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Master Musicians Series
Beethoven
The connections between a great artist's life and work are subtle, complex, and often highly revealing. In the case of Beethoven, however, the standard approach has been to treat his life and his art separately. Now, Barry Cooper's new volume incorporates the latest international research on many aspects of the composer's life and work and presents these in a truly integrated narrative.
Cooper employs a strictly chronological approach that enables each work to be seen against the musical and biographical background from which it emerged. The result is a much closer confluence of life and work than is usually achieved, for two reasons. First, composition was Beethoven's central preoccupation for most of his "I live entirely in my music," he once wrote. Second, recent study of his many musical sketches has enabled a much clearer picture of his everyday compositional activity than was previously possible, leading to rich new insights into the interaction between his life and music. This volume concentrates on Beethoven's artistic achievements both by examining the origins of his works and by expert commentary on some of their most striking and original features. It also reexamines virtually all the evidence--from fictitious anecdotes right down to the translations of individual German words--to avoid recycling old errors. And it offers numerous new details derived
from sketch studies and a new edition of Beethoven's correspondence.
Offering a wealth of fresh conclusions and intertwining life and work in illuminating ways, Beethoven will establish itself as the reference on one of the world's greatest composers.
Cooper employs a strictly chronological approach that enables each work to be seen against the musical and biographical background from which it emerged. The result is a much closer confluence of life and work than is usually achieved, for two reasons. First, composition was Beethoven's central preoccupation for most of his "I live entirely in my music," he once wrote. Second, recent study of his many musical sketches has enabled a much clearer picture of his everyday compositional activity than was previously possible, leading to rich new insights into the interaction between his life and music. This volume concentrates on Beethoven's artistic achievements both by examining the origins of his works and by expert commentary on some of their most striking and original features. It also reexamines virtually all the evidence--from fictitious anecdotes right down to the translations of individual German words--to avoid recycling old errors. And it offers numerous new details derived
from sketch studies and a new edition of Beethoven's correspondence.
Offering a wealth of fresh conclusions and intertwining life and work in illuminating ways, Beethoven will establish itself as the reference on one of the world's greatest composers.
468 pages, Paperback
First published February 15, 2000
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Barry Cooper
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 31, 2024
Barry Cooper's Biography Of Beethoven
The work of great artists is inexhaustible. In Beethoven's case, his music remains a stunning achievement. His achievement as a composer, together with his character, his deafness, his thwarted love affairs, and his relationships to his musical predecessors and successors, has led to a fascination with him and to a literature that is likely to be written and rewritten as long as people listen to music. As is Beethoven's music, Beethoven's life and character, and the means by which one is to understand them, are open to a multitude of approaches.
In his Preface, Cooper writes (at x) that "surprisingly little is known for certain about Beethoven." He points out that some studies, such as Maynard Solomon's fine biography that appeared shortly before Cooper's own, featured a psychoanalytical approach to Beethoven that attempted a fuller explanation of Beethoven's character than those that had been attempted by other writers at the cost of questionable psychological theory and speculation in the face of a scarcity of evidence. Cooper endeavors to write a biography that holds closer to the known facts about Beethoven's life and to emphasize those facts that may shed life on his activities as a composer.
Cooper also spends a great deal of his book discussing the music itself. He offers lengthy accounts of the origins of the symphonies, concertos, quartets, sonatas, songs, masses, of his only opera,"Fidelio", and of the folksongs and other parts of Beethoven's output. The book includes generous musical analyses and quotations. I was particularly impressed with Cooper's attention to some of Beethoven's work that is not as well known as it deserves to be, such as the Opus 7 piano sonata, the "Creatures of Prometheus" ballet, and the oratorio, "Christ on the Mount of Olives". These works are analyzed insightfully and lovingly.
As Cooper acknowledges, his study is perhaps less detailed than is Solomon's on Beethoven's life. His book does, however, offer its own perspective on Beethoven. Broadly speaking, Cooper is more sympathetic to certain aspects of Beethoven's actions than has been the case with many other writers. Unlike Solomon, Cooper takes Beethoven's side, for the most, part, in his dispute with his sister-in-law over the custody of Karl, Beethoven's nephew. Also, he disputes Solomon's account that Beethoven frequented prostitutes. In both these matters, I am not sure that Cooper has the better of the evidence. The portrayal endeavors to see Beethoven favorably without making him something different than a human being with fallibilities.
