Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), who began to lose his hearing at a young age and lost it almost completely in the last ten years of his life, was unable to listen to some of the compositions he presented to us, such as the Ninth Symphony. He could not hear the storm of applause that the first performance of the work caused in the hall from the stage, but he could see it when someone grabbed his arm and turned him around. Even in this condition, he was the embodiment of genius, a great revolutionary who produced some of the most beautiful compositions in human history and brought about a great change in music. Living in the dirtiest and most untidy houses imaginable, and living his life as a grumpy, rude, wasteful, and sloppy man, Beethoven's compositions are dominated by great meticulousness, precision, and attention to detail. In this respect, it is the most touching example of the contrast between the lowly existence of the individual on earth and the sublime artistic existence of genius that extends beyond the ages to the human soul. He accepted his fate, which he was a reproachful person, thanks to his willpower as great as his genius, but throughout his life he never accepted where the established order positioned him. With a realism that pushed the limits of arrogance, he said to Prince Lichnowsky, who had provided him with financial support for years, “You became who you are today by the coincidence of your birth. There have been and will be thousands of princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Unlike Goethe, who bowed when he saw the royal carriage, he turned his back and walked away. When the jewel sent by the king to whom he dedicated one of his works turned out to be fake, those around him had a hard time preventing him from returning it. He objected not only to the aristocracy, but also to the commercialization of his art, and to publishers printing his works without obtaining permission and paying sufficient royalties: “The human brain is not a commodity that can be sold.” Written by Lewis Lockwood, an American musicologist and Beethoven expert who has taught at Princeton, Harvard and Boston universities since 1958, the biography in your hand is divided into sections so that Beethoven's life and music can be viewed together or separately. The section on the 9th Symphony in particular is long, detailed and explanatory enough to allow you to enjoy this wonderful music while following all the movements, expositions and measures in the book.