What Beethoven Books Do You Own?

[Michael]

Also, the main theme in "Vertigo" (Hitchcock's masterpiece, in my opinion) is built upon ideas found in Tristan & Isolde.

Bernard Herrmann's masterpiece too! I must have been twelve when I first saw "Vertigo" with the close-ups of Kim Novak and that spell-binding music. Which reminds me: "Spellbound" had great music too but that was Miklos Rosza.

[Bonn1827]

Yes, Roehre, I was aware of those other works by "Benny" Herrmann. I agree, Michael, that "Vertigo" is a brilliant score but also his last works, "Taxi Driver" and "Farenheit 451" are superb - especially the jazz-like "riff" in the former. He could do anything - from the brooding music for "Citizen Kane" right through to the quirky little tune for "The Trouble with Harry"; these show his range.

On the "cheesey" (not really derogatory) side I love Rosza's score for "Ben Hur"!! I have the "restored" version on DVD and that overture and music for the credits!! I play those over and over. What annoys me is that the spiele on the DVD box NEVER/SELDOM mentions music in a film!! Between them all, composers have by far and away logged up the most amount of training for their art. They should be recognized.

Also, Michael, what do you think of Morricone's score for "The Untouchables"!? Absolutely superb. Also, the score and opening title sequence for "Catch me if you Can" (composer unknown to me) is amongst the best I've ever seen, despite the sometimes ho-hum nature of the film.

[Michael]

Also, Michael, what do you think of Morricone's score for "The Untouchables"!? Absolutely superb. Also, the score and opening title sequence for "Catch me if you Can" (composer unknown to me) is amongst the best I've ever seen, despite the sometimes ho-hum nature of the film.

I bought both films you mention on DVD a few months back and haven't got round to watching them yet (although I've seen them in the cinema). I must pay attention to the music, thanks.

[Bonn1827]

Please post your responses when you get around to this. Also, the score by Howard Shore for "Ed Wood" is very good, and atmospheric. A great little film too!!

[Ed C]

Thought I'd bump this thread...

I'm not going to list all my LvB books (perhaps a photo of my bookshelf might be more efficient), but I'd like to ask: What is your favorite Beethoven biography?

My favorite is George Marek's "Biography of a Genius". Even tho his has no musical analysis or examples at all, I think his bio did the best job of putting B.'s life in historical context. It's a very readable book for the layperson.

My second favorite would be Barry Cooper's "Beethoven". That was well developed both from a life and music perspective and included musical analysis as well (which didn't go over my head even tho I'm a horrible "internal" reader).

I think I've read almost all the books listed in this thread (except for Roehre's jaw-dropping stash), with the major exceptions of the Thayer (which is 3rd next) and the Maynard Solomon book.

4/4 Songs of Various Nations

[Peter]

Again though not actually a biography, I always come back to one of my first Beethoven books, a documentary study by Robbins Landon. The Deutsche grammophon bicentenary edition is also very enjoyable for its many large colour plates.

[Ed C]

Again though not actually a biography, I always come back to one of my first Beethoven books, a documentary study by Robbins Landon. The Deutsche grammophon bicentenary edition is also very enjoyable for its many large colour plates.

Those 2 are a couple favorites of mine as well. The Robert Bory book also has a fantastic collection of illustrations and reproductions - too bad it's B&W.

I would be curious about opinions about the Thayer books?

[terry]

[I would be curious about opinions about the Thayer books?[/QUOTE

ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC! (it is a compliment, isn't it?) The greatest book ever written, in a fantastic 19-century grammar style and marvellous phraseology, syntax, extraordinary richness of vocabulary ecc. the ideal for foreigners...
Apart from this, extraordinarily complete,nothing missing about B. but at the same time very respectful of the man. One can really feel how mr. Thayer loved, nnew and respected the Master.A MASTERCHIEF!!
How can some of you not havinga read it anymore? It's not a suggestion, it's an IMPOSITION!!

THAYER UBER ALLES!! BEETHOVEN'S FANS BIBLE!!
Love,Terry

[Ed C]

THAYER UBER ALLES!! BEETHOVEN'S FANS BIBLE!!
Love,Terry

Wow! OK - I will move that up in my reading list!

[terry]

[I would be curious about opinions about the Thayer books?[/QUOTE

ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC! (it is a compliment, isn't it?) The greatest book ever written, in a fantastic 19-century grammar style and marvellous phraseology, syntax, extraordinary richness of vocabulary ecc. the ideal for foreigners...
Apart from this, extraordinarily complete,nothing missing about B. but at the same time very respectful of the man. One can really feel how mr. Thayer loved, KNEW and respected the Master.A MASTERCHIEF!!
How can some of you not havinga read it anymore? It's not a suggestion, it's an IMPOSITION!!

THAYER UBER ALLES!! BEETHOVEN'S FANS BIBLE!!
Love,Terry

During the fury I made some mistakes (I hate making mistakes apart the ones deriving from being not English):
How can some of you not having read it YET?
Now I'm satisfied

[terry]

Wow! OK - I will move that up in my reading list!

Oh, I see you're online, Ed. Hello! You won't be deluded! Just remember it's very thick with so many notes, not exactly the type of book one reads while babysitting...

[Roehre]

Those 2 are a couple favorites of mine as well. The Robert Bory book also has a fantastic collection of illustrations and reproductions - too bad it's B&W.
I would be curious about opinions about the Thayer books?

Ed and Peter, I take it that the Robbins Landon book you mention is the large format hb 1970 one, not the 1974 Paperback sized one (though it was available in hb as well as pb)?

To be fair to the Bory book, it was published in 1960 or so, and if you compare it to the 1970/1977 DGG Beethoven Edition books, be happy it is in b/w, because colour printing made an enormous jump in quality in the sixties. I prefer a good 1960 b/w book to a state-of-the-art-1960-colour one, as the latter would now be very disappointing.

As far as Thayer is concerned: the Forbes 1964/'67 editions are IMO indispensable, as Thayer is essentially the standard Beethoven biography (apart from the "Young Beethoven", for which Schiedermaier 1925/1970 is the best, but AFAIK unfortunately only in German and never translated to English).
Forbes shifted throught and edited out the Deiters-Riemann additions in vol.4 and 5 from the original 5 volume Thayer biography, as these were proven to be too much relying on one single source (the unreliable Schindler 3rd edition, 1845) as well as giving opinions regarding Beehoven's works. Thayer didn't comment on any of B's works, as he regarded that to be the task of a musicologist, not a biographer.
At the moment the Thayer/Forbes is still in print in 2 vols hb, ditto pb as well as all 1100-odd pages in one volume. 2nd Hand also widely available.

[Michael]

I suppose my number one Beethoven biography would be the Thayer/Forbes, if only for its sheer amount of information. Unfortunately, it is badly out of date because I bought it in London in 1971.
For a (comparatively) up to date biography, Barry Cooper's "Beethoven", which came out seven or eight years ago, is very hard to beat. Cooper is such an expert that I forgave him his "reconstruction" of the Tenth Symphony which came out in the late eighties, I think.
The most intriguing thing about Cooper's book is the realisation of how much our received information about Beethoven is hearsay. For example, there is no definite confirmation anywhere that Beethoven ever met Mozart - and this is only one of many unproven legends. When something really happened and can be proved to have happened, Cooper will tell you so.
The book came out just a few months before the discovery that Beethoven may have died of lead poisoning. If Cooper had incorporated that information I am sure he would have been included his usual caveat. (The lead poisoning theory has since come under attack.)

[Ed C]

I've got both the "massive format" H.C. Landon book and the "abridged" version - tho the abridged version is supposedly updated from the HC one? I know there's some new pictures in there at least.

So all of the scurrilous Schindler fabrications have been expunged from the Forbes-edited Thayer book? That was the main reason I haven't read it yet, since I thought the conversation book forgeries were not discovered until 1970?

The Cooper book I read in tandem with the Lewis Lockwood book and I much preferred the Cooper, tho the Lockwood has gotten higher recommendations from friends in academia. Cooper's Beethoven Compendium is also pretty great - superbly detailed chronology in there....

[Peter]

Ed and Peter, I take it that the Robbins Landon book you mention is the large format hb 1970 one, not the 1974 Paperback sized one (though it was available in hb as well as pb)?

To be fair to the Bory book, it was published in 1960 or so, and if you compare it to the 1970/1977 DGG Beethoven Edition books, be happy it is in b/w, because colour printing made an enormous jump in quality in the sixties. I prefer a good 1960 b/w book to a state-of-the-art-1960-colour one, as the latter would now be very disappointing.

As far as Thayer is concerned: the Forbes 1964/'67 editions are IMO indispensable, as Thayer is essentially the standard Beethoven biography (apart from the "Young Beethoven", for which Schiedermaier 1925/1970 is the best, but AFAIK unfortunately only in German and never translated to English).
Forbes shifted throught and edited out the Deiters-Riemann additions in vol.4 and 5 from the original 5 volume Thayer biography, as these were proven to be too much relying on one single source (the unreliable Schindler 3rd edition, 1845) as well as giving opinions regarding Beehoven's works. Thayer didn't comment on any of B's works, as he regarded that to be the task of a musicologist, not a biographer.
At the moment the Thayer/Forbes is still in print in 2 vols hb, ditto pb as well as all 1100-odd pages in one volume. 2nd Hand also widely available.

Yes that's right Roehre, I have both the Robbins-landon formats and I agree with you about Thayer-Forbes - When I first did research into Beethoven back in the mid 70s that was my main reading! I take it with your vast B library you have the 3 Volume Albrecht Letters to Beethoven and the Tovey essays? Have the Conversation books been translated yet?