Composers and Cars

When stuck on a long flight, my imagination tends to get out of hand. I thought it would be fun to speculate what kind of car some of our favorite composers would have driven.

David Yang, Artistic Director

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**Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827, Germany)**
**1972 Plymouth Satellite Custom**
*Completely badass, powerful, rebel*

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**Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791, Austria)**
**1960 Fiat 500**
*Fun, playful, quick, iconic*

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**Joseph Haydn (1732 – 1809, Austria)**
**1960 VW camper van (with surfboard)**
*For those who love life*

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**Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975, Soviet Union)**
**1970 Trabant 601**
*Best vehicle to avoid attention from the authorities*

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**Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750, Germany)**
**1990 Chrysler Town and Country**
*Twenty children on a provincial Kappelmeister’s salary?*
*A simple minivan, no frills.*

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**Philip Glass (b. 1937, United States)**
**1969 Checker Cab**
*He actually drove a Checker cab in NYC in the 70s*

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**Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741, Italy)**
**2023 Alfa Giulia**
*Raw and fast, an Italian attention-grabber*

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**Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897, Germany)**
**1953 Mercedes 300 Cabriolet D**
*Powerful, complex, unmistakably romantic*

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**Leonard Bernstein (1918 – 1990, United States)**
**1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante**
*Lenny’s actual car. Is anyone surprised?*

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**Jean Sibelius (1865 – 1957, Finland)**
**1961 Saab 96**
*Quirky and utterly unique, makes you feel small*
*in the presence of immense natural forces*

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**Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990, United States)**
**1940 Ford Deluxe Rockville**
*As American as apple pie*

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**Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937, France)**
**1960 Citroën DS**
*Mais bien sûr!*

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**Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924, Italy)**
**Mr. Softee Truck**
*Sweet and delicious, everyone loves Mr. Softee*

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**Arnold Schoenberg (1875 - 1951, Austria)**
**1937 LaSalle**
*Herr Doktor Schoenberg’s actual car when he lived in L.A.*
*(although he never actually learned to drive)*

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**John Cage (1912 – 1992, United States)**
**1974 electric Citicar**
*Undeterred by mockery and* ahead of his time

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**Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934, England)**
**2023 Range Rover**
*Stuffy but strong and oh so British*

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**Béla Bartók (1881 – 1945, Hungary)**
**Donkey**
*Stubborn and doesn’t give a $&%* whether you like him or not*

Download File

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