Customer Reviews

Beethoven As I Knew Him (The Norton library)

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Schindler met Beethoven in 1814, when Beethoven was 44 and the author was an impressionable 19 year old. Schindler became an almost constant companion of the composer, and was witness to a number of fascinating occurrences that no other biographer, such as Ries, had access to. Schindler gives us examples of Beethoven's strongly emotional nature, in such a way that I felt I could have recognized the composer should I have passed by him on abusy street. Inclusion of this information is what made this biography most appealing to me. One of my favourite sections is an appendix entitled "Beethoven's Daily Routine" which describes, among other things, how Beethoven would count out 60 beans for his cup of coffee.

However, Schindler is not a transparent witness. Rather, he feels compelled to "protect" Beethoven from "his many enemies", for whom there is no historical basis. A sense of Schindler acting as guardian comes through strongly in the writing. The most striking example of this attitude is Schindler's description of the meeting between Beethoven and Rossini, a meeting which historically never took place!

Fortunately, this excellent Dover edition is thoroughly annotated - there are as many editor's notes as there are pages in the text! I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading a contemporary account of the life of the great composer, and who would enjoy witnessing the profound effect that he had on at least one of his associates.

I have enjoyed this book very much. It written by someone that knew Beethoven ,and it offers you a lot of information about Beethoven's life, it is accurate. When there are two differents versions of the same event, the authors explains and describe them.

A very objective book and enjoyable.

Great book

Strange that the first reviewer says that the meeting between Beethoven and Rossini never took place. Rossini and Beethoven would have disagreed! They met in the spring of 1822 when Rossini was in Vienna for the premiere of his opera Zelmira. Rossini has left an account of the meeting

I feel like I'm a fly on the wall in Beethovens apartment...well, one of his many apartments. Can't get any closer than this too someone who lived that many years ago. I also find it hard to believe that a man like Rossini would spend two years in the same city as Beethoven and not meet him. I'm willing to bet that the moment Rossini stepped from his carriage in the city of music he grabbed the first passerby and said "Where do I find Beethoven?"

Excellent......Written with first hand knowledge as well as up to date research on the life of Beethoven. I loved it.

I think this is the BEST book I have ever read on Beethoven. This is a must read for any true fan. Schindler did a fantastic job of bringing who he was to the reader. I couldn't put it down

Schindler destroyed hundreds of important historical documents to "protect" the great man. His writing has been thoroughly discredited.