- It"s no secret that Beethoven went deaf, that Mozart had constant money problems, and that Gilbert and Sullivan wrote musicals. But what were these people - and other famous musicians - really like? What did they eat? What did they wear? How did they spend their time? And - possibly most interesting of all - what did their neighbors think? Discover the fascinating and often humorous stories of twenty famous musicians - people of all shapes, sizes, temperaments, and lifestyles, from various countries and historical periods. Beginning with Vivaldi and ending with Woodie Guthrie, Lives of the Musicians brings musical history to life.