Product Description

Sourcebooks MediaFusion and Naxos proudly present this fascinating biography, complete with two CDs of his greatest works plus an exclusive website with extended compositions.

Jeremy Siepmann draws an accessible portrait of the turbulent, troubled but determined figure of Beethoven, regarded by many as the greatest composer who ever lived. And with the words comes the music: Two CDs of carefully chosen pieces covering all the different genres in which Beethoven made his mark. Readers also gain access to an exclusive website that offers the musical works in full, the music of Beethoven's contemporaries, new essays and more. This revolutionary biography utilizes traditional and new media to provide a uniquely rounded portrait of the composer himself.

Naxos is the world's leading classical music label and provider of classical music over the Internet at www.naxos.com.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #920729 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—Siepmann begins each biography by introducing the musician and describes the social and political climate in which the man lived. Seven or eight chapters follow, each separated by a five-page interlude tying the texts to the CDs. Primary-source material is included (quotations, letters, writings, journals), which makes these volumes valuable for study and research. Each book ends with the same chapter, "Eighteenth-Century Background," looking in detail at politics and cultural milieus; Beethoven also has a chapter looking ahead to what the 19th century would bring. "Personalities" offers 10 pages of mini-biographies of family and colleagues. Though these volumes are not glitzy or bold in design, they are readable and very thorough additions to music shelves.—Linda Beck, Indian Valley Public Library, Telford, PA
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