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Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph, by Jan Swafford
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* There is such an abundance of personal documentation of Beethoven—letters, other papers, press notices and reviews, acquaintances’ memoirs—that, while eschewing musical analysis, John Suchet was able to write an excellent 400-page biography without too much speculation. There is such an abundance that Swafford, incorporating lengthy but not highly technical discussions of the most important compositions, produces a 1,000-plus-page life without exhausting—indeed, further piquing—Âinterest in the most consequential musician who ever lived. For readers of both Suchet and Swafford will find many nonmusical details in the latter’s account that Suchet didn’t mention. Also, the two biographies differ in emphases; for instance, Suchet stresses that Beethoven’s own bad habits contributed to his physical and mental anguish, whereas Swafford fingers coincidental factors, such as lead poisoning and injurious medicines, for the composer’s virtually lifelong indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, and other internal complaints. But Swafford, whose Charles Ives (1996) and Johannes Brahms (1997) rule the roost on their respective subjects, so deftly intertwines biography and musical explication that anyone capable of matching a motif in musical annotation and a cording of it will revel in his Beethoven. Indeed, such readers will want to refer to the book often when they listen to Beethoven. A marvelous achievement. --Ray Olson
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Review
A New York Times Book Review Editor's ChoiceA Christian Science Monitor Top 10 Book of the Month "Swafford’s craftsmanship shines...The book is two books: a biography and a series of journeys through the music, a travelogue with an excitable professor. Readers will want to have a recording playing so they can match metaphors to sounds. I found myself engaged by his imagery, sometimes delighted and surprised." –Jeremy Denk, New York Times Book Review "Impassioned and informed...Swafford’s exuberance is infectious, prompting the reader to revisit works both famous and obscure." –The New Yorker "[T]he stately rhythm, carefully etched detailing and oceanic sweep of this ambitious book mirror the complexity and richness of Beethoven's revolutionary Romanticism...surrender to it and it’s easy to be swept away...Swafford comes marvelously equipped to take on the enormousness of Beethoven's life and work – his heights of inspiration, depths of suffering, the roots and range of his masterworks...Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph doesn't drown in its musicology so much as achieve a buoyant balance of technical and human detail." –Matt Damsker, USA TODAY "Compelling...Despite the wealth of historical detail, this is no dry academic tome, but a biography full of colorful descriptions of the composer and his milieu...Comprehensive, detailed, and highly readable, this is an entertaining biography that should find favor with music lovers and history buffs." –Seattle Times "Swafford creates the perfect blend of a historical person and musical genius...Monumental...A truly remarkable biography." –Christian Science Monitor "Swafford’s writing on Beethoven’s music is perceptive and illuminating. But just as impressive is his sympathetic portrait of Beethoven the man. Swafford’s book, which should be placed alongside the excellent biographies by Lewis Lockwood and Maynard Solomon, does not diminish any of the composer’s flaws. Instead, it suggests that these flaws were inconsequential compared with the severity of the composer’s anguish and the achievement of his music." –Washington Post "Swafford has a knack for bringing in the reader wholly unschooled in the technical vernacular of classical music. That skill is in evidence in this blend of biography and musical assessment. Even if you don't know the difference between a leitmotif and a lighthouse, don't sweat it, for this is, more than anything, a saga of a man at odds with so many things: convention, social mores, himself, women, his family ... If this isn't exactly the Beethoven that Schroeder of 'Peanuts' fame worshiped, it's a more believable characterization, and, more than that, one gets a better sense of how this roiling personality produced works to roil the human soul." –Boston Globe "An immersive, comprehensive view...The book has a biopic feel...Lively" –The New York Review of Books "This combination of gripping biography and readable analysis of Beethoven’s compositions is a book for all Beethoven enthusiasts, full of insights and memorable vignettes, old and new." –Washington Times"A highly rewarding read, with a lightness of touch that makes history come to life." –The Economist "Magisterial, warm, and engaging...A triumph of scholarship and musical affinity... Jan Swafford is to be saluted." –The Independent "Swafford traces the life and art of Beethoven in eye-opening, rational detail and gives you a more human, more fascinating portrait of Beethoven the radical evolutionary than even the Beethoven the Romantic of legend...When Swafford writes about Beethoven's raptus–the trance-like state friends remakred upon when he was most lost in his musical world–you feel as if you were there, listening to the improvisations flowing from the virtuoso's fingers...For those who cannot read music, Swafford's published excerpts can look daunting, but with a little work and a good CD collection, anyone can follow Swafford's journeys through Beethoven's journeys. The payoff is more