Classical Music Inspired Dog Names

Introduction

Classical music is one of the most enduring and impactful genres of music to have ever been conceived and it's influence can be felt all the world over. Being so widespread and popular, it's highly likely that many aficionados of classical music may also be dog lovers as well. If you're one of those dog owners who has a love for symphonic artists such as Beethoven, Mozart, or Vivaldi, maybe you should consider naming one of your pets after one of these legendary music composers, one of their equally famous masterpieces, or even after a person who had a great impact on the artist in question's life and music.

Classical Music Inspired Dog Names In Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog With A Classical Music Inspired Name

Beethoven

The lovable Saint Bernard is perhaps the absolute most famous animal, let alone dog in pop culture with a name inspired by classical music. Beethoven first appeared on the big screen in his self titled 1992, which starred Charles Grodin and Stanley Tucci. In this first film, the Newton family inadvertently adopt an infantile Saint Bernard puppy who takes a liking to the musical stylings of Ludwig van Beethoven. The Newtons name the puppy after the German composer and the Saint Bernard gradually helps the Newton family deal with their respective problems throughout the years. Beethoven and his family encounter trouble when a pair of despicable dog thieves and an amoral veterinarian try to harm Beethoven for their own personal gain, but the Newton family come to the Beethoven's rescue and put the animal abusers behind bars. The first Beethoven film ends with the Newton family eagerly welcoming Beethoven back home and adopting the other dogs that were stolen by the dastardly dog thieves.

Made on an $18 million dollar budget, Beethoven grossed about $147.2 million dollars in total. Though it received mixed critical reception, Beethoven was considered a moderate success by the studios who financially backed it and the film spawned multiple sequels and spin offs in lieu of its cult following. While the film isn't particularly focused on classical music, it did generate interest in the Saint Bernard breed by creating a character who stands, shoulder-to-shoulder, with the likes of Air Bud and Lassie. Beethoven's very name also has the added benefit of introducing younger viewers to the legendary German composer he was named after. The studios who've produced the films also made a clever reference out of the act of simply titling the successive Beethoven films by utilizing the same nomenclature that Classical musicians do when they name subsequent pieces of art.

Interestingly enough, the Saint Bernard who portrayed Beethoven on screen was actually named such by his owner. Furthermore, that very same Saint Bernard was trained by Elanor Keaton, the widow of the legendary comedian Buster Keaton. The cherry on top? Beethoven (the Saint Bernard, not the classical composer,) was said to be a direct descendant of Buster Keaton's own Saint Bernard, Junior, as were the other Saint Bernards featured in the other Beethoven films. Beethoven's last cinematic outing was in 2014's Beethoven's Treasure Tail; though the lovable lapdog has been missing from the big screen for some time, he's left a big enough paw print in pop culture by endearing many film goers to Saint Bernards as well as potentially introducing them one of the foremost classical composers of all time.

Classical Music Dog Name Considerations

Classical music is often touted as being the music of scholars and intellectuals, but the genre can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of their titles or lack thereof. Classical music is very soulful and emotional, and no two pieces are ever truly alike. Though certain classical musicians are world famous now, many of them lived in obscurity and perished penniless and unappreciated. A dog owner who's also a fan of classical music may name their dog after their favorite composer as a way to sort of post humorously give their favorite artist a form of recognition that they hadn't received during their own time.

Dog owners who are fans of classical music may also study it themselves, and may name one of their dogs after a specific term from the field Music Theory. Many famous pieces of classical music often have their respective tempos listed in their names in order to let the performers know how quickly they should perform the piece and if they should use a soft touch or a more firm, starker approach. For instance, the first movement of Antonio Vivaldi's famous Winter piece often has the term Allegro Non Molto attached to it. Allegro Non Molto roughly translates from Italian into English to mean "not very quickly." The field of Music Theory is filled to the brim with other, similarly exotic words that classical music lovers may deem worthy of bequeathing unto their furry, four legged companions.

Many classical songs made to serve a religious purpose of were inspired by the Judaeo-Christian faith in one or another. As such, many classical song allude to famous Biblical figures and may even be used as songs of worship by Christians and Catholics across the globe. A dog owner who is also fond of classical music may decide to take a queue from their favorite composer and name one of their dogs after a Biblical figure. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's transcendental Requiem mass composition fervently alludes to key figures mentioned in the Bible as well as various other Judaeo -Christian terms and concepts. Whether a dog owner decides to name their pet after a certain classical musician, one of their pieces, or the person or concept that inspired it, there are a plethora ore unique and meaningful names one can derive from the classical genre.

