The Possessor and the Possessed: Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, and the Idea of Musical Genius [Hardcover]

Peter Kivy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Yale Series in the Philosophy and Theory | Publication Date: October 1, 2001

The concept of genius intrigues us. Artistic geniuses have something other people don't have. In some cases that something seems to be a remarkable kind of inspiration that permits the artist to exceed his own abilities. It is as if the artist is suddenly possessed, as if some outside force flows through them at the moment of creation. In other cases genius seems best explained as a natural gift. The artist is the possessor of an extra talent that enables the production of masterpiece after masterpiece. This book explores the concept of artistic genius and how it came to be symbolised by three great composers of the modern era: Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Plato characterized genius as inspiration derived from a greater-than-human spirit. In the third century C.E., Longinus characterized genius as the possession of an extraordinary talent to create and, so doing, break the established rules of artistic creation. Another definition covers the workaholic or journeyman who explores an art exhaustively. Mozart was considered informed by divine inspiration. Although their contemporaries scorned their music, Handel and Beethoven were eventually said to possess the talent and ingenuity to move music forward. Bach typified the journeyman composer, who developed themes in every way he could. With its extensive discussions of Plato's and Longinus' definitions and of Schopenhauer's and Kant's expansions on the possessor of genius, its refutation of Tia DeNora's proposal that Beethoven's genius was constructed, and its rebuttal of Christine Battersby's assertion that females can't be geniuses, Kivy's book is more about philosophy than about music. Those interested in its subject will appreciate Kivy's argumentation for the classic definitions of genius and about how Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven endure as musical geniuses. Alan Hirsch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher

Yale Series in the Philosophy and Theory of Art.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; First Edition edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300087586
• ISBN-13: 978-0300087581
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,402,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolutely Excellent Book!, July 29, 2007

By 

Southern Gal - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Possessor and the Possessed: Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, and the Idea of Musical Genius (Hardcover)

So what is genius? Sure, we all have an idea. But sometimes that word is thrown around quite carelessly. What it is really?

I loved this book. It is extremely well written, intelligent, enlightening, and thought provoking.

Regarding Beethoven, even I, with a very limited understanding of music, could tell something extraordinary was happening the very first time I heard the Ninth Symphony and none of Beethoven's music has disappointed me since. I have CDs where Leonard Bernstein and Benjamin Zander talk about Beethoven's genius in their own words. But now I have a much greater understanding of the concept of musical genius as well as a profound appreciation of its rarity.

I highly recommend this book. It will remain on my bookshelves for a very long time.