Product Description

Hailed as a masterpiece for its original interpretations of Beethoven's life and music, this edition takes into account the latest information and literature. Includes a 30-page bibliographical essay, numerous illustrations, and a full-color pictorial biography of the composer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131611 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 554 pages

About the Author
Maynard Solomon is a leading authority on Beethoven, winner of the Otto Kinkeldey Award for "Beethoven Essays" and the author of Mozart: A Life.

Customer Reviews

Unreadable and boring
I found this book unreadable and extremely boring. It was so dense with meaningless detail that the narrative flow virtually ceased - the endless inclusion of irrelevant detail sucked the life right out of the book for me. After a while I began skimming the pages in an effort to escape the onslaught of useless details. Although this book claimed to be a biography about a life, the writing style itself lacked life. I have read several books by Ron Chernow who also writes biographies and Chernow proves that you can be scholarly without sacrificing readability.

TMaynard Solomon Biography of Mozart

Considered to be the latest authoritative biography of Mozart having reviewed all past biographies of the composer.

Not Really
Not really a biography, more a lengthy attempt to psychoanalyze the composer. Surprisingly little about his actual life. BUT such things as a whole chapter about Solomon's guess (all "Beethoven Scholars" have one) as to the identity of the Immortal Beloved, to whom Beethoven wrote (but may not have mailed) an ardent love letter -- then no real attempt to make this supposed relationship relevant to the man's life and work. More fuzzy stuff about Beethoven's attempt to become guardian of his nephew. Spare me.

If this is the "definative biography of Beethoven," lord help us.