Beethoven's Letters

Book Description

Features 457 of Beethoven's most candid letters dealing with such topics as his deafness, his declining health, other composers and their influence, his own work. Includes 15 illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

BEETHOVEN "A Look Behind The Notes".......2007-06-27

Beethoven's Letters
As a pianist, teacher, adjudicator, examiner, critic and author, I am often presented with performances of Beethoven's works that offer no insight or understanding of Beethoven the man or his music! When giving master classes,I encourage students to read his letters and analyze his music before attempting to perform it. Most consider Beethoven an unpleasant, angry,reclusive human being! Beethoven's letters prove these thoughts to be totally invalid! When writing to his brothers (Heilgenstadt Testament),Beethoven shows an essence of lament because he is so disraught about the false opinions of others toward him. In his letter's we find the true essence of this great man.
Beethoven was a man of morality, truth, and beauty very much like Schubert. Beethoven's deep love of nature is well-known and well documented in his letters and shows in his music too! He was a deeply religious man. Beethoven's attitude may have been more of conventional Catholic ecclesiastical views, but as his letters show, there are countless evidences of his spirituality.
In Beethoven's letter's the fundamental differences are clear. I feel the most important ones are these:
Purity. There is never one single moment of something demonic or unhealthy in his music.
Dignity. He is always completely honest in his music. And there is never a trace of something that might be interpreted as self pity. Pain and sorrow, yes, but nothing to suggest that he ever felt sorry for himself.
His letter's convey a very good guess that Beethoven's deafness may have been a result of his attempts to press his excellent hearing sense to the extreme in order to gain the ultimate understanding of music! The reading of Beethoven's letters is paramount for those who truly want to know the essence of the man and how to approach performing his music!

Author:Raymond Vacchino M.Mus.(Per.) M.Mus.(MT) A.Mus. Licentiate, L.R.S.M.

Fascinating.......2007-06-27

How could it not be fascinating? The real thing - he was not writing with the thought that his letters would ever be published and as the editor says - how can we judge a genius by ordinary means?? His personal life was extreme, but his letters show us the real man with a true heart and extreme emotions. I just loved this book. I'm not a music specialist - this book is written for the general public - I love classical music and play the piano - but now as I play Beethoven his life rings out more meaningfully to me and I forgive him his sins of passion - as I thrill in playing the music of this genius.

Beethoven as a Person.......2007-04-23

This is a fascinating book told by Beethoven himself. Considering the large volume of compositions written by Beethoven, it is amazing the amount of Beethoven's letter-writing. Many of his letters describe work-in-progress. Others talk about his patrons, fellow musicians, publishers, and personal friends. There are even some letters written to some of the women Beethoven admired. There are musical quotations of different compositions that were works-in-progress. Some of the pages show copies of some of Beethoven's actual scores. The translator lavishly uses footnotes to describe the historical background surrounding the period of Beethoven's life.

Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Orchard Paperbacks)

Average customer rating:

"I am Beethoven!"
Life With Beethoven.....

Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Orchard Paperbacks)
Barbara Nichol
Manufacturer: Orchard Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0531071189

Customer Reviews:

"I am Beethoven!".......2005-10-13

A young Viennese boy named Christoph happens to have the greatest composer who ever lived as a boarder in his mother's house. Set in 1822, this nice re-telling of factual events in the last year of Beethoven's life has introduced millions to the softer side of a musical god too often portrayed as stern and cold. Yes, there really was a Christoph, and Beethoven shared his home about the time of the composition of the Ninth Symphony, possibly humankind's musical high-point. In fact many real life occurrences came to pass just as Ms. Nichol's book tells. Beethoven Lives Upstairs is easy to read and hard to forget, and is a positive tale almost anyone should find likable.

Life With Beethoven............2002-02-14

"...I write, Uncle, because something terrible has happened. A madman has moved into our house." Young Christoph can't believe his family's misfortune with their new boarder. Mr Beethoven has rented the upstairs rooms, and the terrible noises begin at dawn. There's loud pounding and howling, stomping and crashing. Beethoven has four pianos, some without legs sitting right on the floor so that he can "hear" the vibrations of his music. His room is a mess, papers scattered everywhere, dirty dishes and clothes on every surface, and he writes on the walls. He walks the streets humming and growling, and waving his arms. Christoph is mortified, angry, and embarrassed as he asks his uncle..."I beg you to tell my mother to send Mr Beethoven away." But as the months and then years go by, Christoph's letters begin to change. He develops compassion and tolerance for this eccentric musical genius who lives upstairs, that slowly turns into respect, admiration, and true friendship..... Barbara Nichol and Scott Cameron have authored a creative and inventive story, written as correspondence between uncle and nephew, that combines history, music, and actual events during the three years Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony in Vienna. Christoph's intriguing and compelling letters are full of drama and tension as he tells his uncle what it's like to live with the deaf and tormented composer. His uncle, also a musician, writes back giving Christoph insight and understanding into Beethoven's life and times and famous temper. Ms Nichol's engaging and entertaining text is spellbinding and enhanced by Mr Cameron's dark, lush oil paintings. Together word and art transport you back to the 1820s, and allows the reader to spy on Beethoven as he works. Perfect for youngsters 8-12, Beethoven Lives Upstairs is an evocative and fascinating adventure about a remarkable composer that is sure to whet the appetite of budding musicians, and send them looking for more.

