num_pages: 680
description: This new biography of Ludwig van Beethoven offers connoisseurs and newcomers alike an unparalleled story of the composers life and works written by a renowned conductor and scholar of Beethovens music. With unprecedented access to the archives at the Beethoven House in Bonn Jan Caeyers expertly weaves together a deeply human and complex picture of Beethovenhis troubled youth his unpredictable mood swings his desires relationships and conflicts with family and friends the mysteries surrounding his affair with the immortal beloved and the dramatic tale of his deafness. Caeyers also offers new insights into Beethovens music showing how it transformed from the work of a skilled craftsman to that of a consummate artist. Demonstrating an impressive command of the vast scholarship on this iconic composer Caeyers brings Beethovens world alive with elegant prose memorable musical descriptions and a vivid depiction of Bonn and Vienna where Beethoven produced and performed his works. Caeyers explores how Beethovens career was impacted by the historical and philosophical shifts taking place in the music world and how in turn his trajectory changed the music industry. Equal parts an absorbing cultural history and a lively biography Beethoven A Life reveals a complex portrait of the musical genius that defined a style of music and went on to become one of the great pillars of Western art music. 
language: English
title: Beethoven, A Life
publisher: University of California Press