This brilliant portrayal weaves Beethoven's musical and biographical stories into their historical and artistic contexts. Lewis Lockwood sketches the turbulent personal, historical, political, and cultural frameworks in which Beethoven worked and examines their effects on his music. "The result is that rarest of achievements, a profoundly humane work of scholarship that willāor at least shouldāappeal to specialists and generalists in equal measure" (Terry Teachout, Commentary). Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.Ā "Lewis Lockwood has written a biography of Beethoven in which the hours that Beethoven spent writing musicāthat is, his methods of working, his interest in contemporary and past composers, the development of his musical intentions and ideals, his inner musical life, in shortāhave been properly integrated with the external events of his career. The book is invaluable." āCharles Rosen "Lockwood writes with poetry and clarityāa rare combination. I especially enjoyed the connection that he makes between the works of Beethoven and the social and political context of their creationāwe feel closer to Beethoven the man without losing our wonder at his genius." āEmanuel Ax "The magnum opus of an illustrious Beethoven scholar. From now on, we will all turn to Lockwood's Beethoven: The Music and the Life for insight and instruction." āMaynard Solomon "This is truly the Beethoven biography for the intelligent reader. Lewis Lockwood speaks in his preface of writing on Beethoven's works at 'a highly accessible descriptive level.' But he goes beyond that. His discussion of the music, based on a deep knowledge of its context and the composition processes behind it, explains, elucidates, and is not afraid to evaluate; while the biographical chapters, clearly and unfussily written, and taking full account of the newest thinking on Beethoven, align closely with the musical discussion. The result is a deeply perceptive book that comes as close as can be to presenting the man and the music as a unity."āStanley Sadie, editor, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians "Impressive for both its scholarship and its fresh insights, this landmark workāfully accessible to the interested amateurāimmediately takes its place among the essential references on this composer and his music."āBob Goldfarb, KUSC-FM 91.5 "Lockwood writes like an angel: lucid, enthusiastic, stirring and enlightening. Beethoven has found his ablest interpreter."āJonathan Keates, The SpectatorĀ "There is no better survey of Beethoven's compositions for a wide audience."āMichael Kimmelman, The New York Times Book Review
This book title, Beethoven (The Music and the Life), ISBN: 9780393326383, by Lewis Lockwood, published by W. W. Norton & Company (January 17, 2005) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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