I also found interesting Cooper's discussion of Beethoven's religious views. Beethoven's views on such matters, as is the case with the views of any thinking person on these matters, were highly personal and difficult for a third party, such as a biographer writing 250 years after the fact, to ascertain and expound. Cooper acknowledges that Beethoven was not for most of his life a practicing Christian but finds him a devout believer in God as the source of human morality. Solomon's account emphasizes more Beethoven's predilection towards the Enlightenment. It remains a difficult question, and I suspect that Beethoven had components of both views in him.
Too many recent biographers feel a need to deprecate their subjects. This is definitely not Cooper's approach to Beethoven. Cooper writes of Beethoven that "despite much sniping from twentieth-century critics, his reputation as a giant among composers remains intact as we enter the twenty-first century." (Preface x)
Cooper's study is not hero-worship, but it presents an inspiring and historically plausible account of a composer and a man who is worthy to be revered for his vision, attainments and character. This book will be treasured by those who love Beethoven's music. May it encourage the reader to become acquainted or reacquainted with these works of the human spirit.
Robin Friedman
The work of great artists is inexhaustible. In Beethoven's case, his music remains a stunning achievement. His achievement as a composer, together with his character, his deafness, his thwarted love affairs, and his relationships to his musical predecessors and successors, has led to a fascination with him and to a literature that is likely to be written and rewritten as long as people listen to music. As is Beethoven's music, Beethoven's life and character, and the means by which one is to understand them, are open to a multitude of approaches.
In his Preface, Cooper writes (at x) that "surprisingly little is known for certain about Beethoven." He points out that some studies, such as Maynard Solomon's fine biography that appeared shortly before Cooper's own, featured a psychoanalytical approach to Beethoven that attempted a fuller explanation of Beethoven's character than those that had been attempted by other writers at the cost of questionable psychological theory and speculation in the face of a scarcity of evidence. Cooper endeavors to write a biography that holds closer to the known facts about Beethoven's life and to emphasize those facts that may shed life on his activities as a composer.
Cooper also spends a great deal of his book discussing the music itself. He offers lengthy accounts of the origins of the symphonies, concertos, quartets, sonatas, songs, masses, of his only opera,"Fidelio", and of the folksongs and other parts of Beethoven's output. The book includes generous musical analyses and quotations. I was particularly impressed with Cooper's attention to some of Beethoven's work that is not as well known as it deserves to be, such as the Opus 7 piano sonata, the "Creatures of Prometheus" ballet, and the oratorio, "Christ on the Mount of Olives". These works are analyzed insightfully and lovingly.
As Cooper acknowledges, his study is perhaps less detailed than is Solomon's on Beethoven's life. His book does, however, offer its own perspective on Beethoven. Broadly speaking, Cooper is more sympathetic to certain aspects of Beethoven's actions than has been the case with many other writers. Unlike Solomon, Cooper takes Beethoven's side, for the most, part, in his dispute with his sister-in-law over the custody of Karl, Beethoven's nephew. Also, he disputes Solomon's account that Beethoven frequented prostitutes. In both these matters, I am not sure that Cooper has the better of the evidence. The portrayal endeavors to see Beethoven favorably without making him something different than a human being with fallibilities.
I also found interesting Cooper's discussion of Beethoven's religious views. Beethoven's views on such matters, as is the case with the views of any thinking person on these matters, were highly personal and difficult for a third party, such as a biographer writing 250 years after the fact, to ascertain and expound. Cooper acknowledges that Beethoven was not for most of his life a practicing Christian but finds him a devout believer in God as the source of human morality. Solomon's account emphasizes more Beethoven's predilection towards the Enlightenment. It remains a difficult question, and I suspect that Beethoven had components of both views in him.
Too many recent biographers feel a need to deprecate their subjects. This is definitely not Cooper's approach to Beethoven. Cooper writes of Beethoven that "despite much sniping from twentieth-century critics, his reputation as a giant among composers remains intact as we enter the twenty-first century." (Preface x)
Cooper's study is not hero-worship, but it presents an inspiring and historically plausible account of a composer and a man who is worthy to be revered for his vision, attainments and character. This book will be treasured by those who love Beethoven's music. May it encourage the reader to become acquainted or reacquainted with these works of the human spirit.
