Today marks the birthday anniversaries of two able musicians who made their biggest reputations, for better or worse, in fields other than music.

When Henry VIII (1491-1547) wasn’t occupied in upgrading spouses or downgrading churches, he happened to be a skilled composer and performer. More about Henry and his music here:

https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/musical-life-king-henry-viii/

One of Henry’s greatest hits:

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) is best remembered as one of the great philosophers of the Enlightenment and a driving influence behind the French Revolution. But he was also a successful composer who wrote seven operas. The best-known of these is probably “Le devin de village.”

Undoubtedly fewer heads would have rolled had these gentlemen stuck to their music!