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Beethoven for a Later Age: The Journey of a String Quartet
'They are not for you but for a later age!' Ludwig van Beethoven, on the Opus 59 quartets.Tackling the Beethoven quartets is a rite of passage that has shaped the Takács Quartet's work together for over forty years. Using the history of the composition and first performances of the quartets as the backbone to his story, Edward Dusinberre, first violinist of the Takács since 1993 - recounts the life of the Quartet from its inception in Hungary, through emigration to the US and its present-day life as one of the world's renowned string quartets. He also describes what it was like for him, as a young man fresh out of the Juilliard School, to join the Quartet as its first non-Hungarian member - an exhilarating challenge. Beethoven for a Later Age takes the reader inside the life of a quartet, vividly showing how four people enjoy making music together over a long period of time. The key, the author argues, is in balancing continuity with change and experimentation - a theme that also lies at the heart of Beethoven's remarkable compositions.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 9, 2017
The story of Edward Dusinberre and his induction into the Hungarian Takacs String Quartet is fascinating and educational. Not only do we learn the history of the magnificent final string quartets of Beethoven that were the last pieces he wrote before passing away, but we also learn about the inner workings of a string quartet. I felt I appreciated the entire genre of string quartet music thanks to this book and also a bit better how to appreciate various different recordings of them. A must read for fans of classical music and of Beethoven.
I have acquired all of the Takacs Quartet recordings of the quartets and find them very beautiful. My favorite is the Razumovsky (Opus 59), I find it so beautiful and harmonious. I also have listened to the Lindsey, Emerson, Alban Berg, and Borodin Quartet versions. Each is special, I think my favorite may be the Borodin though. What is certain, is that I would never have appreciated this music as much had I not read this book!
I have acquired all of the Takacs Quartet recordings of the quartets and find them very beautiful. My favorite is the Razumovsky (Opus 59), I find it so beautiful and harmonious. I also have listened to the Lindsey, Emerson, Alban Berg, and Borodin Quartet versions. Each is special, I think my favorite may be the Borodin though. What is certain, is that I would never have appreciated this music as much had I not read this book!
September 30, 2020
Beethoven, we all know, became deaf. And profoundly so. My hearing has diminished, but not tragically so. Still, other(s) encouraged me to get hearing aids. I have not noticed a dramatic difference. Other(s), who can fill up a three-story house with a cellphone conversation, will ask me a question by turning their (her) back to me and mumbling. All the bluetooth in the world cannot solve that.
But one cool thing about these innocuous little buggers behind the ears is that I can listen to my music, and pretty much without anyone else knowing it. Not streaming services, but my music, culled from CDs to the music app on my phone, and from there to me. It's an eclectic mix that follows me as I hike through mountain trails, trying to avoid novel viruses. But mostly classical; and, in that genre, mostly Beethoven. Part of my celebration of his 250th birthday.
Which got me to the Late Quartets.
They're not for you, Beethoven famously said, but for a later age. And there's, as always, two ways to take that. I am, of course, a denizen of that later age. But I'm also, myself, of a later age. I've heard the Late Quartets before, but I don't think I was ready then. I'm ready now. And this book helped.
This book was written by the first violinist (since 1993) of the Takács Quartet. It is not ghostwritten. There is some obligatory biography of Beethoven, some breakdown of the quartets, and some essence of what it is to be in an ensemble of brilliant musicians trying, perhaps impossibly, to understand this great music.
Real musicians may get more out of this than I did. But, then again, maybe not.
After Virginia Woolf took her own life in 1941, her husband was so devastated that he did not have the energy to organize the music for her funeral. Leonard had previously agreed with his wife that the Catavina from Beethoven's last Galitzin quartet, Opus 130, would be suitable music to have at one's cremation. When it came to the time, however, Leonard could not bring himself to suggest the Catavina to the man making the funeral arrangements. Instead he listened to a recording of it alone in his home.
As have I too, a last evening or two, closer still to those who were.
But one cool thing about these innocuous little buggers behind the ears is that I can listen to my music, and pretty much without anyone else knowing it. Not streaming services, but my music, culled from CDs to the music app on my phone, and from there to me. It's an eclectic mix that follows me as I hike through mountain trails, trying to avoid novel viruses. But mostly classical; and, in that genre, mostly Beethoven. Part of my celebration of his 250th birthday.
