales, chord progressions, and time signatures allowed them to create countless masterpieces. With George Martin's aid, they even experimented with complex sounds and intricate orchestral arrangements, proving that their unconventional approach to music was anything but a "Ticket to Ride" to obscurity.
Source => medium.com

2. Agnus Dei: The Sheepish Serenade

Calling all woolly-minded music lovers: the Agnus Dei, a sheepishly divine ode to the "Lamb of God" in Christian liturgies, has graze-dazed many famous composers! The serious reveal: musical masterpieces, including Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame, Bach's Mass in B minor, Mozart's Requiem, and Beethoven's Missa solemnis, all feature unique interpretations of this age-old sheepish serenade.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know Haydn's tomb has two skulls? Find out the bizarre reason and the curious head-napping tale from the 19th century!

=> Fun Facts about Classical-Music

3. Marie Antoinette & George Washington's Glass Harmonica Craze

"Hey DJ, spin that glass!" - exclaimed Marie Antoinette and George Washington, probably. These unlikely music enthusiasts were riding the wave of 18th-century fandom by grooving to the ethereal tunes of the glass harmonica: an instrument created by none other than Benjamin Franklin, which boasted 37 color-coded glass bowls that, when spun and touched with wet fingers, produce sounds capable of either enchanting or disorienting listeners, depending on who you ask. Its peculiar charm has resonated through the centuries, with the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, and even Björk giving it a whirl!
Source => theguardian.com

4. Bach's No-Show Keyboard Duel

When musical "duel" of the century turned into an 18th-century no-show: In a historical game of "keyboard cat and mouse," Johann Sebastian Bach was all set to face off against French harpsichordist Louis Marchand in a public contest, but Marchand chickened out before the event, leaving Bach to impress the audience with his improvisation skills and further solidify his position in music history.
Source => classicfm.com

5. Haydn's Surprise Symphony: The Classical Alarm Clock

Ever been jolted awake by an unexpected blaring alarm clock? You can thank Joseph Haydn for pioneering the musical equivalent: his Surprise Symphony is like a classical precursor to your smartphone's rude awakening! In all seriousness: Haydn's Symphony No. 94 was not intended to wake slumbering audiences with its sudden fortissimo chord, but rather to outshine his student Pleyel and make a memorable London debut in 1792, showcasing his innovative spirit and brilliant creativity.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. The Octobass: Giants' String Quartet Dream

When giants held auditions for their string quartet, only one ancient instrument struck the right chord while providing a foot massage with its subsonic vibrations: The rare and massive octobass, invented in 1850 by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, stands between 11 and 12 feet tall, requiring two people to play it initially, with one operating pedals and levers while the other wields the bow. Nowadays, it's played solo, boasting notes so low they can't be heard but only felt, and only seven of these titanic instruments exist in the world, with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra being the only orchestra fortunate enough to own one.
Source => atlasobscura.com

7. Elvis: The Billboard 200 Record Breaker

Did you know Elvis was no hound dog when it came to topping charts? He held onto that number one spot on the Billboard 200 like a blue suede shoe to a sneaky pinkie: Elvis Presley holds the record for the most number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart with a total of 10, outpacing even Frank Sinatra, with his first album achieving the feat in 1956 and his last in 2002, marking 50 years of musical dominance.
Source => billboard.com

8. Chopin's Misattributed Bird Song Funeral

While Frédéric Chopin's cat Mouschi might have been purring to the rhythm of his tunes, it was bird-brain of a rumor that claimed he chirped, "Play that Polish nightingale song at my funeral!": The actual truth is that Chopin's farewell was accompanied by a traditional funeral march, and not by a serenade that might've left his feathery friends aflutter.
Source => en.instr.scorser.com