Beethoven [Paperback]

Maynard Solomon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1979

Published by Schirmer Books, 1979 this First Paperback Edition text measures 6" by 9 1/4" by 1" with 400 pages.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Schirmer Books; First Edition edition (October 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 002872240X
• ISBN-13: 978-0028722405
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( B ) > Beethoven, Ludwig
  • #64 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Classical

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rollover Chuck Berry, April 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (San Francisco, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven (Paperback)

This book came highly recommended which may have resulted in some preconceived ideas and expectaions. The book is divided into four main sections which each contain about five or six chapters. Mr. Solomon portrays the famous composer's life and times by allotting critical events and major influences individual chapters under one of the four main sections. Mr. Solomon often uses modern psychological theories to explain the dynamics that formed the young Beethoven's personality and then goes on to suggest how this may have influenced his later years. Each of the four major sections ends with a chapter entitled, "The Music," which discusses the music from each period in his life. Each chapter has its own story to tell, describing a particular event, or interactions with, one, or a group of individuals. The chapter entitled, "The Immortal Beloved," was my personal favorite because it encompassed the mystery and suspence that have long captivated Beethoven scholars concerning the identity of the only woman Beethoven loved and loved him in return. The chapter on the events surrounding his nephew Karl exposed the dark side of greatness. What I missed was the feeling of what it might have been like to sit in the audience on opening night for the premiers of Beethoven's Symphonies. Also I would have enjoyed more anaylsis of what made Beethoven's music so innovative. I did not like the arbitrary separation of his music from his life. Each section describes a part of Beethoven's chaotic life and the severe psychological problems he suffered. While the last chapter in each section reviewed the music for each period, it seems to separate the great creative genius from the troubled human being who composed it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solomon got me inside Beethoven's head, April 11, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven (Paperback)

During years of piano lessons and attending concerts, I knew little bits and pieces about the great Beethoven, and my parents even bought me a little fake ivory bust of his head. But Maynard Solomon's book brought the man to life for me - and now I have a deeper passion for the music as well. Solomon paints a vivid picture of the culture and even the street on which Beethoven lived. You sense some of his struggles in life, and even his exasperation over losing his hearing. You feel you are peering over the composer's shoulder as a piano sonata or a symphony is being composed. And I was driven to dig up CDs to listen to pieces being described, and even to sit at the piano and feebly stumble through "Moonlight sonata." Sad when the book ended, I was delighted to find another tome on Mozart which, though longer and more detailed, was similarly enthralling. If you care at all about the greatest music ever written, Solomon's analytical narrative is a must.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In a word--Brilliant., November 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven (Paperback)

Having used this book as a source for my Master's Thesis, I would have to say that it is nothing less than brilliant. Solomon thoroughly researched and documented the life of Beethoven and spared the rest of us the trouble. The music world owes him a great debt of gratitude.