Which got me to the Late Quartets.
They're not for you, Beethoven famously said, but for a later age. And there's, as always, two ways to take that. I am, of course, a denizen of that later age. But I'm also, myself, of a later age. I've heard the Late Quartets before, but I don't think I was ready then. I'm ready now. And this book helped.
This book was written by the first violinist (since 1993) of the Takács Quartet. It is not ghostwritten. There is some obligatory biography of Beethoven, some breakdown of the quartets, and some essence of what it is to be in an ensemble of brilliant musicians trying, perhaps impossibly, to understand this great music.
Real musicians may get more out of this than I did. But, then again, maybe not.
After Virginia Woolf took her own life in 1941, her husband was so devastated that he did not have the energy to organize the music for her funeral. Leonard had previously agreed with his wife that the Catavina from Beethoven's last Galitzin quartet, Opus 130, would be suitable music to have at one's cremation. When it came to the time, however, Leonard could not bring himself to suggest the Catavina to the man making the funeral arrangements. Instead he listened to a recording of it alone in his home.
As have I too, a last evening or two, closer still to those who were.
December 15, 2020
Edward Dusinberre, first violinist with the Takacs Quartet has done a juggling act with this book. It's a behind the scenes look at life and music with a world renowned string quartet. It also contains excerpts from the musical and personal life of Beethoven. And it delves into the ways that musicians might play Beethoven's later string quartets.
For me, the first two aspects were the most interesting. The third was more problematic because, while I love listening to the quartets and listened to some of them played by the Takacs Quartet- in between reading - I'm not a musician and I don't read music. I admit that I became lost reading many of Mr. Dusinberre's comments on various aspects of the music. That's a limitation that I have, not a weakness of the book.
A few personal comments:
Mr. Dusinberre seems to spend much of the book in awe of Beethoven. On one hand, that's understandable. On the other hand, I wanted to say to him - Beethoven is dead. You're alive and here and playing music. Play the music as you feel it and as it touches your soul. The music is alive because you're playing it. Don't worry so much about Beethoven and history. I suppose that's not how classical music works and, for me, it's both a strength and a weakness.
The other thing that struck me is that Mr. Dusinberre seems to have a phobia about making mistakes while performing. He mentions at least a couple of his own, but not those of his fellow quartet members. I imagine that they've made mistakes too, but that the author didn't want to step on any toes.
Mistakes are part of life. Mistakes can lead to new beginnings. Perfection can be boring. But I guess they're not part of the classical music world, or not something the classical music world wants to publicly acknowledge.
On the subject of mistakes, here's a story I read some time ago on the incident that ended the relationship between Arthur Rubinstein and Fritz Reiner. It's an account by CSO oboist Ray Still.
Reiner was conducting the Chicago Symphony in a recording of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with pianist Arthur Rubinstein. We had been recording all day, and it had been a very long day. Reiner was annoyed that he was accompanying anybody, since he had a recording contract with RCA at the time, and only wanted to record the big orchestral pieces. Everything was finally finished when the first horn player, Phil Farkas, told Reiner that he had made a mistake, and he asked if we could redo that passage. Reiner said, ‘Oh, Phil, I didn’t hear it.’ But Farkas said the mistake was there and that he would not want other horn players to hear it. Then Rubinstein jumped up, too, with some things he wanted to rerecord. Rubinstein was famous for a lot of mistakes—he didn’t really start practicing until he was about sixty years old! Reiner shot back at Rubinstein with: ‘If we corrected everything you did wrong, we would be here all night!’ Reiner and Rubinstein never spoke again after that.
Beethoven (on his late string quartets): "They are not for you, but for a later age."
Attributed to Beethoven: "Do you suppose that I am thinking of your wretched fiddle when the spirit moves me?"
Edward Dusinberre: "A concert may benefit from many hours of preparation, but the most exciting communication occurs when both audience and performers can suspend disbelief and discover the music afresh."
Reviewer's note: I'm a relative dabbler in the world of classical music, so I hope I can be forgiven for anything foolish I may have written in this review. On the other hand, I think someone said that ignorance is no excuse.
For me, the first two aspects were the most interesting. The third was more problematic because, while I love listening to the quartets and listened to some of them played by the Takacs Quartet- in between reading - I'm not a musician and I don't read music. I admit that I became lost reading many of Mr. Dusinberre's comments on various aspects of the music. That's a limitation that I have, not a weakness of the book.
