Research Catalog

Title

Beethoven : the music and the life / Lewis Lockwood.

Author

Lockwood, Lewis.

Publication

New York : Norton, [2003], ©2003.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xix, 604 pages : illustrations, music; 24 cm

Summary

• "In this portrayal of the world's most famous composer, Lewis Lockwood interweaves his discussion of Beethoven's life and works while placing them in their historical and artistic contexts. Written for the general reader, the book shows how Beethoven's abundant great works reflect both his powerful artistic individuality and the deepest aesthetic, philosophical, and political currents of his age.
• Also, by providing glimpses into the composer's sketchbooks and autograph manuscripts, the author helps us gain substantial insight into Beethoven's compositional methods.".
• "Here the music looms larger than the life - the composer dominates the man - but both are discussed at length. Lockwood's observations about the music consist of short critical accounts of a large number of works, including all of Beethoven's most important compositions. These commentaries, for which no music expertise is required, bring out salient aspects of Beethoven's varying styles, provide a guide to his music, and display his changing ways of shaping his works.
• In addition, readers can consult a dedicated Web site containing sixty-nine notated examples keyed to specific passages in the book and marked discreetly in the text."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject

• Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 > Criticism and interpretation

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [559]-578) and indexes.

Contents

Prologue. Youth, Maturity, Old Age: Three Letters -- Pt. 1. The Early Years 1770-1792. 1. Beginnings. 2. Music of the Bonn Years -- Pt. 2. The First Maturity 1792-1802. 3. The First Years in Vienna. 4. Music of the First Vienna Years. 5. Years of Crisis. 6. Music for and with Piano. 7. Music for Orchestra and the First Quartets. 8. The First Maturity: An Overview -- Pt. 3. The Second Maturity 1802-1812. 9. Beethoven in the New Age. 10. New Symphonic Ideals. 11. The Mature Concertos. 12. Music for the Stage. 13. Vocal Music. 14. Beethoven at the Keyboard. 15. String Quartets -- Pt. 4. The Final Maturity 1813-1827. 16. The "Fallow" Years. 17. Beethoven's Inner and Outer Worlds. 18. Bringing the Past into the Present. 19. Late Piano Music. 20. The Celestial and the Human. 21. Timeless Music: The Last Quartets. Classified Index of Beethoven's Works -- Index of Beethoven's Works / Opus Number.

ISBN

0393050815

LCCN

2002075397

OCLC

• ocm50002434
• SCSB-9438071

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries