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Very Short Introductions #705
Ludwig van Beethoven: A Very Short Introduction
Proposes a new way of listening to Beethoven by understanding his music as an expression of his entire self, not just the iconic scowl
Despite the ups and downs of his personal life and professional career - even in the face of deafness - Beethoven remained remarkably consistent in his most basic convictions about his art. This inner consistency, writes the music historian Mark Evan Bonds, provides the key to understanding the composer's life and works. Beethoven approached music as he approached life, weighing whatever occupied him from a variety of a melodic idea, a musical genre, a word or phrase, a friend, a lover, a patron, money, politics, religion. His ability to unlock so many possibilities from each helps explain the emotional breadth and richness of his output as a whole, from the heaven-storming Ninth Symphony to the eccentric Eighth, and from the arcane Great Fugue to the crowd-pleasing Wellington's Victory . Beethoven's works, Bonds argues, are a series of variations on his life. The iconic scowl so familiar from later images of the composer is but one of many attitudes he could assume and
project through his music. The supposedly characteristic furrowed brow and frown, moreover, came only after his time. Discarding tired myths about the composer, Bonds proposes a new way of listening to Beethoven by hearing his music as an expression of his entire self, not just his scowling self.
Despite the ups and downs of his personal life and professional career - even in the face of deafness - Beethoven remained remarkably consistent in his most basic convictions about his art. This inner consistency, writes the music historian Mark Evan Bonds, provides the key to understanding the composer's life and works. Beethoven approached music as he approached life, weighing whatever occupied him from a variety of a melodic idea, a musical genre, a word or phrase, a friend, a lover, a patron, money, politics, religion. His ability to unlock so many possibilities from each helps explain the emotional breadth and richness of his output as a whole, from the heaven-storming Ninth Symphony to the eccentric Eighth, and from the arcane Great Fugue to the crowd-pleasing Wellington's Victory . Beethoven's works, Bonds argues, are a series of variations on his life. The iconic scowl so familiar from later images of the composer is but one of many attitudes he could assume and
project through his music. The supposedly characteristic furrowed brow and frown, moreover, came only after his time. Discarding tired myths about the composer, Bonds proposes a new way of listening to Beethoven by hearing his music as an expression of his entire self, not just his scowling self.
168 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 21, 2024
Not a strict “biography” of Beethoven, but focuses on different aspects of his life and work and the impact he made. Not knowing much about Beethoven prior, other than the basics, he seemed to be an intense and peculiar person. The book outlines his struggles he had balancing needing a patron and hating this dependency, his struggles with his hearing loss, and his struggles with his love life. Much of what we know of Beethoven’s personal life, thoughts and feelings were due to a cache of letters found in his desk after his death. This marked a shift in how music was appreciated, with the music for the first time being somewhat autobiographical. Overall, I found Bonds did a good job providing an overview of his life and legacy.
December 26, 2022
I personally loved this book!
As a classical musician, it brought new perspectives so pieces I’ve played and I also learned more about pieces I’ve played, loved and enjoyed. It doesn’t only give a history of Beethoven but it gives it from different perspectives (for instance, chapter I: the scowl) and I have a newly found appreciation for all of his works. Extremely well done.
As a classical musician, it brought new perspectives so pieces I’ve played and I also learned more about pieces I’ve played, loved and enjoyed. It doesn’t only give a history of Beethoven but it gives it from different perspectives (for instance, chapter I: the scowl) and I have a newly found appreciation for all of his works. Extremely well done.
May 14, 2025
Okay, maybe 3-3.5 stars. It is a nice overview but the author whizzes by a lot of his works very quickly and it will take you time to look up what is what. The ending was good. At times it felt like you were supposed to already know a lot of musical terms and he would say things like Beethoven would surprise you with a G cord or something. Actually, since I am not musical it would not surprise me and in fact I have no idea what you are talking about.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews