Some of the great musicians of the past could themselves be quite beastly. But, as our gallery shows, even the most ferocious lowered their guard in the presence of creatures great and small.
Pictured above: Spanish mezzo Conchita Supervia chats up Joey, a 64-year-old cockatoo, at London Zoo, c1930.
Musicians and their pets: a long and happy history
Before we go on, let's round up a few other composers who loved their pets but of whose pet-loving ways, alas (mostly because of their pre-photography lifespans) we have no visual record.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a known animal lover. He had a pet parrot and was also known to have a dog. He reportedly enjoyed teaching his parrot to whistle musical phrases. Mozart famously owned a pet starling, which could mimic his music and may have even influenced some of his compositions.
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Chopin did not own a pet himself, but he lived with George Sand, who had a dog named Marquis. Chopin’s Minute Waltz was originally known as Valse du Petit Chien (‘The Little Dog Waltz’), and its scurrying, playful music is said to have been inspired by the sight of Marquis chasing his tail.
More musicians and their pets... Richard Wagner was a huge dog lover, particularly fond of Newfoundlands. His most famous dog was a King Charles Spaniel named Peps, who was said to have inspired him while he composed. Wagner's rival Johannes Brahms was known to own a pet cat. He allegedly had a mischievous habit of playing the piano to annoy it—sometimes hitting a particular note to make the cat jump.
Igor Stravinsky owned a beloved cat named Delilah, whom he adored. He was also known to enjoy watching animals and observing their behaviour. And Vaughan Williams famously owned a cat named Mrs Tim!
Camille Saint-Saëns had a pet monkey and was fascinated by animals. Which should come as no surprise, given his masterful suite The Carnival of the Animals, a celebration of animal behaviours in all their glory. After the death of his wife Alice, Edward Elgar spent his final years in the company of two dogs, a spaniel called Marco and a Cairn Terrier named Mina.
And French composers Erik Satie and Maurice Ravel were both known cat lovers - Siamese specifically, in Ravel's case, which somehow fits his rather elegant and fastidious personality and composing style.
All pics: Getty Images