Beethoven's Letters 1790-1826, Volume 1&2

Average customer rating:

Horrible Editing

Beethoven's Letters 1790-1826, Volume 1&2
Ludwig van Beethoven
Manufacturer: Echo Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1846379601

Book Description

BEETHOVEN'S LETTERS.(1790-1826.) FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. LUDWIG NOHL. ALSO HIS LETTERS TO THE ARCHDUKE RUDOLPH, CARDINAL ARCHBISHOP OF OLMUeTZ, K.W., FROM THE COLLECTION OF DR. LUDWIG RITTER VON KOeCHEL.

Customer Reviews:

Horrible Editing.......2007-05-14

This book suffers from shameful editing. I should say NO EDITING. What this POD publisher did was download the text from an online source, set the text in garamond, and then they printed it sans proper footnote placement, sans the musical notations, sans any sense of attractive page design. Buy the Dover edition of this book: Beethoven's Letters. DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF GARBAGE!

Letters to Beethoven and Other Correspondence, Volume 3 (North American Beethoven Studies)

Average customer rating:

Letters to Beethoven and Other Correspondence, Volume 3 (North American Beethoven Studies)

Manufacturer: University of Nebraska Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Austria | Europe | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 080321040X

Book Description

These volumes present approximately 430 letters and documents written to Beethoven (1770–1827) as well as those written by others (relatives, students, and secretaries) on his behalf. Along with over 70 of Beethoven’s own letters discovered since Emily Anderson’s three-volume Letters of Beethoven, these documents provide new insights into the composer’s personal life. They illuminate his dealings with publishers, other musicians, poets, patrons, relatives, friends, and a wide variety of acquaintances.

The documents provide important details about the composition of many works, Beethoven’s performance practices, his criticisms of other composers and performers, and his role in the Napoleonic era. Gleaned from more than one hundred publications and collected from autograph sources in libraries and archives in Europe and the United States, these materials have never before appeared between two covers. At least sixty of the letters have never previously been published. Letters to Beethoven and Other Correspondence vastly enlarges accessibility to Beethoven’s busy life and the music he made.

All documents are translated into English and annotated with identifications of persons and works.

Beethoven Letters Journals and Conversations

Average customer rating:

Lacrimoso Verismo

Beethoven Letters Journals and Conversations

Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0500273243

Customer Reviews:

Lacrimoso Verismo.......2007-01-25

This is an important read for any Beethoven-head, classical music fan, or music history buff. I'm a fan of primary documentation in general; I would rather read letters, essays, or autobiographies than some scholarly tome. But these letters are very revealing as to Beethoven's character and state of mind. At times they are quite moving, such as Beethoven's letter to his brother where he stated that the only thing that prevented him from killing himself was the knowledge that he still had more music to give to the world. From just about anyone else that would seem like delusional grandiosity, but in Beethoven's case it was true.

It brought to mind a comment made by a patient who was opposed to psychiatric medications. He made an argument, a variation of a common one, linking mental illness as the driving force behind creativity: "If Beethoven had been given Prozac, we all would have been robbed of the Eroica." Sounds compelling, but is it true? One thing that can be learned from Beethoven's letters, in combination with other sources, is that he wrote his heaviest, darkest, most brooding works during periods of relative happiness. When he was in the deepest depths of his mood disorder, he wrote light, upbeat music, music that is brilliant in its own way, but not the music people generally picture as Beethovian. Certainly one can speculate as to links between creativity and some forms mental illness, but to equate the two is to marginalize the suffering of true mental illness. Here's what I'm saying: Mental illness is not something to exoticize. It is something to rebel against.

Who's to say that Beethoven on Prozac wouldn't have written the same music? Or wouldn't have written different but equally brilliant music? This also begs the question of whether or not a suffering artist really owes the public the products of their creativity, but that's another tangent.

You know who I'd like to medicate? Bruckner. How about Bruckner punching up his 7th symphony while on multiple stimulants? That might be interesting. Oops, off-topic again.

I recommend this book. If willing to invest the time, one could create an iPod Beethoven playlist that roughly tracks his work chronologically, and then read Beethoven's letters in short bites following along with the music.