Robin Friedman
March 13, 2009
Have you heard the one about the biographer and the musicologist? So they walk into this bar and- BAM! - some mad scientist throws them into a fusion reactor and attempts to turn them into conjoined twins. The experiment is a success! The creature walks the Earth! But whether or not people are really looking for a hybrid biographer/musicologist is left for philosophers and theologians to debate, as well as any reader of Barry Cooper's "Beethoven".
I enjoyed the book, and can certainly appreciate the mountainous challenge Cooper faces as a music expert trying to discuss the life of a man who spoke primarily through his music. However, I don't think I can recommend this book to the casually interested. I consider myself, at best, a "literate listener". While I felt I understood much of Cooper's descriptions of motivic development, remote key exploration, chord usage and fragmentation, and innumerable other devices, those passages were a challenge to truly decipher. Even when Cooper tries to explain or outright show something in a straightforward and simple manner, if you can't make, imagine, or hear the music yourself, you're really missing out, and no one is there to hum a few bars. The length and number of these passages quickly let me know this was no simple biography.
Cooper applies some fair, but rigorous, criteria to the anecdotes, stories, notes, and letters he allows posterity to apply to Beethoven. I certainly agree with not perpetuating Schindler, et al.'s nonsense. The music we have, and can analyze to our heart's content to examine the technique of the man, but many of our stories are suspect. Cooper relies heavily on the (mostly) infallible musical record to chronologically tell his story. This is an interesting approach, and Cooper's commentary is well-informed, but he is not allowed to truly go all out with explicitly exploring step-by-opus-step developments by Beethoven in innovation, experimentation, maturation, and the like. Why he can't continue the thread is the main strength and weakness of the book. Cooper has to make room for *my* favorite parts. I longed for what I considered the book's "breaks"- amusing anecdotes, excerpts from letters, details of historical trips and encounters with various characters along the way, and the other things that fleshed out the picture of a man who lived for his music, but also lived beyond the confines of lined sheaves of paper. We are neither allowed to follow the stories of the man from beginning to end in a cohesive and uninterrupted thread, nor are we allowed to do the same with the music. Meshing the two was a deliberate experiment on Cooper's part, and like all experiments, it may not prove everyone's cup of tea.
A music student might have seen things very differently, but perhaps not. This book attempts to serve detailed knowledge to all audiences, and is surprisingly successful, but can be frustrating when you reach pages of material that are not your favorite story flavor. Sort of like a banana split with three toppings. Sure, it's all good in the end, but maybe you like the strawberry mound where my favorite is the chocolate. And I'm sorry, but I'll never relish the yellow stuff, whatever it is (butterscotch?). Unfortunately, unlike in a split where I can shove the yellow mound off entirely, everything is all whirled together in Cooper's "Beethoven". Prepare for occasional disorientation and surprises, bring a piano if you can, any scores you can get your hands on, excellent recordings if you have them, and anything else that helps you really flesh this book out into a multifaceted experience, and it's ultimately worth it. However, without effort and training much of the book may be frustrating or ignored by a reader altogether, and it's *definitely* not beach reading.
I enjoyed the book, and can certainly appreciate the mountainous challenge Cooper faces as a music expert trying to discuss the life of a man who spoke primarily through his music. However, I don't think I can recommend this book to the casually interested. I consider myself, at best, a "literate listener". While I felt I understood much of Cooper's descriptions of motivic development, remote key exploration, chord usage and fragmentation, and innumerable other devices, those passages were a challenge to truly decipher. Even when Cooper tries to explain or outright show something in a straightforward and simple manner, if you can't make, imagine, or hear the music yourself, you're really missing out, and no one is there to hum a few bars. The length and number of these passages quickly let me know this was no simple biography.
Cooper applies some fair, but rigorous, criteria to the anecdotes, stories, notes, and letters he allows posterity to apply to Beethoven. I certainly agree with not perpetuating Schindler, et al.'s nonsense. The music we have, and can analyze to our heart's content to examine the technique of the man, but many of our stories are suspect. Cooper relies heavily on the (mostly) infallible musical record to chronologically tell his story. This is an interesting approach, and Cooper's commentary is well-informed, but he is not allowed to truly go all out with explicitly exploring step-by-opus-step developments by Beethoven in innovation, experimentation, maturation, and the like. Why he can't continue the thread is the main strength and weakness of the book. Cooper has to make room for *my* favorite parts. I longed for what I considered the book's "breaks"- amusing anecdotes, excerpts from letters, details of historical trips and encounters with various characters along the way, and the other things that fleshed out the picture of a man who lived for his music, but also lived beyond the confines of lined sheaves of paper. We are neither allowed to follow the stories of the man from beginning to end in a cohesive and uninterrupted thread, nor are we allowed to do the same with the music. Meshing the two was a deliberate experiment on Cooper's part, and like all experiments, it may not prove everyone's cup of tea.
A music student might have seen things very differently, but perhaps not. This book attempts to serve detailed knowledge to all audiences, and is surprisingly successful, but can be frustrating when you reach pages of material that are not your favorite story flavor. Sort of like a banana split with three toppings. Sure, it's all good in the end, but maybe you like the strawberry mound where my favorite is the chocolate. And I'm sorry, but I'll never relish the yellow stuff, whatever it is (butterscotch?). Unfortunately, unlike in a split where I can shove the yellow mound off entirely, everything is all whirled together in Cooper's "Beethoven". Prepare for occasional disorientation and surprises, bring a piano if you can, any scores you can get your hands on, excellent recordings if you have them, and anything else that helps you really flesh this book out into a multifaceted experience, and it's ultimately worth it. However, without effort and training much of the book may be frustrating or ignored by a reader altogether, and it's *definitely* not beach reading.
October 4, 2024
A superb reading experience: this was one of those books that you just can't wait to get back to! I loved reading about Beethoven's life, Beethoven's works, and the dazzling world of Viennese music and society in the late 18th and early 19th century.
True, some of the musical analysis went over my head—but on the bright side, some of it didn't! And though it's not the most brilliant biography I've ever read, it seemed to be the best Beethoven biography out there, and it turned out to be solidly written and so very enjoyable.
Barry Cooper tells the story of virtually every composition of Beethoven, from its preliminary stages in his "sketches" (if surviving) to performance, publication, and reception. I gained such an appreciation for all of Beethoven's music—even the stuff I had felt lukewarm about—from this window into how he worked, how he invented and developed his ideas, and what was so remarkable about the finished piece. Correspondingly, I gained so much sympathy for Beethoven himself, who was meticulous and perfectionistic and kept revising his compositions as long as he could, hardly ever satisfied with even his best works, i.e. some of the best music the world has ever known. Ah, this is a man I feel close kinship with! I was also delighted to find him such a generally admirable person and even, plausibly, at the end of his life, a confessing Christian. I was not expecting that!
Really, the proper way to read this book would have been to listen attentively, with score, to everything Beethoven wrote, as it came up in the biography...which was not possible this time through. I was too caught up in the drama of his life to read that slowly! But I did enjoy dipping into his oeuvre here and there, revisiting some old favorites and finding new things to delight in. I especially loved reading about the "Pastoral" symphony (long my favorite, yes, originally because of Fantasia), the piano sonatas, and all the chamber works. Outstanding pieces new to me were a beautiful ballet about Prometheus, his very popular song "Adelaide" (particularly delightful because I have a daughter of the same name), dozens of Scottish, Irish, and Welsh folksong settings he wrote for a publisher in Edinburgh, and the Missa solemnis, which sounds extraordinary from Cooper's account and which I still need to find time to listen to.
The biography is an excellent reference resource because of all the details about the music. I plan eventually to purchase a copy, because I can see myself returning to it repeatedly over the years as I become better acquainted with more of Beethoven's music. I feel, with great excitement, that our acquaintance has only just begun!
I also relished the portrayal of continental Europe of the period, very different to the Anglo-centric world I'm more familiar with. It was novel to feel that England was even more remote than Russia. (Then it slowly dawned on me, during Napoleon's siege of Vienna, that this was actually a familiar world, one I had entered before, but how and where? Wasn't there a novel I once read set in the Europe of the Napoloenic wars? Ah, yes, that would be War and Peace.)
The biography did have some faults. I wish Cooper had done a better job providing general historical and artistic context (what were the Napoleonic wars all about? What were people reading and discussing at the time? What intellectual and cultural ideas were in the air?). Instead his focus is quite narrowly on Beethoven's immediate experience. It makes for a tight narrative but feels a little thin compared to other biographies.
