Beethoven : a life / Jan Caeyers ; translated by Brent Annable.
| Author/creator |
Caeyers, Jan, 1953- author. |
| Other author/creator | Annable, Brent, translator. |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | Oakland, California : University of California Press, ©2020. |
| Description | xxiv, 630 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Uniform title | Beethoven. English |
| Contents | Foreword / by Daniel Hope -- Part one. The artist as a young man (1770-1792). Louis van Beethoven: a grandfather figure -- Jean van Beethoven: the absent father? -- The early years -- Christian Gottlob Neefe: the mentor -- The young professional -- Bonn turns to Vienna -- Beethoven's first crisis -- A second home, and new horizons -- Renewed vigor and the first major works -- Farewell to Bonn -- Part two. A time of proving (1792-1802). Vienna in 1792 -- Beethoven's first patron: Karl von Lichnowsky -- Haydn and Albrechtsberger -- Career plans -- Family, friends, and loves in Vienna -- In anticipation of greater things -- Lobkowitz's "Center of excellence" -- The immortal beloved: episode one -- The road to a broader public -- A word from the critics -- The disciples: Carl Czerny and Ferdinand Ries -- The Heiligenstadt Testament -- Part three. The master (1802-1809). A "new way" forward -- The Laboratorium Artificiosum -- Publishing panis and the "Warehouse of the arts" -- Composer in residence -- Salieri's opera lessons -- The mystery of the Eroica -- The immortal beloved: episode two -- In search of the perfect piano -- Leonore: a work in progress -- The golden years -- Part four. Crowds and power (1809-1816). A new social status -- New prospects -- An imperial pupil -- Beethoven and Goethe -- The immortal beloved: episode three -- Se non è vero -- The end of the classical symphony -- Music for the masses -- A lucrative sideline -- From Leonore to Fidelio -- From coffee and cake to congress and kitsch -- The fight for a child --- From the "immortal beloved" to a "distant beloved" -- Part five. The lonely way (1816-1827). Longing for greater things -- Post-Congress Vienna -- London plans -- A Faustian sonata and a diabolical contraption -- The Missa solemnis: a mass for peace -- The circle is complete: the late piano works -- Estrangement -- Encounters with the younger generation -- An ode to joy -- Decline -- Karl's emancipation -- Money matters -- The discovery of heaven: the late string quartets -- Comoedia finita est. |
| Abstract | This new biography of 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, the author 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. The book 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, the author 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. The book 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, this book 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. |
| General note | Originally published as Beethoven: Een Biografie by De Bezige Bij, Amsterdam, ©2009 by Jan Caeyers. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 543-610) and indexes. |
| Language | Translated from the Dutch. |
| LCCN | 2020010304 |
| ISBN | 9780520343542 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0520343549 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | (epub) |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B4 C2313 2020 | Item has been checked out - Due: 07/02/2024 | Want This? | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.B4 C2313 2020 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |