Beethoven: The Universal Composer (Eminent Lives)

Beethoven: The Universal Composer (Eminent Lives)

From Publishers WeeklyThis addition to the Eminent Lives Series by Pulitzer-winning biographer Morris (Theodore Rex; Dutch) does not disappoint. The author provides a close analysis of only one cantata, the early (written at 19) and relatively obscure Joseph II, but leaves no doubt he could easily do the same for the more radical and magisterial works, which are bothersome to orthodox opinion about Beethoven's time, were the ground not so well trodden. Outsize in talent, Beethoven was a difficult, ugly little man, uncomfortable with women (Immortal Beloved and a certain amount of groupie attention notwithstanding, he seems never to have had a successful romantic relationship), snobbish and a raving egotist. His seven-year legal battle with his sister-in-law over custody of her son assumed manic proportions and set him drifting toward paranoia. Yet not only did his prodigious productivity never falter, his psychosis, alcoholism, chronic rages, famous deafness and increasing illness (dropsy;edema;cirrhosis and possibly lupus killed him at 56) actually seemed to spur his genius: the greatest works are the later ones. Morris clearly admires his subject not only for the work but also for his constant fight against the odds, and he has written an ideal biography for the general reader. (Oct. 4)Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Brilliant....This book is a perfect marriage-or should one say, duet-of subject and author, every word as masterly as the notes of the artist it illuminates. - Christopher Buckley, ForbesThis is not just criticism but poetry in itself, with the additional-and inestimable-merit of being true. - Washington Post Book WorldPulitzer Prize-winning author Edmund Morris (The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, Dutch) is one of Americas most distinguished biographers, known for his rich, compulsively readable prose style. His biography of Beethoven, one of the most admired composers in the history of music, is above all a study of genius in action, of one of the few giants of Western culture. Beethoven is another engaging entry in the HarperCollins Eminent Lives series of biographies by distinguished authors on canonical figures.From School Library JournalAdult/High School-This concise, well-organized biography by an eminent music scholar is just the right length and depth for teen readers. Most readers already know that Beethoven was deaf by the time his famous Ninth Symphony was performed, but Morris fills in the fascinating details of how the composer, who began to lose his hearing in his late 20s, developed strategies to continue writing music and to keep his ever-increasing audience from learning his secret. Students who are compelled to practice their music lessons will sympathize with Beethovens unhappy life as a child prodigy, when he was allowed to raise his exhausted fingers from the clavier keyboard only when it was time for him to take up the violin. Having lived a childhood of straitened circumstances, he became extravagant and frequently fell into debt as an adult. To keep a supply of ready money, he frequently sold almost completed pieces that he had not even started to multiple wealthy patrons. He attracted eager young ladies, but his shyness prevented him from forming any attachments except for emotional bonds with married women. Morris has interwoven Beethovens life story with lyrical passages about the sounds and structures of his major works. These descriptions help show how he used the techniques developed by past masters, while introducing the innovations that would be further developed by composers over the next hundred years.-Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VACopyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From Bookmarks MagazineHow does Pulitzer Prizewinning biographer (Dutch; The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt;