Thayer's Life of Beethoven - Any new edition coming soon?

[PaulD]

Many years ago I managed to put my hands on an almost mint condition 1964 2-volumes deluxe edition of Thayer's Life of Beethoven updated by Elliott Forbes. It is one of my prized possession and a great read for any LVB lover.

However, it was then already badly outdated. I recently searched the web in hope of finding any evidence of a new, updated edition in progress but did not find anything (I am admittedly not a good web searcher...). Has anyone heard anything? 50 years have elapsed since the last edition. Perhaps the task is simply too monumental and the commercial reward too slim to undertake such a task.

[Michael]

Paul, it depends on what kind of a biography you want. Do you need a day by day actual (forensic) account of this guy's life or a musical one. I'll tell tell you what I mean.
My son just gave me, as a Christmas present, Jan Swafford's biography of Beethoven. All I can tell you is that I must have about 50 books about B. but I am really enjoying this relatively new publication. I bought Thayer's biography back in 1971 but I never got to read it from cover to cover until about two years ago. The modern term "too much information" really applies to this work but I promised myself I would read it before I die - and I nearly died while I was reading it.

However, this new book (Jan Swafford) is almost as long as the Thayer but it is written by a composer and that is the magic ingredient. He concentrates mostly on the music but I am only halfway through it at the moment so I hope he doesn't waste too much time on the "Immortal Beloved" or whatever.
I have just about reached the point where Beethoven has composed the "Eroica" and I have never come across such a description of the compositional process in all my years.

As most people on this forum know, I am musically illiterate. I can't read a note of music but somehow this cantankerous German musician reached me about six months after the Beatles released "Sgt Pepper" and I have been obsessed with him ever since.
Swafford is not an elegant writer but he comes across as someone who "gets" Beethoven. He sometimes accepts legends as facts but - so far - he has given me the clearest mental image of this guy since - I don't know when.
Maybe I'm enthused by the fact that my kids are treating me to a second visit to Bonn in a few weeks. Whatever, at this moment I can heartily recommend the Swafford book!

[PaulD]

Thank you Michael! I will take a look at Swafford's book. The last book I read about LVB was by Lewis Lockwood. I was not so fond of it. I am curious to read more about Swafford's take on music analysis.

Thayer's book has the weakness of its strength; a factual account with little to no attention to the myth and no music analysis. I agree with you that 50 more pages of facts are not going to change the nature of the narration. I must also admit that I like my edition of Thayer because of the old looking feel of the book with its nice cover jacket and its musty smell...