"Beethoven, A Life Hardcover" Topic

"This new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven offers connoisseurs and newcomers alike an unparalleled story of the composer's life and works, written by a renowned conductor and scholar of Beethoven's music. With unprecedented access to the archives at the Beethoven House in Bonn, Jan Caeyers expertly weaves together a deeply human and complex picture of Beethoven—his troubled youth, his unpredictable mood swings, his desires, relationships, and conflicts with family and friends, the mysteries surrounding his affair with the "immortal beloved," and the dramatic tale of his deafness. Caeyers also offers new insights into Beethoven's music, showing how it transformed from the work of a skilled craftsman to that of a consummate artist. Demonstrating an impressive command of the vast scholarship on this iconic composer, Caeyers brings Beethoven's world alive with elegant prose, memorable musical descriptions, and a vivid depiction of Bonn and Vienna, where Beethoven produced and performed his works. Caeyers explores how Beethoven's career was impacted by the historical and philosophical shifts taking place in the music world and how, in turn, his trajectory changed the music industry. Equal parts an absorbing cultural history and a lively biography, Beethoven, A Life reveals a complex portrait of the musical genius that defined a style of music and went on to become one of the great pillars of Western art music."
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Amicalement
Armand

He would be writing for the movies today.
That's where the money is.

I always thought it was sad that Beethoven never heard his 9th symphony. He was completely deaf by then, but he was such a musical genius that he heard it all in his head. The 9th is still considered the greatest symphony ever composed.

Beethoven was not intimidated by power, nor was he a flatterer. He first admired Napoleon as a harbinger of the libertarian ideals of the French Revolution. When he took on the airs and prerogatives of a despot, Beethoven wanted nothing to do with him. As the story goes, He dedicated his third symphony, called the Eroica, to the "memory of a great man"--meaning Napoleon in Hasburg Austria. When Napoleon changed course, he tore up this dedication. Beethoven was a man of principle!

He was the 'soundtrack' of the Napoleonic period. Definitely worth reading about and a must to listen too.

Glad you like it my friend! (smile)

Amicalement
Armand