Beethoven
Jan Caeyers, a leading expert on Beethoven, has written one of the few biographies to encompass the entire life and work of the composer. He looks in detail at the historical context in which Beethoven worked and offers a lucid analysis of the music, which became more complex and wayward with the years.
Caeyers portrays Beethoven as a brilliant composer who had an extremely complicated and tormented personality. In this particularly well-documented account he connects Beethoven’s work with the facts of his life: his sombre childhood, his fluctuating moods, his desires, his relationships and conflicts with family and friends, his passionate letters to his ‘immortal beloved’ and the tragedy of his deafness.
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The author draws upon his years of experience as a conductor of Beethoven’s works. Paying close attention to both psychological details and social structures, Caeyers also presents an evocative portrait of Vienna in the years around 1800. His biography will appeal to a broad audience of music lovers and to anyone interested in cultural history.