Beethoven by John Clubbe
A fascinating and in-depth exploration of how the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and Napoleon shaped Beethoven's political ideals and inspired his groundbreaking compositions. Beethoven imbibed Enlightenment and revolutionary ideas in his hometown of Bonn, where they were fervently discussed in cafes and at the university. Moving to Vienna at the age of twenty-one to study with Haydn, he gained renown as a brilliant pianist and innovative composer. In that conservative city, capital of the Hapsburg empire, authorities were ever watchful to curtail and punish overt displays of radical political views. Nevertheless, Beethoven avidly followed the meteoric rise of Napoleon. As Napoleon had made strides to liberate Europe from aristocratic oppression, so Beethoven desired to liberate humankind through music. He went beyond the musical forms of Haydn and Mozart, notably in the Eroica Symphony and his opera Fidelio, both inspired by the French Revolution and Napoleon. John Clubbe illuminates Beethoven as a lifelong revolutionary through his compositions, portraits, and writings, and by setting him alongside major cultural figures of the time-among them Schiller, Goethe, Byron, Chateaubriand, and Goya.
"Clubbe’s biography is a thorough account of Beethoven’s inspirations, collaborators, and his turbulent timesIt frames his work with political events and makes a compelling argument for their impact on the man." -- New Statesman
"A thoughtful cultural history that takes into account the times in which Beethoven lived and worked—and they were times of revolution." -- Tim Page - The Washington Post
"A thoughtful cultural history that takes into account the times in which Beethoven lived and worked—and they were times of revolution." -- Tim Page - The Washington Post
John Clubbe, who holds three degrees from Columbia University, taught chiefly at Duke and the University of Kentucky. He has written books on nineteenth-century cultural history and numerous essays, primarily on Byron, Beethoven, and Napoleon. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he now lives, he has given pre-concert lectures for the Santa Fe Pro Musica and the Santa Fe Symphony.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780393242553 |
| ISBN 10 | 0393242552 |
| Title | Beethoven |
| Author | John Clubbe |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | WW Norton & Co |
| Year published | 2019-08-09 |
| Number of pages | 512 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |