by Jan Swafford
First published 2014
Jan Swafford brings Ludwig van Beethoven to life as a flesh and blood human being rather than a marble statue. The acclaimed biographer of Charles Ives and Johannes Brahms draws on sources never before used in English to recreate the world that shaped the composer. Swafford begins in Enlightenment Bonn, where young Beethoven absorbed the ideas that would drive his artistic vision. He follows his subject to Vienna, the center of European musical life, where Beethoven forged his career while battling incomprehending critics, devastating illness, failed romances, and the cruel advance of deafness. Swafford provides keen analysis of the composer's major works throughout this journey. The result of more than ten years of research, this biography will serve as the standard life of Beethoven for generations of readers.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, 19th-century, classical-music, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: Bonn, Vienna
Period: Enlightenment
1077 pages · Hardcover · Mariner Books