Cooper is also perhaps too eager to exonerate Beethoven in situations when his actions were questionable; I wouldn't say he wants Beethoven to be a saint, but he does want him to be a really decent person. I'm sympathetic to this desire, because I like to read about decent people and loved finding out that Beethoven was so apparently upstanding. Some biographies seem to delight in portraying their subjects as despicably as possible, as if their main goal is to disillusion their readers. (I suspect the other recent Beethoven biography I decided not to read, by Lewis Lockwood, leans in this direction.) I think this impulse is itself despicable. Nevertheless, there was something in Cooper's treatment that eventually seemed like protesting too much, as if he were slightly too eager for everyone always to think well of Beethoven.
But all in all, a wonderful book that put Beethoven right up there next to all the other historical figures I most admire.
True, some of the musical analysis went over my head—but on the bright side, some of it didn't! And though it's not the most brilliant biography I've ever read, it seemed to be the best Beethoven biography out there, and it turned out to be solidly written and so very enjoyable.
Barry Cooper tells the story of virtually every composition of Beethoven, from its preliminary stages in his "sketches" (if surviving) to performance, publication, and reception. I gained such an appreciation for all of Beethoven's music—even the stuff I had felt lukewarm about—from this window into how he worked, how he invented and developed his ideas, and what was so remarkable about the finished piece. Correspondingly, I gained so much sympathy for Beethoven himself, who was meticulous and perfectionistic and kept revising his compositions as long as he could, hardly ever satisfied with even his best works, i.e. some of the best music the world has ever known. Ah, this is a man I feel close kinship with! I was also delighted to find him such a generally admirable person and even, plausibly, at the end of his life, a confessing Christian. I was not expecting that!
Really, the proper way to read this book would have been to listen attentively, with score, to everything Beethoven wrote, as it came up in the biography...which was not possible this time through. I was too caught up in the drama of his life to read that slowly! But I did enjoy dipping into his oeuvre here and there, revisiting some old favorites and finding new things to delight in. I especially loved reading about the "Pastoral" symphony (long my favorite, yes, originally because of Fantasia), the piano sonatas, and all the chamber works. Outstanding pieces new to me were a beautiful ballet about Prometheus, his very popular song "Adelaide" (particularly delightful because I have a daughter of the same name), dozens of Scottish, Irish, and Welsh folksong settings he wrote for a publisher in Edinburgh, and the Missa solemnis, which sounds extraordinary from Cooper's account and which I still need to find time to listen to.
The biography is an excellent reference resource because of all the details about the music. I plan eventually to purchase a copy, because I can see myself returning to it repeatedly over the years as I become better acquainted with more of Beethoven's music. I feel, with great excitement, that our acquaintance has only just begun!
I also relished the portrayal of continental Europe of the period, very different to the Anglo-centric world I'm more familiar with. It was novel to feel that England was even more remote than Russia. (Then it slowly dawned on me, during Napoleon's siege of Vienna, that this was actually a familiar world, one I had entered before, but how and where? Wasn't there a novel I once read set in the Europe of the Napoloenic wars? Ah, yes, that would be War and Peace.)
The biography did have some faults. I wish Cooper had done a better job providing general historical and artistic context (what were the Napoleonic wars all about? What were people reading and discussing at the time? What intellectual and cultural ideas were in the air?). Instead his focus is quite narrowly on Beethoven's immediate experience. It makes for a tight narrative but feels a little thin compared to other biographies.
Cooper is also perhaps too eager to exonerate Beethoven in situations when his actions were questionable; I wouldn't say he wants Beethoven to be a saint, but he does want him to be a really decent person. I'm sympathetic to this desire, because I like to read about decent people and loved finding out that Beethoven was so apparently upstanding. Some biographies seem to delight in portraying their subjects as despicably as possible, as if their main goal is to disillusion their readers. (I suspect the other recent Beethoven biography I decided not to read, by Lewis Lockwood, leans in this direction.) I think this impulse is itself despicable. Nevertheless, there was something in Cooper's treatment that eventually seemed like protesting too much, as if he were slightly too eager for everyone always to think well of Beethoven.
But all in all, a wonderful book that put Beethoven right up there next to all the other historical figures I most admire.
May 12, 2017
In the final stretch of this one.
