What do you think?
Rate this book
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven
Anthology containing:
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I (of 3) by Alexander Wheelock Thayer
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II (of 3) by Alexander Wheelock Thayer
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3) by Alexander Wheelock Thayer
If for no other reasons than because of the long time and monumental patience expended upon its preparation, the vicissitudes through which it has passed and the varied and arduous labors bestowed upon it by the author and his editors, the history of Alexander Wheelock Thayer’s Life of Beethoven deserves to be set forth as an introduction to this work. His work it is, and his monument, though others have labored long and painstakingly upon it. There has been no considerable time since the middle of the last century when it has not occupied the minds of the author and those who have been associated with him in its creation. Between the conception of its plan and its execution there lies a period of more than two generations. Four men have labored zealously and affectionately upon its pages, and the fruits of more than four score men, stimulated to investigation by the first revelations made by the author, have been conserved in the ultimate form of the biography. It was seventeen years after Mr. Thayer entered upon what proved to be his life-task before he gave the first volume to the world—and then in a foreign tongue; it was thirteen more before the third volume came from the press. This volume, moreover, left the work unfinished, and thirty-two years more had to elapse before it was completed. When this was done the patient and self-sacrificing investigator was dead; he did not live to finish it himself nor to see it finished by his faithful collaborator of many years, Dr. Deiters; neither did he live to look upon a single printed page in the language in which he had written that portion of the work published in his lifetime. It was left for another hand to prepare the English edition of an American writer’s history of Germany’s greatest tone-poet, and to write its concluding chapters, as he believes, in the spirit of the original author.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I (of 3) by Alexander Wheelock Thayer
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume II (of 3) by Alexander Wheelock Thayer
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume III (of 3) by Alexander Wheelock Thayer
If for no other reasons than because of the long time and monumental patience expended upon its preparation, the vicissitudes through which it has passed and the varied and arduous labors bestowed upon it by the author and his editors, the history of Alexander Wheelock Thayer’s Life of Beethoven deserves to be set forth as an introduction to this work. His work it is, and his monument, though others have labored long and painstakingly upon it. There has been no considerable time since the middle of the last century when it has not occupied the minds of the author and those who have been associated with him in its creation. Between the conception of its plan and its execution there lies a period of more than two generations. Four men have labored zealously and affectionately upon its pages, and the fruits of more than four score men, stimulated to investigation by the first revelations made by the author, have been conserved in the ultimate form of the biography. It was seventeen years after Mr. Thayer entered upon what proved to be his life-task before he gave the first volume to the world—and then in a foreign tongue; it was thirteen more before the third volume came from the press. This volume, moreover, left the work unfinished, and thirty-two years more had to elapse before it was completed. When this was done the patient and self-sacrificing investigator was dead; he did not live to finish it himself nor to see it finished by his faithful collaborator of many years, Dr. Deiters; neither did he live to look upon a single printed page in the language in which he had written that portion of the work published in his lifetime. It was left for another hand to prepare the English edition of an American writer’s history of Germany’s greatest tone-poet, and to write its concluding chapters, as he believes, in the spirit of the original author.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1879
70 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 27, 2022
I owned this book because it is a foundational classic among Beethoven biographies, but for thirty years I didn't read it, thinking that the scholarship must be so old as to be completely outdated. Also, it is an imposing tome. But this year I made a commitment to read it, and I'm glad I did. It was slow-going at first, and the second half got bogged down at one point when focusing on Beethoven's battles with his publishers. But overall, I found it informative and enjoyable. Thayer's aim was to present as much of the facts of Beethoven's life as could be ascertained by documents and reliable eyewitnesses rather than come at it with a new angle or thesis to prove. I especially liked editor Elliot Forbes' inclusion of a list of what compositions Beethoven wrote and what was published for the year(s) covered at the end of each chapter.
This book has a complicated history, involving the work of more people than Thayer and Forbes. That in itself was fascinating to read about in the preface. I also appreciated the additional material in the appendices, and how the team of writers/editors would make a point to state when there was information they did not know or that was inconclusive or lost. And in the end, the book is about Beethoven, who had an eventful and artistically unparalleled life, and I was moved by his story.
This book has a complicated history, involving the work of more people than Thayer and Forbes. That in itself was fascinating to read about in the preface. I also appreciated the additional material in the appendices, and how the team of writers/editors would make a point to state when there was information they did not know or that was inconclusive or lost. And in the end, the book is about Beethoven, who had an eventful and artistically unparalleled life, and I was moved by his story.
June 26, 2018
This is a Nineteenth century biography that has not travelled the centuries well. In fact I'm sure that had I realised that this was over 100 years old when I bought it from the Folio Society in 2001 I would probably have refrained. It was purchases like these that eventually encouraged me to leave - life is too short for long and unreadable books.
Not that it is dreadful. The chronology is clear, and I have been introduced to some of Beethoven's works (Christus am Olberge) that I had never encountered before, but this is a biography written before the tools of psychology were widely available and there are no useful insights into Beethoven's character. A lot of use is made of epistolary sources, only some of which are particularly interesting, and overall it feels a little bit like a very extended Wikipedia article. That being said, lives of composers are possibly the most difficult of all biographies as their work is impossible to quote in visual form. I know that a vast modern biography of Beethoven has recently been published, but I don't think that I will be tempted to revisit. The last quartets are his own testimony.
Not that it is dreadful. The chronology is clear, and I have been introduced to some of Beethoven's works (Christus am Olberge) that I had never encountered before, but this is a biography written before the tools of psychology were widely available and there are no useful insights into Beethoven's character. A lot of use is made of epistolary sources, only some of which are particularly interesting, and overall it feels a little bit like a very extended Wikipedia article. That being said, lives of composers are possibly the most difficult of all biographies as their work is impossible to quote in visual form. I know that a vast modern biography of Beethoven has recently been published, but I don't think that I will be tempted to revisit. The last quartets are his own testimony.
February 28, 2012
As I am a passionate listener of all things Ludwig, this book was a must. I am only a quarter of the way through this 1000+ page bio and am intrigued. The details and proof of all that occurred is staggering, starting with the issue of little Louis' (that's what they called my beloved Ludwig during his childhood) year of birth and ancestry. We are told of all the scenarios and reports from the variety of people around at the time and proof of why one is right and the other wrong. I have his complete works so I'm playing the pieces as I read about them. I will report back as soon as I've finished.
September 13, 2018
This is a very large book on Beethoven. Should be known it is a very acaademic. Not a casual read.
December 20, 2021
A very long book with a lot of detail, but worth it if you love Beethoven!
-Gregory Kerkman
-Gregory Kerkman
Currently reading
November 18, 2014it's impossible, not the writing but the mass of information and sheer size of the book compared to what little time I actually have to read for pleasure... yes the man was brilliant and graced with a god-given ear as anyone who has heard his work obviously knows, however, I will not be able to finish this book (in this life??? perhaps the next one), sadly, it has languished on my night stand for too long.
November 7, 2018
Fascinating biography
Of course one has to allow for its being outdated etc (I trust research will continue and one will be able to say the same of today's better biographies in the future.) It seems importantly to have taken scholarship, broad and patient evidence collection seriously, doing somewhat for Beethoven what Walker more recently tried to do, too, for Liszt (a favorite 3 volume biography of mine.)
Of course one has to allow for its being outdated etc (I trust research will continue and one will be able to say the same of today's better biographies in the future.) It seems importantly to have taken scholarship, broad and patient evidence collection seriously, doing somewhat for Beethoven what Walker more recently tried to do, too, for Liszt (a favorite 3 volume biography of mine.)
October 14, 2013
An excellent, thorough exploration of Beethoven's life written in a quaint slightly antiquated style that is full of facts, anecdotes and just good reading about one of Western Civilization's musical masters.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews