Few composers even begin to approach Beethoven's pervasive presence in
modern Western culture, from the concert hall to the comic strip. Edited
by a cultural historian and a music theorist, Beethoven and His World
gathers eminent scholars from several disciplines who collectively speak
to the range of Beethoven's importance and of our perennial fascination
with him.
The contributors address Beethoven's musical works and their cultural
contexts. Reinhold Brinkmann explores the post-revolutionary context of
Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony, while Lewis Lockwood establishes a
typology of heroism in works like Fidelio. Elaine Sisman, Nicholas
Marston, and Glenn Stanley discuss issues of temporality, memory, and
voice in works at the threshold of Beethoven's late style, such as An
die Ferne Geliebte, the Cello Sonata op. 102, no. 1, and the somewhat
later Piano Sonata op. 109. Peering behind the scenes into Beethoven's
workshop, Tilman Skowroneck explains how the young Beethoven chose his
pianos, and William Kinderman shows Beethoven in the process of
sketching and revising his compositions.
The volume concludes with four essays engaging the broader question of
reception of Beethoven's impact on his world and ours. Christopher
Gibbs' study of Beethoven's funeral and its aftermath features
documentary material appearing in English for the first time; art
historian Alessandra Comini offers an illustrated discussion of
Beethoven's ubiquitous and iconic frown; Sanna Pederson takes up the
theme of masculinity in critical representations of Beethoven; and Leon
Botstein examines the aesthetics and politics of hearing extramusical
narratives and plots in Beethoven's music.
Bringing together varied and fresh approaches to the West's most
celebrated composer, this collection of essays provides music lovers
with an enriched understanding of Beethoven--as man, musician, and
phenomenon.
