Today’s popular music is strikingly different than the frequently played music of the past. In fact, we’ve come a long way since the golden age of classical music, which was during the 17^th through 20^th centuries. However, do you ever wonder what life would be like if some of the world’s most famous composers were still alive today? Here’s an idea or two:

• German composer Ludwig van Beethoven would be 245 years old.
• Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik would be turning 229 this year. He’d probably be surprised that his composition is more recognized from a Looney Tunes commercial than live concerts.
• Mozart would also be surprised to know that he helped surge the Mozart Effect of the 1990s. Neuroscientists said exposing babies to classical music would enhance spatial reasoning and memory. Since then, that exact theory’s be debunked, but classical music has been proven to boost intelligence and test scores while reducing depression and anxiety.
• Ukrainian composer, pianist and conductor Sergei Prokofiev would most likely be attending his grandson’s concerts in London, where Gabriel’s known for mixing classical music and electronic dance music (EDM).
• After reading Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, German composer, pianist and organist Felix Mendelssohn was inspired to create a composition for it. He’d probably be amazed that his score actually became the theme song for the 1999 movie of the same title. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Christian Bale, Kevin Kline and Rupert Everett, the comedy made a little more than $16 million.
• Considering Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky didn’t originally like his composition for The Nutcracker, he would probably be impressed at how many times his score made an appearance in pop culture. It’s been used in several television shows and films as well as Broadway performances and figure skating routines.
• Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff would probably be stunned that Matt Bellamy of the rock band Muse admitted to taking his string samples for some songs. Bellamy isn’t alone though. Hip-hop artist Kanye West and Led Zeppelin have said that classical music has strongly influenced their careers.
• German composer and theater director Richard Wagner would find it ironic that his Bridal Chorus is played in weddings around the world as the bride walks down the aisle. In his original opera, the song is still used during a wedding scene, but the marriage is doomed to fail.
• Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg’s fear of the number 13 would keep him from watching the modern franchise Friday, the 13^th. Based around the unlucky number, the franchise includes 12 “slasher films,” a television shows, novels, comic books and other merchandise.
• German composer Johann Sebastian Bach would probably be a college professor of music somewhere considering many of his rules in music theory of the Baroque era are the basis of today’s chords, scales and notes. In this profession, his obsession with coffee (up to 30 cups per day) would be highly justifiable.
• Austrian composer Franz Schubert would have a lot more money. Known for being constantly almost penniless, Schubert would have made a lot of money off of eight modern movies, around 600 vocal performances and seven symphonies.

A lot has changed since the glory days of these famous composers. Can you imagine Bach being a professor at Juilliard? Or Wagner’s constant head shaking at modern day weddings when the bride walks down the aisle? If you would like more fun information, subscribe to the FSO’s weekly blog: