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The Life and Works of Beethoven
Beethoven's (1770-1827) music helped define the classical style and is considered by many to be the greatest composer who ever lived.
5 pages, Audio CD
Published January 1, 2001
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33 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy Siepmann
42 books15 followersJeremy Siepmann (16 January 1942 – 6 April 2016), born in America and living in Britain for most of his career, was a broadcaster and writer on music.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 8, 2026
"Suffering is not external ... it is an essential part of the human experience!"
Informative, educational, entertaining, breathtaking, moving and (fill in your favourite superlative here!) What an absolutely brilliant use of the audio book medium to combine a book and music into a single format.
We have a wonderfully narrated (and extremely well acted) story of Beethoven as a man - the ruthless, indeed, brutal exploitation of the young genius by his father, Johann, who was determined to profit from his son's abilities in the same fashion as Leopold Mozart squeezed his brilliant child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus; Beethoven's heartbreaking (and perennially unsuccessful) obsession with obtaining a wife and female companionship; the devastating universal rejection of his overtures of love (never mind that the objects of his affection were invariably unavailable either by class, by age or by virtue of being already married); the young Beethoven's arrogant self-confidence that not only expressed nary a scintilla of doubt in his own abilities but even loudly professed that he learned absolutely nothing from his aging colleagues, Mozart and Haydn; the virtual abduction of his deceased brother's son, Karl, and his almost lifelong battle against Karl's mother, Johanna; and, of course, the tragedy of his progressive deafness and chronic abdominal pain.
Then there was his prolific, almost miraculous output of some of the finest music that the world has ever been granted the opportunity to hear - symphonies, etudes, quartets, quintets, sonatas, choral works, chamber music, concerti, masses. Cutting edge music such as his 32nd and final piano sonata defied current convention and re-wrote the musical rule books as to what was acceptable and beautiful. Although this sonata, for example, was fundamentally what we would historically label as classical in nature, it was also avant-garde, entirely original and bore no resemblance to the baroque music that immediately preceded it. Certain rhythms, enormous variations in both tempi and volume, and striking dissonant harmonies would even lead many of today's listeners (unfamiliar with Beethoven) to feel they were listening to the beginnings of modern jazz piano. The breathtaking and entirely unprecedented final movement of his ninth symphony, with orchestra, full mixed chorus and four soloists, was so far ahead of its time as to lay the groundwork for Mahler's enormous choral masterworks that weren't to appear until over 70 years later.
Despite being a curious concatenation of ostentatious self-pity (one could admit that this was, to a certain extent, warranted given his physical ailments), ugly eccentricities, beastly manners and sometimes less than faithful personal hygiene habits, Ludwig van Beethoven was liked by his friends. He styled himself a Bacchus whose mission in life was the dissemination of joy to the world through his music. And now ... this brilliant audio work has made me painfully aware that I have only begun to scratch the surface of that enormous repertoire of joy. How ironic is it that one of Beethoven's final works, written at a time when he was most ill and most profoundly deaf was a setting of a poem entitled "Ode to Joy"! I've got an enjoyable bit of work in front of me to delve deeper into Beethoven's music!
I must say I'm looking forward to more CDs in this series! Goodness knows there are lots to choose from - Haydn, Chopin, Bach, Liszt, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Schubert and more! I'm thrilled to have discovered such a gem.
Paul Weiss
Informative, educational, entertaining, breathtaking, moving and (fill in your favourite superlative here!) What an absolutely brilliant use of the audio book medium to combine a book and music into a single format.
We have a wonderfully narrated (and extremely well acted) story of Beethoven as a man - the ruthless, indeed, brutal exploitation of the young genius by his father, Johann, who was determined to profit from his son's abilities in the same fashion as Leopold Mozart squeezed his brilliant child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus; Beethoven's heartbreaking (and perennially unsuccessful) obsession with obtaining a wife and female companionship; the devastating universal rejection of his overtures of love (never mind that the objects of his affection were invariably unavailable either by class, by age or by virtue of being already married); the young Beethoven's arrogant self-confidence that not only expressed nary a scintilla of doubt in his own abilities but even loudly professed that he learned absolutely nothing from his aging colleagues, Mozart and Haydn; the virtual abduction of his deceased brother's son, Karl, and his almost lifelong battle against Karl's mother, Johanna; and, of course, the tragedy of his progressive deafness and chronic abdominal pain.
Then there was his prolific, almost miraculous output of some of the finest music that the world has ever been granted the opportunity to hear - symphonies, etudes, quartets, quintets, sonatas, choral works, chamber music, concerti, masses. Cutting edge music such as his 32nd and final piano sonata defied current convention and re-wrote the musical rule books as to what was acceptable and beautiful. Although this sonata, for example, was fundamentally what we would historically label as classical in nature, it was also avant-garde, entirely original and bore no resemblance to the baroque music that immediately preceded it. Certain rhythms, enormous variations in both tempi and volume, and striking dissonant harmonies would even lead many of today's listeners (unfamiliar with Beethoven) to feel they were listening to the beginnings of modern jazz piano. The breathtaking and entirely unprecedented final movement of his ninth symphony, with orchestra, full mixed chorus and four soloists, was so far ahead of its time as to lay the groundwork for Mahler's enormous choral masterworks that weren't to appear until over 70 years later.
Despite being a curious concatenation of ostentatious self-pity (one could admit that this was, to a certain extent, warranted given his physical ailments), ugly eccentricities, beastly manners and sometimes less than faithful personal hygiene habits, Ludwig van Beethoven was liked by his friends. He styled himself a Bacchus whose mission in life was the dissemination of joy to the world through his music. And now ... this brilliant audio work has made me painfully aware that I have only begun to scratch the surface of that enormous repertoire of joy. How ironic is it that one of Beethoven's final works, written at a time when he was most ill and most profoundly deaf was a setting of a poem entitled "Ode to Joy"! I've got an enjoyable bit of work in front of me to delve deeper into Beethoven's music!
I must say I'm looking forward to more CDs in this series! Goodness knows there are lots to choose from - Haydn, Chopin, Bach, Liszt, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Schubert and more! I'm thrilled to have discovered such a gem.
Paul Weiss
May 24, 2015
If you listen to music by Beethoven you simply cannot remain unmoved! How is this achieved? That none of us know, but after reading this book I do know about the events of his life and which pieces he composed just then. It is insightful to hear the music he composed as you learn of these events. It is a sad story, and not just due to his impending deafness. I hope that is enough to whet your interest. I highly recommend audiobooks narrated and authored by Jeremy Siepmann.
July 28, 2017
A lovely audiobook because it features passages of music between each chapter.
This book is great for someone like me who suspected there might be more to Beethoven than the opening of the first movement of the 5th symphony (dah dah dah daaaaaaaah. Dah dah dah daaaaaaaaah) and the Moonlight Sonata but isn't really sure what, or where to start. This kind of music can be intimidating, because none of it has proper names just numbers, and it takes a bit of work to listen to, but is hugely rewarding. It isn't analytical, the music doesn't mean anything more than itself, but knowing the background and context of the music enhances your enjoyment and understanding of it.
This is a wonderful introduction to the breadth of Beethoven's work, which I've discovered to not only the huge, powerful, heart-wrenching stuff people think of when they think of Beethoven, it can also be challenging, delicate, witty, incredibly beautiful and occasionally terrible (the Battle Symphony). Listen properly, and a few times and you'll get a lot out of it.
Beethoven was an funny person, with terrible habits, and probably an absolute nightmare to be around, I guess his genius came at a price.
This book is great for someone like me who suspected there might be more to Beethoven than the opening of the first movement of the 5th symphony (dah dah dah daaaaaaaah. Dah dah dah daaaaaaaaah) and the Moonlight Sonata but isn't really sure what, or where to start. This kind of music can be intimidating, because none of it has proper names just numbers, and it takes a bit of work to listen to, but is hugely rewarding. It isn't analytical, the music doesn't mean anything more than itself, but knowing the background and context of the music enhances your enjoyment and understanding of it.
This is a wonderful introduction to the breadth of Beethoven's work, which I've discovered to not only the huge, powerful, heart-wrenching stuff people think of when they think of Beethoven, it can also be challenging, delicate, witty, incredibly beautiful and occasionally terrible (the Battle Symphony). Listen properly, and a few times and you'll get a lot out of it.
Beethoven was an funny person, with terrible habits, and probably an absolute nightmare to be around, I guess his genius came at a price.
February 3, 2020
I suppose it is a decent overview but not what I was looking for. I wanted to learn what makes Beethoven Beethoven. This is an audio book with a snippets of biography between snippets of music. One thing I really disliked tho - the author would make statements such as “this particular piece inspires courage and moral fortitude.” I had no idea what he was talking about or how he got there. I wouldn’t mind the opinion, if he’d only explain how he came to these kind of conclusions. Anyway - my 2 cents.
February 9, 2025
If you want to really enhance your understanding of this One in a millennium prodigy, you should listen to the audiobook. As it not only contains his music but also the narrator is exceptionally skilled in a story telling and makes it more enjoyable and interesting that it already is.
Even you’re not musically talented or invested like me. Every time you hear his music you will get the goosebumps and get high feeling of mirth and ecstasy. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but I cannot but say how elevating, mesmerizing and magnificent his music is even for untrained ears.
Its was pity that he lead a miserable life despite his huge success, and never found love and happiness. To add the salt to the wound he also became deaf in his late twenties. But it didn’t make him stop producing topnotch music or rather somehow enhanced his ability to adapt and make masterpieces . One could argue that he had very right to self-pity, isolate himself from society. His temperament was unpredictable and his mood swing could be extreme. His social and communication skills were not to his favor, for he was somehow arrogant and didn’t like to be ordered around. His appearance and manners were not of much help too him either, though he could do nothing about his appearance. He sadly got rejected by the girls he loved or admired, often due to circumstances outside his control, such as different social class or already being married or wide age gap.
Of course. If he hadn’t gotten rejected by Elise we would not likely have gotten the masterpiece FÜR ELISE.
Fate is truly mysterious.
Even you’re not musically talented or invested like me. Every time you hear his music you will get the goosebumps and get high feeling of mirth and ecstasy. Ok, maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but I cannot but say how elevating, mesmerizing and magnificent his music is even for untrained ears.
Its was pity that he lead a miserable life despite his huge success, and never found love and happiness. To add the salt to the wound he also became deaf in his late twenties. But it didn’t make him stop producing topnotch music or rather somehow enhanced his ability to adapt and make masterpieces . One could argue that he had very right to self-pity, isolate himself from society. His temperament was unpredictable and his mood swing could be extreme. His social and communication skills were not to his favor, for he was somehow arrogant and didn’t like to be ordered around. His appearance and manners were not of much help too him either, though he could do nothing about his appearance. He sadly got rejected by the girls he loved or admired, often due to circumstances outside his control, such as different social class or already being married or wide age gap.
Of course. If he hadn’t gotten rejected by Elise we would not likely have gotten the masterpiece FÜR ELISE.
Fate is truly mysterious.
April 8, 2019
Quick read and listen for this audio book about Ludwig Von Beethoven. It mixes narrative about his life with actual performances of some of his major works that gave me a little musical break throughout the book. The narrative about his life runs parallel to that as told in the movie Immortal Beloved and, for the most part they agree on events in his life. This is the first book I've experienced that includes musical performances. Great read/listen for anyone interested in one of the best composers of his time.
June 4, 2024
A nice treatment that does not sugarcoat his life or behavior. His upbringing was harsh and unjustly cruel, his health was bad and his need for romantic love was unfulfilled. He was crude, boorish, narcissistic, prone to self-pity and mood swings. Not someone you would want to interact with personally.
These things don’t seem to carry over to his music. It transcends in being bold, confident, humorous, and beautiful. I guess he just entered a different world when he composed.
These things don’t seem to carry over to his music. It transcends in being bold, confident, humorous, and beautiful. I guess he just entered a different world when he composed.
November 18, 2025
After listening to how both Schubert and Brahms were haunted by the legacy Beethoven left, I *had* to learn more. The man was crazy and just insanely talented, especially considering just how early im his life he started losing his hearing. What a legend.
These always get an extra star for including excerpts from the composer’s works.
These always get an extra star for including excerpts from the composer’s works.
November 23, 2019
One of the best combination audiobook and music cd’s ever listened too. If you love Beethoven, then you will enjoy Siepmann’s storytelling alongside a great selection of some of Beethoven’s classical masterpieces to accompany his life’s story.
January 6, 2018
Interesting
April 5, 2018
I really love these Naxos "audiobooks". This just confirmed my love for the profound music of this incredibly difficult dude.
April 13, 2019
Beethoven was not so nice person after all. What a surprise! This book unveils some unopened chapters from his life.
October 5, 2021
Reminded me of blissful history of music lessons at my music school back years ago. Stories and music…
May 2, 2025
The tumultuous and often times difficult life of a musical genius examined with accompanying music.
January 13, 2023
This series of short biographies has some information that I find enlightening. The best part is definetely the primary source material in terms of the actual music included in the audiobook and lots of quotations from letters and diaries.
May 21, 2024
I think this is one of my favourite works in this series. Now I have a picture of the great composer as a short and hairy guy who cannot dance. Above all, we get to see Beethoven who in one way or another faces the difficulties of life with courage and whose artistic refuge gave us some of the best pieces ever known.
In general, Siepmann uses the sources well to paint us a picture of Beethoven as a person, and I smiled at least a few times listening to the actors voicing the different letters from the period.
Similarly to the other ‘life and works’, the main benefit of the audiobook for me is that it enables one to hear the music from a richer perspective. And, you get to discover many new pieces.
Admittedly, I am familiar with Beethoven's main works. Nevertheless, I did not know of the Allegro from Appasionata, for example, and I am quite happy to have discovered it. Learning about Beethoven’s stern, confident, and assured disposition lets you really engage with his music.
What I find inspiring in his story is that you can start with something unassuming or even mediocre, and through persistent labour, craft it into an outstanding manifestation of will and creativity.
The only thing is that I wished this book were longer. Other than that, I think it is really worth the time.
In general, Siepmann uses the sources well to paint us a picture of Beethoven as a person, and I smiled at least a few times listening to the actors voicing the different letters from the period.
Similarly to the other ‘life and works’, the main benefit of the audiobook for me is that it enables one to hear the music from a richer perspective. And, you get to discover many new pieces.
Admittedly, I am familiar with Beethoven's main works. Nevertheless, I did not know of the Allegro from Appasionata, for example, and I am quite happy to have discovered it. Learning about Beethoven’s stern, confident, and assured disposition lets you really engage with his music.
What I find inspiring in his story is that you can start with something unassuming or even mediocre, and through persistent labour, craft it into an outstanding manifestation of will and creativity.
The only thing is that I wished this book were longer. Other than that, I think it is really worth the time.
September 21, 2016
After reading a couple of biographies of Beethoven previously I found this musical journey is far superior. It shows the musical progress with dozens of examples to hear and shows how the genius grew in stature to a composer the author calls the, greatest. Beethoven's personal life though as described is often quite disastrous, violent at times, and his habits deplorable.
January 24, 2016
This is a audio book that merges the story of his life with his music. It explains what was happening at the time and how it affected his movie. The more you know.....the more you appreciate and this is definitely true with this CD. I will appreciate Beethoven's music so much more going forward.
May 8, 2023
A short audiobook interspersed with extracts of the great man's music. Would like to read a proper biography. It seems off that there are not more movies based on the lives of the great composers, seems like great material to me.
Read
August 4, 2011All I can say is WOW. I've long been interested in Beethoven's life but I had no idea it was so tortured. I can't wait to meet him and thank him for his music.
April 3, 2014
I still like Beethoven in spite of reading this book. I guess I follow the masses.
March 1, 2016
This audiobook injects Beethoven's music at appropriate points of the narrative to illustrate the interconnection of his life and work. It gets the job done, but the writing is mediocre.
April 9, 2016
Fantastic Read. It is amazing how he could compose such beautiful music deaf. I shouldn't never limit myself.
September 27, 2022
Always enjoy Siepmann's audio books. The life story interspersed with the important pieces of the music.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews