Cats and Classical Music
Cats and Classical Music by Giselle Stancic As a cat adopter and classical musician, I’ve long been intrigued by the influence of our feline friends on composers and their music. Cats hold a special place in keyboard, vocal, orchestral, and contemporary music. Going back in history, one of the earliest cat-inspired compositions was Domenico Scarlatti’s “Cat’s Fugue” from 1739. As the story goes, the composer’s cat wrote the melody as she walked across the harpsichord keyboard. Here’s a piano version. Can you hear the kitty on the keys? Moving into the 19th century, Gioachino Rossini’s “Duetto Buffo di Due Gatti” consists of one word — you guessed it — “meow.” Check out this performance by opera sopranos Kiri Te Kanawa and Norma Burrows, complete with a little playful purring. …