Johanna and Ludwig

[spaceray]

Originally posted by Andrea:
[B]
...Robin May ...

A. B]

Andrea,
What is this like?

[Andrea]

Originally posted by spaceray:
Andrea,
What is this like?

I bought this book by Robin May in 1990 and it's from a collection of books on the Great Composers. It's titled simply "Beethoven". It has only 95 pages but it's a large hard cover book with many lovely pictures. The five chapters are titled:
1. The First Twenty Years
2. The First Vienna Period
3. Celebrity
4. The Final Decade
5. Beethoven's Music

Robin May is a writer and journalist and his books include "Operamania" and "A Guide to the Opera".

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Joy:
Gurn, I have about 12 books on Beethoven and some I have found in second hand book shops where they are quite affordable. A few I bought when I visited the Beethoven Museum in San Jose, Calif. where I purchased them for only a few dollars each, a steal! Most of the time I visit the library but I think I have read most of the books they have on Beethoven so I will have to find another source.

Joy,
I would have loved to visit that Beethoven Center (Brilliant Center?) and see their collections and books. Some day perhaps. California is a lot easier for me than Vienna (sorry Andrea!). Anyway, ALL of my books are used, although you could never tell it about most of them. You're right, used is the way to go. That Robbins-Landon book I mentioned above lists for $40, and I got it from an Amazon.com partner for $6.50. It doesn't appear to have ever been read!! I guess the sticking point is being in the right place at the right time to find such things. Or knowing what to look for, which you have all helped with. Thanks.


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Regards,
Gurn
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That's my opinion, I may be wrong.
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[Joy]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Joy,
I would have loved to visit that Beethoven Center (Brilliant Center?) and see their collections and books. Some day perhaps. California is a lot easier for me than Vienna (sorry Andrea!). Anyway, ALL of my books are used, although you could never tell it about most of them. You're right, used is the way to go. That Robbins-Landon book I mentioned above lists for $40, and I got it from an Amazon.com partner for $6.50. It doesn't appear to have ever been read!! I guess the sticking point is being in the right place at the right time to find such things. Or knowing what to look for, which you have all helped with. Thanks.

The Beethoven Museum is well worth visiting. This year they moved into a much larger building (still in San Jose)and have many more exhibits on display. Ira Brilliant just keeps on collecting. Manuscripts, original receipts in Beethoven's own hand, autographs, and, of course, the lock of Beethoven's hair among many other interesting items. I would recommend it to everyone. The drive up there is just beautiful as well!

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[This message has been edited by Joy (edited April 15, 2004).]

[Tegan]

I've read Schlosser's biography. It was pretty enjoyable after reading so many huge tomes on Beethoven, but it was highly inacurate. First, Schlosser apologizes in great length that it's not his fault the biography isn't very interesting, because if Beethoven had mixed more with society and such (like Mozart), he would have had more to write about, etc. etc. Schlosser loves comparisons. In his opinion, Beethoven is a distant third to Mozart and Haydn. It sheds light on what people knew about Beethoven at the time. Obviously, not much. The book is very short, and only about a fourth of it is about Beethoven. Schlosser is very found of putting in little three page biographies of other composers in passing instead of sticking to the topic. I found it interesting more as a period piece than anything else.

[Amalie]

Originally posted by Joy:
The Beethoven Museum is well worth visiting. This year they moved into a much larger building (still in San Jose)and have many more exhibits on display. Ira Brilliant just keeps on collecting. Manuscripts, original receipts in Beethoven's own hand, autographs, and, of course, the lock of Beethoven's hair among many other interesting items. I would recommend it to everyone. The drive up there is just beautiful as well!

Yes, a very worthy cause which I am sure we would all support, they also produce a brilliant scholarly Beethoven journal, which I subscribe to and I would recommend it to everyone here as a must.
They are obviously always looking for new members, funds being rather tight, and it is a project that is really worthy of our support because I think I am right in saying it is the only dedicated Beethoven centre anywhere outside Germany/Austria.
I do also believe that they have in their possession some of B's skull fragments which they are carrying out tests which they seem to be very secretive about and are reluctant to release any details of these studies.



[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 04-21-2004).]

[Amalie]

My post carried over from the temporary Beethoven message board: 18/4/04

I have a question to put concerning an entry in Frimmel's Beethoven Handbuch vol.1, at the end section on "Hands". He says that Beethoven accidentally burnt his hand so badly that he couldn't write, consequently his letters had to be written for him by his nephew Karl, and Ludwig signed them.

Does anyone know anymore details concerning this incident??


[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 04-21-2004).]

[~Immortal Beloved~]

Originally posted by spaceray:
I have just read in Maynard Solomon's
"Beethoven" a suggestion that Johanna and Ludwig had some sort of daliance after the death of Beethoven's brother ,can this be right?

that's not even right at all. Beethoven hates Johanna eversince casper died and the custody of Karl.


[This message has been edited by ~Immortal Beloved~ (edited 04-21-2004).]