Page 679 - Aldeburgh Festival 2022 FINAL COVERAGE BOOK

In 1989, music historian Maynard Solomon suggested (controversially at
the time), that Schubert’s song lyrics carry the evidence that Schubert was
romantically attracted to men – something that has been hotly contested,
including by historian Rita Steblin who believes Schubert was “chasing
men”. Others have picked up on the former theory more recently, but it
seems the Jury is still out.

14. John Cage (1912-1992)

John Cage – who famously “wrote” 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence to
explore concert hall ambience and what music actually means – married
artist Xenia Andreyevna Kashevaroff, the daughter of a Russian priest, in
1935.

But before that, Cage had had an ongoing relationship with Don Sample,
as well as an affair with the wife of architect Rudolf Schindler, Pauline
Gibling – so his sexuality was clearly fluid.

Watch this genius Air A Cappella rendition of John Cage's 4'33"
Play Video

15. Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

History writes Chopin as having female love interests, including French
novelist Aurore Dupin Dudevant AKA George Sand, soprano Konstancja
Gładkowska and artist Maria Wodzińska.

But, a journalist Moritz Weber argued in November 2020, that could well
be history glossing over the fact that Chopin was actually much more
interested in members of his own sex.

“The fact that Chopin had to hide part of his identity for a long time, as he
himself writes in his letters,” Moritz Weber says, “would have left a mark
on his personality and his art.” In letters to school friend, Tytus
Woyciechowski, Chopin wrote rather explicitly, “You don’t like being
kissed. Please allow me to do so today. You have to pay for the dirty
dream I had about you last night.”