Overall, a very enjoyable work. It read academically and authoritatively, often including and discussing other controversial points of view and either supporting them, proving their claims dubious or impossible, or just positing that no one can or ever will be certain.
The music theory explanations are interlaced with the biographical narrative. From what I understand, a lot of these sorts of books separate "life" and "works". I have no experience in music except a couple of "Music Appreciation" courses I took in my undergrad and that I love to listen to classical. Initially, I would read the lengthy theoretical descriptions about various pieces, but around 1/3 of the way through the book, I couldn't be bothered. It was mostly gibberish to me, so I skimmed through the musical theory/sheet music excerpts. Someone with a musical background and a true joy of classical music will certainly enjoy those parts. I do not believe that the (personally esoteric) theory discussions detracted from my enjoyment of the book, but a bit more hand-holding for the lay person would have/could have been appreciated (explaining somewhere how chords work, or what do keys mean, etc.). For example, in describing why "Hammerklavier" was a leap forward for the piano sonata genre, he kept talking about leaping thirds, and manipulations thereof. I've listened to Hammerklavier many times, and I can hear the themes in my head... still don't know what part of any of it is a "third".
All in all, great book. It was a Christmas gift and I really enjoyed it. Four stars verging on 4.5, for enjoyable writing and authoritativeness (and the appendices). A half-star deduction because in spite of a 400-page work, I still don't know what a "key" is. I can and will Google it, but Cooper probably could have "taught" it in a simple and enjoyable way, no doubt.
Overall, a very enjoyable work. It read academically and authoritatively, often including and discussing other controversial points of view and either supporting them, proving their claims dubious or impossible, or just positing that no one can or ever will be certain.
The music theory explanations are interlaced with the biographical narrative. From what I understand, a lot of these sorts of books separate "life" and "works". I have no experience in music except a couple of "Music Appreciation" courses I took in my undergrad and that I love to listen to classical. Initially, I would read the lengthy theoretical descriptions about various pieces, but around 1/3 of the way through the book, I couldn't be bothered. It was mostly gibberish to me, so I skimmed through the musical theory/sheet music excerpts. Someone with a musical background and a true joy of classical music will certainly enjoy those parts. I do not believe that the (personally esoteric) theory discussions detracted from my enjoyment of the book, but a bit more hand-holding for the lay person would have/could have been appreciated (explaining somewhere how chords work, or what do keys mean, etc.). For example, in describing why "Hammerklavier" was a leap forward for the piano sonata genre, he kept talking about leaping thirds, and manipulations thereof. I've listened to Hammerklavier many times, and I can hear the themes in my head... still don't know what part of any of it is a "third".
All in all, great book. It was a Christmas gift and I really enjoyed it. Four stars verging on 4.5, for enjoyable writing and authoritativeness (and the appendices). A half-star deduction because in spite of a 400-page work, I still don't know what a "key" is. I can and will Google it, but Cooper probably could have "taught" it in a simple and enjoyable way, no doubt.
July 4, 2018
Super Inhalt. Aber leider etwas zu viele Fakten machen es teilweise schwer die Konzentration aufrecht zu erhalten.
Trotzdem Leseempfehlung für Fans der alten Schule.
Trotzdem Leseempfehlung für Fans der alten Schule.
May 2, 2020
Barry Cooper takes a chronological approach to Beethoven’s life, mixing politics and world events with Beethoven’s personal life events and compositions. The effect is a wonderful understanding of the context of Beethoven’s works, but also a fascinating insight into the deeper musicology and interpretations of his famous pieces. For the most part, I loved reading this. There is one small fly in the ointment, which has necessitated this review.
Cooper is clearly a fan of Beethoven, both as a composer and as a man. Sometimes, it feels as if this borders on infatuation, leading him to overlook and even apologise for what - in today’s society - would be seen as unforgivable actions taken by Beethoven.
To explain: Beethoven’s younger brother Carl, who had married an “unsuitable” woman (apparently she had a conviction for theft and had loose morals), passed away leaving Ludwig feeling responsible for raising Carl’s son, Karl. Having decided that Johanna was “unsuitable” as the boy’s guardian, it appears that Beethoven went to extraordinary lengths to have the boy removed from his mother. Karl reportedly ran away from boarding school and from Beethoven’s guardianship to be with his mother, and eventually attempted suicide some years later. Throughout the narration of this, Johanna is consistently painted in misogynistic terms and at times, I found these passages difficult to read. The author claims that Beethoven’s actions were a result of his deep morality and desire for Karl to be raised morally, and were actually a sign of his affection for the boy - despite the lies told in depositions to the court about Johanna.
