The term groupies entered the lexicon around 1965; four years later, both Rolling Stone and Time covered the topic extensively in print. But Ted Gioia tells us that the actual practice of fans “seeking out a special intimacy with the celebrity musicians” of their day goes much farther back. Consider the case of Franz Joseph Haydn, who died more than two centuries ago:
In England the composer almost certainly had an affair with Rebecca Schroeter, almost 20 years his junior—who invited him into her home to give a “music lesson.” But even before this career-changing trip, Haydn pursued a love affair with mezzo-soprano Luigia Polzelli, almost thirty years younger than him. In 1789, he initiated a friendship with Maria Anna von Genzinger, roughly the same age as Schroeter, and their correspondence indicates a rare degree of intimacy. What happened in private between Haydn and these female admirers is hidden from our view, but we do know that in one letter, the great composer referred to his wife as an “infernal beast.” At his death in 1809, Haydn’s will enumerated many bequests to women who were neither family members nor relatives of any sort.
And Haydn “was not especially good-looking,” says Gioia. So chin up, nerds. There’s still a chance.