A few personal comments:
Mr. Dusinberre seems to spend much of the book in awe of Beethoven. On one hand, that's understandable. On the other hand, I wanted to say to him - Beethoven is dead. You're alive and here and playing music. Play the music as you feel it and as it touches your soul. The music is alive because you're playing it. Don't worry so much about Beethoven and history. I suppose that's not how classical music works and, for me, it's both a strength and a weakness.
The other thing that struck me is that Mr. Dusinberre seems to have a phobia about making mistakes while performing. He mentions at least a couple of his own, but not those of his fellow quartet members. I imagine that they've made mistakes too, but that the author didn't want to step on any toes.
Mistakes are part of life. Mistakes can lead to new beginnings. Perfection can be boring. But I guess they're not part of the classical music world, or not something the classical music world wants to publicly acknowledge.
On the subject of mistakes, here's a story I read some time ago on the incident that ended the relationship between Arthur Rubinstein and Fritz Reiner. It's an account by CSO oboist Ray Still.
Reiner was conducting the Chicago Symphony in a recording of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto with pianist Arthur Rubinstein. We had been recording all day, and it had been a very long day. Reiner was annoyed that he was accompanying anybody, since he had a recording contract with RCA at the time, and only wanted to record the big orchestral pieces. Everything was finally finished when the first horn player, Phil Farkas, told Reiner that he had made a mistake, and he asked if we could redo that passage. Reiner said, ‘Oh, Phil, I didn’t hear it.’ But Farkas said the mistake was there and that he would not want other horn players to hear it. Then Rubinstein jumped up, too, with some things he wanted to rerecord. Rubinstein was famous for a lot of mistakes—he didn’t really start practicing until he was about sixty years old! Reiner shot back at Rubinstein with: ‘If we corrected everything you did wrong, we would be here all night!’ Reiner and Rubinstein never spoke again after that.
Beethoven (on his late string quartets): "They are not for you, but for a later age."
Attributed to Beethoven: "Do you suppose that I am thinking of your wretched fiddle when the spirit moves me?"
Edward Dusinberre: "A concert may benefit from many hours of preparation, but the most exciting communication occurs when both audience and performers can suspend disbelief and discover the music afresh."
Reviewer's note: I'm a relative dabbler in the world of classical music, so I hope I can be forgiven for anything foolish I may have written in this review. On the other hand, I think someone said that ignorance is no excuse.
April 8, 2016
BOTW
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b075pb4tDescription: Edward Dusinberre is the Tackas Quartet's first violinist and in his illuminating account he takes us inside the daily life of a string quartet and explores his creative, musical and personal relationships with his fellow players. He also looks at the challenges of performing Beethoven's extraordinary quartet music which was composed against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Recordings of the Tackas Quartet playing Beethoven's string quartets will be interwoven into each programme. Tim McMullan is the reader.
1/5 Audition 2/5 The First Season 3/5 Irretrievably Fractured 4/5 Recreation 5/5 Convalescence
July 13, 2017
This is a book, I think, for a rather specific audience. It is written by the first violinist of the renowned Takacs String Quartet, and it revolves around the string quartets of Beethoven, from the early Opus 18 through the groundbreaking, forward thinking late quartets. There is some personal reflections on the part of the author, and there is much technical exposition of rehearsing and playing the quartets, as well as historical information about Beethoven. I found the book utterly fascinating and illuminating at times and rather tedious at others. It was not a book that I anxiously anticipated getting back into, yet I did have some wonderful moments with it. His description of the quartet analyzing and performing the luminous slow movement from Beethoven's late a minor quartet (one of the most gloriously beautiful movements of music ever composed, IMHO), was captivating and revealing. I also really enjoyed the author's commentary on his working with the other members of the quartet, especially his feelings upon first joining the quartet. Here was a well-established string quartet, all the members speaking Hungarian with limited English skills auditioning and accepting an English violinist with limited Hungarian speaking skills. And he was auditioning for the first violin position, which is essentially the leader of the group.
I am a composer and I have studied music history and theory, and even I found some of the book to be a bit too intricate in the descriptions of the composed music and the musicians technical and interpretive problems. However, the moments that struck gold for me were well worth the journey of this unusual memoir and music history account.
I am a composer and I have studied music history and theory, and even I found some of the book to be a bit too intricate in the descriptions of the composed music and the musicians technical and interpretive problems. However, the moments that struck gold for me were well worth the journey of this unusual memoir and music history account.
January 5, 2017
The perfect start to 2017. I love the music of Beethoven; who is not inspired by the great 'Eroica' symphony or the gentle beauty of the 'Pastoral'? His string quartets are astonishing in their range and accomplishment. The world-renowned Takács Quartet is a particular favourite of mine and I have many of their recordings. So, to find this book amongst my Christmas presents, written by the current first violinist Edward Dusinberre, was a most rewarding surprise. Dusinberre has filled this rôle for 23 years and his experience with this quartet is portrayed in a forensic examination of seven of the string quartets. What it means to be a member of a group of four, how they work together, how they rehearse, how they discuss interpretation and the musical terminology used by Beethoven. It has made me listen to this music with fresh ears and I have done just that as I progressed through this masterclass of string playing. It has been a wonderful journey and if, like me, you love classical chamber music, you will I am sure enjoy this fascinating work.
Highly recommended to music lovers.
Highly recommended to music lovers.
March 8, 2016
Recounting a story of something gives life and sometimes meaning. And that is exactly what this book did for Beethoven's quartets. I'll never listen to them again in the same way. Nor will I see a quartet as four people only.
February 3, 2019
I suspect I would have gotten a lot more out of this book if my familiarity with Beethoven's string quartets was greater than it is. (My own classical music tastes have always run strongly to the orchestral, with "I should listen to more chamber music" a general thought/resolution of mine ever since my college years.) Nevertheless, this book is a lovingly written account of both Beethoven's compositional history with regard to the quartets and the experiences of author Dusinberre after he auditioned for, and secured, the position of First Violin for the Takacs Quartet in 1993. Dusinberre alternates between the events of Beethoven's life as he wrote the quartets (focusing on his dealings with musical patrons in Vienna and his political existence) and the concerns of the Takacs Quartet as they work to constantly mold four distinct personalities and approaches to music-making into a single vision for the music they perform. The book is a fascinating peek behind the curtains at the lives of musicians during the times when they are not on stage performing, contrasting with the life of the great composer whose sequence of string quartets are among the greatest sequences of artistic work ever produced.
April 8, 2016
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:
1/5: Edward Dusinberre is the Tackas Quartet's first violinist and in his illuminating account he takes us inside the daily life of a string quartet and explores his creative, musical and personal relationships with his fellow players. He also looks at the challenges of performing Beethoven's extraordinary quartet music which was composed against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.
2/5: Edward Dusinberre recalls his first season as the Takacs Quartet's first violinist. As he and his three fellow performers set out to perfect their performance of Beethoven's Opus 18, no 1 he is preoccupied by questions of more individual and more integrated expression in the musical ensemble. He also finds that adapting to life as a touring musician has it's challenges.
3/5: The Takacs Quartet's first violinist Edward Dusinberre recalls a time of loss and grief. He finds solace and a changed perspective in performing Beethoven's turbulent Opus 59, no 2.
4/5: The Takacs Quartet's first violinist Edward Dusinberre takes us into the recording studio and away from the stage as he and his fellow musicians set about recreating Beethoven's extraordinary music for CD.
5/5: The Takacs Quartet's first violinist Edward Dusinberre reflects on his career with his fellow players; taking a leap of faith, and Beethoven's late and transcendent music.
Recordings of the Tackas Quartet playing Beethoven's string quartets will be interwoven into each programme. Tim McMullan is the reader.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b075pb4t
1/5: Edward Dusinberre is the Tackas Quartet's first violinist and in his illuminating account he takes us inside the daily life of a string quartet and explores his creative, musical and personal relationships with his fellow players. He also looks at the challenges of performing Beethoven's extraordinary quartet music which was composed against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars.
2/5: Edward Dusinberre recalls his first season as the Takacs Quartet's first violinist. As he and his three fellow performers set out to perfect their performance of Beethoven's Opus 18, no 1 he is preoccupied by questions of more individual and more integrated expression in the musical ensemble. He also finds that adapting to life as a touring musician has it's challenges.
3/5: The Takacs Quartet's first violinist Edward Dusinberre recalls a time of loss and grief. He finds solace and a changed perspective in performing Beethoven's turbulent Opus 59, no 2.
4/5: The Takacs Quartet's first violinist Edward Dusinberre takes us into the recording studio and away from the stage as he and his fellow musicians set about recreating Beethoven's extraordinary music for CD.
5/5: The Takacs Quartet's first violinist Edward Dusinberre reflects on his career with his fellow players; taking a leap of faith, and Beethoven's late and transcendent music.
Recordings of the Tackas Quartet playing Beethoven's string quartets will be interwoven into each programme. Tim McMullan is the reader.
Abridged by Sara Davies
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b075pb4t
Read
June 4, 2016Page 42
Up to know I have viewed the concert as the end product of many hours of work, after which I would move on to study a new piece. But the constant debates in the Takacs about phrasing, tempo and character altered my sense of the relationship between rehearsals and concerts. Both now seeming part of an ongoing exploration of the music.
Page 77
As we drove across Europe the Hungarians described with zest previous setbacks on the road. When the old quartet car (reassuringly also a Ford Granada) burst into flames on the French motorway, the alacrity with which they extricated themselves and instruments was a source of pride, the sort of experience that added spice to touring life. Driving a hundred miles in the wrong direction from Vermont, only to be alerted to their mistake by the surprising presence of Canadian customs officials, was a digression that merely added to the adventure.
Up to know I have viewed the concert as the end product of many hours of work, after which I would move on to study a new piece. But the constant debates in the Takacs about phrasing, tempo and character altered my sense of the relationship between rehearsals and concerts. Both now seeming part of an ongoing exploration of the music.
Page 77
As we drove across Europe the Hungarians described with zest previous setbacks on the road. When the old quartet car (reassuringly also a Ford Granada) burst into flames on the French motorway, the alacrity with which they extricated themselves and instruments was a source of pride, the sort of experience that added spice to touring life. Driving a hundred miles in the wrong direction from Vermont, only to be alerted to their mistake by the surprising presence of Canadian customs officials, was a digression that merely added to the adventure.
September 22, 2016
Having heard Edward Dusinberre give his witty, personable and succinct introductions to works during a concert, I was not surprised at his fluid and entertaining writing style. I absolutely loved this book, which interweaves the day-to-day life of a string quartet member with the cultural history of Beethoven's time. It definitely makes me want to play a string instrument! I would certainly recommend this book to any and all musicians, but also to concert-goers and lovers of the string quartet. It will make everyone who reads it a better listener.
Want to read
March 28, 201628 MAR 2016 - recommendation through Bettie. Many thanks!
August 9, 2025
3.5. This book was interesting in several ways. I enjoy music of all kinds, and Beethoven is one of my favorite classical composers; I've also heard the Takacs Quartet in person several times. Written by Edward Dusinberre, lead violinist for the quartet, the book is subtitled "Living with the String Quartet", and this is the part of the book that captured me the most. The stories about how Dusinberre was incorporated into the quartet after the loss of a member was very interesting and illuminating. Way beyond just playing the notes, this quartet intensely exams the music, the bowing, the timing, the interpretation of each piece, and "listening" to their discussions, reading about the trials and errors, was fascinating to me; they really opened my eyes to the dynamics between the performers. I was also unfamiliar with the Beethoven quartets that are the basis for each chapter. I played each piece while/after reading the chapters to get a better sense of the music as it related to the comments and struggles of the group. This added a lot of time to the reading of the book, but I'm glad I did it. I will go back and relisten to many of them. Historical notes about Beethoven and his patronage, and anecdotes about the quartet, rounded out this work. Musicians would get much more out of it, but I was satisfied with what I was able to take from it.
February 14, 2017
Dusinberre plays 1st violin with Takacs Quartet, a group with an extraordinary reputation. On the basis of a write-up in the NY or Boston newspapers, I made two trips to Boston to hear them play the Bartok quartets and was not disappointed.
This volume focuses on the Beethoven quartets (also recorded by the Takacs and which I have been listening to for the past two weeks), placing them in their biographical and historical contexts, describing the interactions of the quartet(s) (a new member "joins") as they rehearse the various pieces for performance or recording, and indicating at least Dusinberre's experience of playing his parts within the group's effort.
There is not a lot to say about the writer's style which is competent, clear, straightforward. The best lines are Beethoven's; the violinist for Opus 59 declared the quartets "not music" to which Beethoven replied, "Oh, they are not for you, they are for a later age!" (p. 99) One of the epigraphs: "Art demands of us that we not stand still" (Beethoven, in relation to the late quartets).
The detail in the narrative fascinated me (of course, I now own and am listening to the three CD sets the group made), and I certainly picked up pointers that make my listening more responsive.
A worthwhile volume.
This volume focuses on the Beethoven quartets (also recorded by the Takacs and which I have been listening to for the past two weeks), placing them in their biographical and historical contexts, describing the interactions of the quartet(s) (a new member "joins") as they rehearse the various pieces for performance or recording, and indicating at least Dusinberre's experience of playing his parts within the group's effort.
There is not a lot to say about the writer's style which is competent, clear, straightforward. The best lines are Beethoven's; the violinist for Opus 59 declared the quartets "not music" to which Beethoven replied, "Oh, they are not for you, they are for a later age!" (p. 99) One of the epigraphs: "Art demands of us that we not stand still" (Beethoven, in relation to the late quartets).
The detail in the narrative fascinated me (of course, I now own and am listening to the three CD sets the group made), and I certainly picked up pointers that make my listening more responsive.
A worthwhile volume.
March 24, 2021
One of the prominent impressions left after reading this honest account by the first violin of a string quartet’s professional and personal life is just how much uncertainty and doubt lie behind even the most polished performances of one of the world’s best quartets. So many solutions of some of the music’s stiffest challenges, it turns out, are resolved almost on a seat-of-the-pants basis on the night of the concert itself. All the painstaking rehearsals go towards creating a panoply of options from which the members of the quartet might instinctively choose one of the other according to the performance so far, their mood of the moment or even the audience reaction. The account is above all things undogmatic. Part of the greatness of Beethoven’s music, after all, lies in its ultimate indecipherability. There is certainly not just one way of playing it. But while reading the book I was also listening to the Takács Quartet’s performances and they are certainly among the best ever.
May 16, 2017
Not for the general reader. Recommended primarily for those interested in string quartets. Written by Edward Dusinberre, First Violin of the Takács String Quartet, resident quartet at the University of Colorado at Boulder and perhaps the best quartet in the world (2017).
This is a history of the Takács and considerations guiding their performances of Beethoven's amazing sixteen string quartets and the history of those. Dusinberre relates his experiences traveling, practicing and performing with his remarkable associates. Some musical notation included. Some comparison of qualities among different violins. The serious student may want to have recordings at hand; the quartets are addressed in chronological order.
Living near Boulder, I have heard the quartet in person several times. My marvel is beyond description.
This is a history of the Takács and considerations guiding their performances of Beethoven's amazing sixteen string quartets and the history of those. Dusinberre relates his experiences traveling, practicing and performing with his remarkable associates. Some musical notation included. Some comparison of qualities among different violins. The serious student may want to have recordings at hand; the quartets are addressed in chronological order.
Living near Boulder, I have heard the quartet in person several times. My marvel is beyond description.
November 25, 2016
This unique book gives an inside look at what life is like for a member of one of the world's most celebrated string quartets. But the real revelations come when the author describes in detail how a string quartet negotiates the many, many choices that go into interpreting a Beethoven composition. Along the way, we get many anecdotes from the life of Beethoven, which humanize a composer whose problematic personality has made him a stereotype.
It's engaging throughout, possibly one of the best-written books on music you'll ever read.
It's engaging throughout, possibly one of the best-written books on music you'll ever read.
May 29, 2017
A lively and informative mixture of history, musical analysis, and anecdotes from a top string quartet. I lost my way a bit two thirds through but when I picked it up again I was gripped again. One thing that would help is to be able to jump to the passages Dusinberre is exploring so that we might hear the things he's writing about. Sometimes I put the book down thinking "I must listen to that bit before I read on" which inevitably made the reading falter.
February 14, 2021
While this book was thoughtfully crafted in terms of providing both musical and historical insight into Beethoven’s quartets, I came to the book to learn more about the workings of string quartet life, so I found the distribution of content slightly unbalanced. This is less a failing of the book itself and more my personal preference and expectation, to which there was some satisfying material about rehearsal dynamics, tour experiences, and musical decisions, though I could have used more.
July 12, 2021
This was a very enjoyable, humorously written account of the professional experiences of a first violinist in a world-class string quartet, focusing particularly on Beethoven's works for the genre. It gave me insight into the music itself as well as the inner operations of a quartet. Entertaining and illuminating.
September 26, 2021
I think this is the strangest book I've ever read. Its a bizarre concept, but the author manages to weave his personal journey with the Tackas Quartet into an engaging narrative with Beethoven's journey with his own quartets. The insights into the intimate preparations and rehearsal practices of a world-class ensemble are really wonderful.
May 30, 2018
Enjoyable mixture of personal anecdote and musical analysis and discussion. Will make you want to (re-)listen to the Beethoven quartets, and in particular seek out the Takacs recordings (highly regarded, incidentally, though I'm currently favouring the more recent Belcea set)
June 26, 2018
A parallel journey of Ed (and the Takacs quartet) in the current age and Beethoven in his. Discover how the quartet faces the challenge of this music along with their challenges in life and how the two intertwine. And realize how similar battles were waged 200 years ago.
January 1, 2021
A satisfying blend of history, performance and personal experience, with a little analysis sprinkled in for good measure. Think I will have to reread this with more close listening and score study at some point, but it was lovely to read with the quartets playing in the background.
March 6, 2017
loved it
December 30, 2019
I had thought that the enormous number of 4- and 5-star reviews was excessive, but no.
May 27, 2022
Crash course in music history and theory!
October 4, 2022
Some readers will not find enough about the music here. Others will be annoyed by the discussion of techniques. Take it all in good humor, I'd say. Or go fugue yourself.
November 17, 2025
A great book to learn more about Beethoven through his string quartets and the life and relationships of a string quartet as they make music together. Very moving, honest, and insightful.
December 31, 2023
For the lover of string quartet music, this book, written by the first violinist of the critically acclaimed Takacs Quartet, has a lot to offer - especially the insights into the technical, practical, emotional, interpersonal, etc. challenges of being the four musicians in a quartet - Dusinberre recounts how interpretive disagreements get ironed out, how members leave or die and how replacements are recruited, how alliances form and shift, how the intimacy of the quartet group can both stifling and enabling. He also talks a bit about the economics of chamber music - the discussion of the quartet's doings with their generous patron, Fay Shwayder, I found very interesting. Dusinberre does a fine job of communicating the tangled feelings of dependence, gratitude, and perhaps resentment bred by such patronage, and subtly links it to Beethoven's dealings with the assorted Counts and Princes who commissioned his quartets and sometimes even paid what they promised to pay. As this perhaps suggests, while Dusinberre is very candid and sardonic in discussing his own faults, he is more polite and guarded in discussing those of his supporters and fellow musicians - one has to read between the lines a bit.
The insights into Beethoven's music are not quite as illuminating - I suppose anybody interested enough in Beethoven's string quartets to read this book won't learn anything new from the discussion of the two endings to Op. 130, for example. If you want a book that opens up these quartets as pieces of music Joseph Kerman remains supreme.
The main weakness of the book is the structure. The book is fairly episodic, and the narrative is braided, moving back and forth between the story of Beethoven's composition of the quartets and the story of the Takacs's career from the time Dusinberre joins the group. Within each of these strands, events are not related strictly chronologically either. The discussion of Beethoven's life, in particular, would be impossible to follow, I think, to one not already familiar with his biography. After being bounced around for a while I gave in and just went with the flow of the narrative, enjoying individual moments of insight without trying too hard to make it all hang together.
The insights into Beethoven's music are not quite as illuminating - I suppose anybody interested enough in Beethoven's string quartets to read this book won't learn anything new from the discussion of the two endings to Op. 130, for example. If you want a book that opens up these quartets as pieces of music Joseph Kerman remains supreme.
The main weakness of the book is the structure. The book is fairly episodic, and the narrative is braided, moving back and forth between the story of Beethoven's composition of the quartets and the story of the Takacs's career from the time Dusinberre joins the group. Within each of these strands, events are not related strictly chronologically either. The discussion of Beethoven's life, in particular, would be impossible to follow, I think, to one not already familiar with his biography. After being bounced around for a while I gave in and just went with the flow of the narrative, enjoying individual moments of insight without trying too hard to make it all hang together.
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