I am not a scholar of early nineteenth century musicology, but I do know a bit about sociology, law and economics, and through modern eyes, Cooper’s descriptions of Johanna are both biased and troubling, and his continued adoration of, and apologies for Beethoven’s behaviour in this regard make for uncomfortable reading. There is no attempt made to contextualise the judgments made about Johanna in the social mores, structures and institutions of the time. Nor is there any effort made to understand her or offer a more balanced account, and given the thoroughness of the musicology undertaken throughout the book, the lack of social and sociological awareness is jarring.
This is a shame, as the remainder of the book - the musical analysis, the historical recounting, and the weaving together of events and artistic response by Beethoven is masterful. To any student of music, Beethoven is evidently one of the greats. But this book puts into sharp relief the true depth of his originality, ingenuity and sheer innovation that changed the development of classical music in Europe and which continues to shape musical and political landscapes today.
Cooper is clearly a fan of Beethoven, both as a composer and as a man. Sometimes, it feels as if this borders on infatuation, leading him to overlook and even apologise for what - in today’s society - would be seen as unforgivable actions taken by Beethoven.
To explain: Beethoven’s younger brother Carl, who had married an “unsuitable” woman (apparently she had a conviction for theft and had loose morals), passed away leaving Ludwig feeling responsible for raising Carl’s son, Karl. Having decided that Johanna was “unsuitable” as the boy’s guardian, it appears that Beethoven went to extraordinary lengths to have the boy removed from his mother. Karl reportedly ran away from boarding school and from Beethoven’s guardianship to be with his mother, and eventually attempted suicide some years later. Throughout the narration of this, Johanna is consistently painted in misogynistic terms and at times, I found these passages difficult to read. The author claims that Beethoven’s actions were a result of his deep morality and desire for Karl to be raised morally, and were actually a sign of his affection for the boy - despite the lies told in depositions to the court about Johanna.
I am not a scholar of early nineteenth century musicology, but I do know a bit about sociology, law and economics, and through modern eyes, Cooper’s descriptions of Johanna are both biased and troubling, and his continued adoration of, and apologies for Beethoven’s behaviour in this regard make for uncomfortable reading. There is no attempt made to contextualise the judgments made about Johanna in the social mores, structures and institutions of the time. Nor is there any effort made to understand her or offer a more balanced account, and given the thoroughness of the musicology undertaken throughout the book, the lack of social and sociological awareness is jarring.
This is a shame, as the remainder of the book - the musical analysis, the historical recounting, and the weaving together of events and artistic response by Beethoven is masterful. To any student of music, Beethoven is evidently one of the greats. But this book puts into sharp relief the true depth of his originality, ingenuity and sheer innovation that changed the development of classical music in Europe and which continues to shape musical and political landscapes today.
October 16, 2022
Quite a good biography of Beethoven, borderline great. I don't put it in the highest tier due to the author not taking much time to contextualize Beethoven's life and achievements with classical music/world developments in general, but such is the way of scholarly bios. Recommended.
December 18, 2025
It's just what I wanted from a Beethoven biography, with a good balance between the strictly biographical details and discussions of the music itself.
February 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting, very readable, and I learned a lot about Beethoven - both his life and his music. I'm not at all a specialist, or even a musician, so the musical discussions were sometimes above my head, but not painfully so. This is the only bio of Beethoven I've read, so I can't make any sort of comparisons there, but I would recommend the book.
June 10, 2015
It's a complete (and by all accounts fair) account of Beethoven's life, but much of the book consists of detailed musical analysis that will have little to no meaning to a casual music lover. One needs to be wise in the ways of music theory and practice to get the most out of this book.
June 11, 2015
This is a very fine book that nicely integrates a look at Beethoven's music with a clear, fairly comprehensive telling of his life story. The book's one flaw is a defensive streak: the author occasionally goes well out of his way to justify some of the composer's least defensible behavior.
March 9, 2015
Great overview for music fans
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January 19, 2017I was walking while I was reading on the side walk then I slammed into a girl
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