The Inspiration Behind The Music

When you listen to a certain piece of music or a song, have you ever wondered who or what influenced the composer or songwriter to create that composition? This article explores this question with examples coming from various periods in music history.

"Sonata in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2" - Famously known as "Moonlight Sonata," this was composed by Beethoven and dedicated to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, with whom he fell in love.

"Kindertotenlieder" (Songs of the Death of Children) - Written by Gustav Mahler after his daughter, Maria Anna, died of scarlet fever.

"Kartinki s vystavki" (Pictures from an Exhibition) - By Modest Mussorgsky, was inspired by the death of his friend Victor Hartmann.

"Arabesque in C Major" - This piece by Robert Schumann was written for his wife, Clara Wieck.

"Children's Corner" - A piano suite written by Claude DeBussy for his daughter nicknamed ChouChou.

"Bachianas Brasilieras" - Written by Heitor Villa-Lobos and was inspired by Bach.

"Quatuor pour la fin du temps" (Quartet for the End of Time) - This was written by Olivier Messiaen while he was in prison.

"Funeral Music" - By Witold Lutoslawski, was dedicated to Bela Bartok.

"Woke Up This Morning" and "The Thrill Is Gone"- These songs were written by B.B. King after his first and second marriage ended in divorce.

"Diana" - The song "Diana" was inspired by Paul Anka's former babysitter.

"When I Lost You" - Was composed by Irving Berlin after the death of his first wife.

"Tears in Heaven" - Eric Clapton's song for his young son Conor who died in 1991.

"Leader of the Band" - This song was written by Dan Fogelberg in honor of his father.

"An Innocent Man" (Album) - Some of the songs in this Billy Joel album were inspired by his second wife Christie Brinkley.

"Oh! Carol" - Neil Sedaka's hit song was inspired by fellow singer/songwriter Carole King.

"Scar" - A song included in Carly Simon's The Bedroom Tapes album which she worked on while battling breast cancer.

Know of other songs that should be on this list? Email it to musiced@aboutguide.com.