Average customer rating:

Beethoven Letters in America
O.G. Sonneck
Manufacturer: The Beethoven Assn.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HW9GP6

Average customer rating:

Beethoven Letters, Journals and Conversations
MIchael Hamburger
Manufacturer: Doubleday and Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MVNJ0U

Average customer rating:

Beethoven's Letters
Lady Grace (Translated By) Wallace
Manufacturer: Oliver Ditson & Co.,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000TUKKSS

Average customer rating:

Beethoven's Letters

Manufacturer: J. M. Dent and Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HYSRNQ

Beethoven's letters (1790-1826) from the collection of Dr. Ludwig Nohl,: Also his letters to the Archduke Rudolph, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olmutz, K. W., ... collection of Dr. Ludwig Ritter von Kochel

Average customer rating:

A window of enlightment, to the music.

Beethoven's letters (1790-1826) from the collection of Dr. Ludwig Nohl,: Also his letters to the Archduke Rudolph, Cardinal-Archbishop of Olmutz, K. W., ... collection of Dr. Ludwig Ritter von Kochel
Ludwig van Beethoven
Manufacturer: Books for Libraries Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0836952731

Customer Reviews:

A window of enlightment, to the music........1997-05-01

A comprehensive collection, and a window to understanding of the music I love, which has brought me many emotions and experiences. An insight into the fabric that music became sown out of.

Book Description

In Canada, the audio-visual and print industries are referred to as the cultural industries, whereas the United States calls them the entertainment industries. These language distinctions are accompanied by different domestic policies and political discourses. The United States has relatively open policies toward these activities, while Canada has adopted an inward-looking approach. Failure to integrate cultural industries into NAFTA and WTO has led to trade disputes between Canada and the United States over copyrights, television licensing, violence in media, and discriminatory magazine policy, indicating the need for an agreed-upon process for settling cultural trade disputes.

Much Ado about Culture explores the differing sets of policies--cultural nationalism versus the open option--and the resulting conflicts in the context of technological developments as well as international agreements dealing with trade, investment, copyright, and labor movements. The Canadian cultural industries are examined, from film and television production and distribution to broadcasting, publishing, and sound recording. Several areas of recent conflict, such as Sports Illustrated, Country Music Television, and Borders Books, highlight the types of policies disputed, the process followed, and the conclusions reached. Finally, the authors propose an alternative approach to constraining national cultural policies by international agreement that would allow the gains from openness to be realized while serving legitimate cultural concerns.

Authored by the acknowledged experts on trade disputes in the cultural arena, this book will be essential reading for international economists, policymakers, and lawyers interested in the cultural industries.

Keith Acheson and Christopher Maule are Professors of Economics, Carleton University, Ontario.

Book Description

In this second book, Charlie Adams serves up a new batch of observations and memories from his 17 years in broadcasting.

Amazon.com

Although this Dummies book is in the typical informal and irreverent beginner's style, even the most competent searcher will find it invaluable. Author Reva Basch has written the gold standard for books about online research. Wired magazine calls her "the ultimate intelligent agent" for a very good reason. Basch doesn't just give you information on search engines and how to use them. She takes you into the mindset of a professional Net cybrarian, sharing the essential truth about online research. (There is a huge difference between surfing and searching.) In chapters such as "Thinking and Working Like a Researcher," you learn what to do when presented with 42,178 hits--or worse, no hits at all--when using a search engine. Even when you hit pay dirt, Basch explains the importance of evaluating the information you find to make sure it's relevant and accurate.

Basch covers specialty search engines, subject-based catalogs, reference sites, online libraries, and for-pay information services. She takes you to the places where the experts hang out in newsgroups, mailing lists, and online conferencing systems. One especially helpful chapter deals with the mysteries of researching government, medical, and sci-tech information online. The discussion then moves to business-related research, online publications, and many other resources. Then she reveals that sometimes you have to go offline to get what you need and includes helpful print sources.

This terrific volume concludes with the famous Dummies "Part of Tens," including Ten Timeless Truths about Search Engines and Ten Clarifying Questions for Better Research Results. The accompanying CD-ROM has three bonus chapters: "Life Choices," about using the Net to find information on finding a college, a car, a job, and other necessities; "Recreational Interests: Hobbies, Interests, and Leisure-Time Pursuits"; and "Ten Simple Tune-ups for Streamlined Searching." A bonus section on Boolean searches contains one of the better discussions of that misunderstood subject. --Elizabeth Lewis

Book Description

Whether you're beginning a college thesis or searching for a new toaster, Researching Online For Dummies, 2nd Edition, is your key to finding the information you need -- online and anytime. This book helps you develop a multitiered research strategy using keywords and index terms to dive deep into the sources found on the Web...

Explore the mental tools and online resources successful researchers rely on every day.
Take a look at the online world that goes beyond the Internet.
Familiarize yourself with search engines, indexes, quick reference aids, and other online professional services you can access from your computer.
See how Boolean searching and other power-search tips and techniques can greatly aid your research.
Apply these search techniques to real-life research situations.
Get acquainted with some of the best -- and best-hidden -- resources in important subject areas, such as news, business, technology, and government information.

Researching Online For Dummies, 2nd Edition, also offers a 30-page directory dedicated to describing selected research sites, services, and other useful online resources. The book's bonus CD-ROM includes search engine help files from Northern Light and Lycos as well as demo versions of Copernic, BullsEye, and WebWhacker.

Customer Reviews:

Very informative.......2007-09-12

You can fine everything you want, just learn from the book how. I have a very good opinion of the book but they need a new version up to date.

An informative introduction to online research.......2005-05-11

In "Researching Online for Dummies," Internet research specialist Reva Basch walks readers through the intricacies of conduction research online. She expertly addresses all the basics, including search engines; online indexes, directories, and portals; web-based reference tools; mega-sites; guru pages; and web rings (to name just a few!). Basch also describes more obscure, oft-overlooked (but equally valuable) online tools, such as online collections; virtual libraries; government and corporate sites; and gated information services. Additionally, "Researching Online for Dummies" includes a discussion of specialized research needs; for example, business, government, medical, technical, and scientific research. There's even a mention of professional research services.

"Researching Online for Dummies" is an accessible and informative introduction to the inexhaustible supply of resources that the `Net has to offer. However, it's not just for newbies - experienced computer geeks will find it helpful as well (I know I did). Perhaps the most pressing problem with this guide is that it's a bit out of date. The latest edition was published in 2000, and as the online world evolves at a lightning pace that would stun even Darwin, much of the specific information is obsolete. Though it's still a good introduction to the general principles underlying online research, many of the specific tools discussed are no longer. You may want to wait for a 3rd edition before shelling out your hard-earned money. Until then, see if your local library carries the title.

- Kelly Garbato

Author & ePublisher, "13 Lucky Steps to Writing a Research Paper"
Peedee Publishing / Hot Dog!, LLC

FROM A ROOKIE'S PERSEPCTIVE.......2000-12-04

As a novice web surfer, Resaerching Online for Dummies (like me) by Revea Basch and Mary Ellen Bates was just what the doctor ordered. From the world behind the web to thinking and working like a researcher, Basch has provided the basic information necessary for understanding what the web is and what it does and does not do.

Before reading this book I thought a search engine was something a mechanic used to find the infamous "clunk" noise no one at the car dealership can hear. However, it wasn't long before I found my self saying things like "maybe I should try excite." Or, "I bet I can use GO to get what I need." Is this OK to post in public?

But, by the time I read the chapter on specialty search engines I felt like I was cruising the inormation superhighway like no one had ever done before. Dot com this and dot com that.

As I continued through the text I did find myself becoming a little annoyed at the pejorative nature of the writing. I guess that's why the title is Researching Online for "Dummies." This minor distraction aside, Basch has done an excellent job of making sense of this hypertechnical computer lingo. One thing is for sure. "I won't leave my home page without it."

The best online reference for new or seasoned researchers.......2000-07-19

I've been researching online since 1994 and I found something that I didn't know on almost every page of this book. It is informative enough to keep a seasoned researcher entertained but simple to use for a first time web searcher.

I may have to have my copy hard bound somewhere to keep it from falling apart through overuse.

A must-have and handy reference for all regardless skill lvl.......1999-09-11

Readable, entertaining, informative, and valuable. What more can you ask from any book? Unskilled researchers wanting to learn something from the subject will find an excellent overview of the necessary skills, tools, and resources, an online researcher needs. Skilled searchers will find a handy reference containing thought provoking ideas. The only problem with the book is due to the etheral nature of the Internet...several examples in the book no longer work as described. Newbies may become disconcerted when following along and finding invalid sites or differences between what the book shows and says and what is experienced on the "real" (?!) internet. To her credit, the author gives ample warning that this may happen. It is the only book of its type that I keep within arm's reach.

RESEARCHING ONLINE FOR DUMMIES.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Technical Communication

Average customer rating:

RESEARCHING ONLINE FOR DUMMIES.(Review) (book reviews): An article from: Technical Communication
Patricia A. Susin
Manufacturer: Society for Technical Communication
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Technical Communication, published by Society for Technical Communication on August 1, 1999. The length of the article is 668 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: RESEARCHING ONLINE FOR DUMMIES.(Review) (book reviews)
Author: Patricia A. Susin
Publication: Technical Communication (Refereed)
Date: August 1, 1999
Publisher: Society for Technical Communication
Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Page: 404

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books