Male Classical Music Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
8	Orlando The character opposite of Medoro in Vivaldi's Orlando Furioso, whose wife Angelica happens to be Medoro's lost love
8	George In honor of George Frideric Handel, another German born Baroque musician who created many operas, oratorios, and anthems
8	Abraham The biblical figure referenced multiple times throughout Mozart's Requiem mass, itself a prayer of grace for those who have passed on
7	Matthew A reference to Bach's St. Matthew Passion, an oratorio (or large scale religious piece)
7	Handel George F. Handel's last name; Handel's illustrious career nearly met an untimely end when he dueled another composer, Johann Mattheson; Handel was said to have been saved from a fatal sword strike by a fortuitously placed button
6	Antonio The first name of Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, the famous Baroque musician whose songs have been in everything from car commercials to the John Wick films
6	Lucio Vivalidi's middle name, which roughly translates to the word "light" in English
6	Riccardo A reference to Handel's Riccardo Primo, an opera seria (or opera series) which tells the story of Richard The First
5	Johann The first name of Johann Sebastian Bach, a fellow German Luminary whose work has endured throughout the ages
4	Ludwig The famous German composer's first name, Ludwig van Beethoven stands as one of the most influential and timeless Classical musicians in history
4	Wolfgang The first name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the prodigious Classical musician whose Requiem composition is often considered one of the finest achievements in music
4	Amadeus Mozart's middle name, the word Amadeus roughly translates to mean "love of God" in English
4	Giovanni A call back to Mozart's Don Giovanni, an opera which is, itself, a reference to the infamous Don Juan.
4	Tchaikovsky The eccentric Russian composer is perhaps best known for incorporating live and authentic cannons in performances of his world renowned piece, the 1812 Overture
4	Peps A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that the famous composer, Richard Wagner, befriended
3	Vivaldi Antonio Vivaldi's last name. Vivaldi became the maestro di violino, or the master of the violin, at an orphanage in Venice during his early years
3	Sebastian Bach's middle name which is Latin in origin and means "revered" or "venerable"
3	Bach Johann Sebastian Bach's works are famous the word over, but the German composer is also known for creating extravagant songs despite going blind
3	Egmont One of Beethoven's famous pieces that as made for a 1787 play of the same name
3	Illyich A very unique sounding name that means "son of Ilya" when translated from Russian to English
2	Wellington A reference to Wellington's Victory, a Beethoven piece that celebrates the Duke of Wellington's victory over Joseph Bonaparte
2	Marquis The name of small dog who the legendary composer, Frederic Chopin, liked so much that he originally named his famous Little Waltz after him
1	Mozart The prodigious composer's last name, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a savant when it came to music composition, having wrote his first piece of music at the age of 5 years old
1	Medoro A character featured in Vivaldi's Orlando Furioso, who survives a shipwreck and searches for his lost love
1	Isacio A character in Handel's Riccardo Primo whose name means "equality"
1	Pyotr The first name of the Russian mad genius, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky whose 1812 overture is one of the most well known and still used pieces of Classical music to date.
1	Eugene A reference to Eugene Onegin, an opera Tchaikovsky created to accompany the 1825 novel of the same name
0	John A reference to Bach's other world famous oratorio, the St. John Passion; many Classical composers made songs to honor saints and stand as testaments to their respective faiths
0	Frideric Handel's middle name, which is an alternative spelling of the name Frederick and translates to mean "peaceful ruler" in English
-2	Beethoven Named after the famous Saint Bernard and German Composer of the same name

Female Classical Music Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
8	Sybil A reference to one of Saint Hildegard's titles, the Sybil of the Rhine; Saint Hildegard wrote a great many theological and philosophical works during a time when few other women even knew how to write
8	Eleanora A royal patron who Barbara dedicated one of here songs to
8	Jeanne-Louise Louise Farrenc's birth name, which was shortened to Louise some time after her marriage to Aristide Farrenc
8	Josephine Clara Schumann's middle name, Josephine is the female version of the name Joseph ans means "God will add"
6	Philippine The first name of Anna Amalia's mother, Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia
6	Louise The first name of Louise Farrenc, a 19th century French composer who created many classical piano and chamber compositions
6	Marie Clara Schumann's oldest daughter who took it upon herself to help her mother when things became more trying and difficult
6	Ruth Named after Ruth Crawford Seeger, an American composer who created Modernist compositions during the 1920's through the 1930's
6	Betsy A reference to Ruth's composition, Sweet Betsy From The Pike
5	Charlotte A reference to Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia, Anna Amalia's mother
4	Isabella Barbara Strozzi's mother who is said to have illegitimately conceived her with Giulio Strozzi
4	Amalia Derived from Anna Amalia's last name, which is German for "work" or "activity"
3	Femina Taken from Saint Hildegard's composition, Quia Ergo Femina Mortem Instruxit; the name Femina typically means "lady" once translated
3	Sofia Taken from the church Barbara was baptized in once she was accepted and adopted by her estranged father
3	Sylphide The name of the titular character from a two piece opera that Louise Farrenc covered.
3	Peggy Taken from Peggy Seeger, one of Ruth's daughters who became a respected American folksinger in her own right
2	Jutta Saint Hildegard's senior who taught a young Hildegard how to read and write very early on
2	Anna A homage to Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, a German Duchess and composer
2	Andrea A reference to main character of Louise Farrenc's ballade, Andrea la folle
2	Eugenie Clara Schumann's youngest daughter who wrote about the mysterious and conspiracy laden relationship that developed between Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms
2	Wren Named after the character of Miss Wren from Ruth Seeger's 1923 piano composition, Mr Crow and Miss Wren Go for a Walk (A Little Study in Short Trills)
1	Hildegard A reference to Saint Hildegard of Bingen, an abbess who composed many notable works and was something of a Renaissance Woman
1	Mechtild The name of Saint Hildegard's mother, who was from the small German town of Merxheim
1	Laura One of Barbara Strozzi's illegitimate daughters
1	Mélodie A word that describes as French art song while also doubling as a feminine name that means "song" in English
1	Clara Derived from Clara Schumann, a German composer of the Romantic era of Classical music who was renowned for her skills as a pianist
0	Barbara Named after Barbara Strozzi, a Baroque opera singer and composer considered to be the "most prolific composer - man or woman - of secular music in Venice"
0	Bertha A reference to Bertha Foster, one of Ruth's piano teachers and the founder of Jacksonville's School of Musical Art
-1	Elmire A character from Anna Amalia's 1776 opera, Erwin und Elmire
-1	Julie One of Clara Schumann's daughters who unfortunately passed away in 1872, leaving Clara to care for her two children