Many books have been written about Beethoven but it is rare to find one which seeks an alternative to the tendency of academia, on the one hand, to fragmentation, and of popular biographical writing, on the other, to a superficial overview. In this volume, the late Carl Dahlhaus combines the interpretations of individual works with excursions into the musical aesthetics of the period around 1800, an age which was not only a `classical' period in the history of the arts but also one in which aesthetics carved itself a place in the centre of philosophical attention. The theme of the book is the reconstruction of Beethoven's `musical thinking' from the evidence in the works themselves and their context in the history of ideas. A table entitled `Chronicle' places the references to biographical data in their historical context. The selective bibliography includes comments to assist readers to find their way in the labyrinth of the literature about Beethoven.

About the Author
Carl Dahlhaus was a prolific author and one of the leading German musicologists in the field of 19th- and 20th-century music. He was also editor-in-chief of Richard Wagner's Gesamtausgabe.

Reviews
The translation is eminently readable, and the clarity of the technical musical analyses will allow even a general reader interested in Beethoven to gain a deeper appreciation of the music. * Choice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198163992
Author Carl Dahlhaus
Format Paperback
Page Count 298
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 155mm * 16mm