than worth it." –Big Think "Magnificent...Some of the most enjoyable segments of his book are the spirited and knowledgeable readings of Beethoven’s various compositions. These passages are so passionate that they virtually propel the reader across the room to the CD collection, to play the pieces being so smartly described...A stunning tour de force, a Beethoven biography to shine for a lifetime." –Open Letters Monthly "Monumental...Engaging and entertaining...Beethoven aficionados and lovers of classical music will want this book, as will readers interested in biography and the artistic milieu of late 18th- and early 19th-century Europe." –Library Journal, starred review "A thorough, affectionate, and unblinking account of the life of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)...Due to the author’s unsurpassed research and comprehension, we stand in the presence of a genius and see all his flawed magic." –Kirkus, starred review"In this brilliant, exhaustive story, biographer and music historian Swafford (Johannes Brahms) brings new life to Beethoven." –Publishers Weekly, starred review
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Product details
Hardcover: 1104 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (August 5, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 061805474X
ISBN-13: 978-0618054749
Product Dimensions:
6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.3 out of 5 stars
186 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#53,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A remarkable book written by an obviously brilliant author who understands biography and music. I spent 10 months savoring this story of the great Beethoven's life while listening to his pieces along the way (bought a 60 CD compilation of his works). Frankly, I'm in awe of the depth of Swafford's research and his ability to pull innumerable facts together and tell them in a compelling story. I've read several hundred biographies. This is one of the best.
I'm going to say straight up, without any reservations, that it must have sucked to be Beethoven. We all know about his deafness and anger issues, but I was not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this book took me on. With the myriad problems he had, it's nothing short of astounding how productive he was in his composing, et al. Of course, like the biographies I've been reading recently, there is plenty of musical analysis in between the life narrative and excerpts from correspondence, etc. I thought it was all rather sound, supplemented by plenty of musical examples, and well-integrated into the book as a whole. For the first few chapters, there was a tendency to meander as the time period was set up, but things flowed better when Swafford got to the meat of the story. I'm sure there are other equally good biographies of Beethoven (I've got two more lined up already), but this one would probably be sufficient for someone who is just dabbling instead of doing serious research. Because of the musical discussion, I will say that this book will probably be more useful to the musically inclined. All around, it's a great book that practically had me in tears by the final chapter. Highly recommended.
A book of over 1,000 pages does require a commitment, but this book is certainly worth it. I actually had to put it aside for a while after originally purchasing it because I felt it would be helpful to listen to the music in conjunction with reading Swafford's explication of it. I needed to be in a certain frame of mind for that approach. The biography is excellent because it unites the life and personality of Beethoven the man with insight into his music, his motivations, and the nature of his genius all within the context of his times. I thought it was a broad but relevantly detailed biography which gave me a complete picture through the eyes and ears of Jan Swafford. I loved it.
Beethoven is one of the most written-about figures in history, and saying something new about his life is almost impossible. But the author takes a fresh look at the composer's life and music, writing with gentle humor and even affection, for the composer whose suffering often made him moody, irritable, temperamental, and impossible to live with. Deep down, Beethoven had a warm heart and generosity, even an outrageous sense of humor that ultimately made him lovable and even noble. His courageous endurance and love for humanity (though not actual people around him) led to some of the world's greatest music.I am enjoying this biography very much. I would say the main flaw is lengthy and technical descriptions of Beethoven's work. Non-musicians might really get swamped, and simply skip to the narrative parts. Music is almost impossible to write about. Someone once said "Beethoven's music is music about music."Although Beethoven did name some works (the "Eroica" Symphony," the "Appassionata,") he usually preferred to let the music speak for itself and was furious when it was given ridiculous names. The famous "Moonlight" Sonata was named years after his death, and known in his time as the "Arbor Sonata" because he supposedly composed it while sitting in an arbor. Also "Fur Elise," his most famous piano piece, was discovered in the papers of a young lady named Therese Malfatti, one of Beethoven's hopeless flames.There are no breathless new discoveries and shocking revelations about Beethoven's life, but this biography is well worth reading as a celebration of the great composer who left such musical treasures to our world. I've even been inspired to learn the "Emperor" concerto again!
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