Immortal Beloved

Jeanne Blanchet

Description

Unique…Interactive…Electrifying! 

On July 7, 1812 in Teplitz, Austria, Ludwig van Beethoven penciled a ten-page letter to his “Immortal Beloved.” The missive, which was never mailed, was not discovered until after the famous composer’s death. Even today the intended recipient remains unknown and is the topic of heated debate among scholars and music historians. Just who was the mysterious addressee? 

In this unique, interactive novella, you, the reader, can take a magic carpet ride back through space and time to ask the master for yourself as he narrates the story of his fascinating, albeit harried, life. This entertaining, fast-paced story by award-winning author Jeanne Blanchet features a surprising ending and will enable readers to develop a deeper appreciation for the passion and struggles of Beethoven—one of the world’s most renowned geniuses. 

Sujets

• Musique
• Histoire de la musique
• Historical
• MUSIC
• Multiple signal classification
• General officer
• General
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 16 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977266866
• Langue: English

Extrait

Immortal Beloved A Novella of Beethoven All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 Jeanne Blanchet v2.0
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Outskirts Press, Inc. http://www.outskirtspress.com
Cover Photo © 2023 www.gettyimages.com . All rights reserved - used with permission. Author Photo © 2023 Eugene Figy. All rights reserved - used with permission.
Outskirts Press and the "OP" logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Also by Jeanne Blanchet:


Darkheart: A Novel of Judas Iscariot (2022)
Dancer of Death: A Novel of Manolete (2021)
Expressions (2020)
Kamikaze: A Novel of Kublai Khan’s Attempted Invasions of Japan (2019)
Forge of Empire: A Novel of Genghis Khan (2019)
Cursed: A Novel of Bravery and Betrayal in Rome’s Final Century (2018)
Man at the Cross Road: The Gripping Tale of Christ’s Chief Executioner (2017)
Terminators: A Saga of Lethal Mind Manipulation over Space and Time (2016)
Old Salty (2014)
Herbie, the Hoodie (2013)
Potpourri (2013)
Fire and Ice (2012)
The Bug in the Rug (2012)
Wellspring (2011)
Kaleidoscope (2010)
Reflections (1995)
This book is lovingly dedicated to my late parents, Bill and Barbara Maxant, special friend Gene Figy, and classical music lovers the world over.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Author’s Notes
Prologue
Part 1: Bonn
Chapter 1: AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Chapter 2: FATHER
Chapter 3: SCHOOL
Chapter 4: DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
Chapter 5: THIS AND THAT
Chapter 6: THE CONCERT
Chapter 7: TONI
Chapter 8: STUDENTS
Chapter 9: HERR NEEFE
Chapter 10: BONN
Chapter 11: THE CONTEST
Chapter 12: MOZART
Chapter 13: MUTTI
Part 2: Vienna
Chapter 14: VIENNA
Chapter 15: VIENNA (2)
Chapter 16: CONDUCTING AND COMPOSING
Chapter 17: MEMORABLE AND NOT-SO-MEMORABLE CONCERTS
Chapter 18: THE DECEMBER 22, 1808 CONCERT
Chapter 19: JOSEPHINE
Chapter 20: KASPAR
Chapter 21: THERESE MALFATTI
Chapter 22: A FRIGHTFUL CURSE
Chapter 23: MAELZEL’S METRONOME, : FIDELIO , AND ELISE
Chapter 24: A NEW ORDER?
Chapter 25: JOY
Chapter 26: SALZBURG
Chapter 27: TWO PORTRAITS
Chapter 28: NEPHEW KARL
Chapter 29: PRESSURES, DARKNESS, : AND DESPAIR
Chapter 30: INTO THE ABYSS
Chapter 31: REVELATION
Epilogue
Appendices:
List of Main Characters
Beethoven’s Best-Loved Compositions
Brief Excerpts From Beethoven’s Letter To His Immortal Beloved
Basic German Pronunciation
Poem
Acknowledgements
About The Author
Endnotes
" Immortal Beloved is more than an entertaining read. Together with its suggested YouTube links to Beethoven’s most beloved compositions, it is an educational treasure trove for music appreciators, who will additionally come to know the renowned musical genius on a personal level, vicariously experiencing both his joys and his many struggles."
Dr. Robert Jones

"I have read several of Blanchet’s books by now, and I’m always amazed at how she is able to bring to life some of history’s figures in ways that not only make for captivating fiction, but also remind readers that they were human beings just like the rest of us."
Megan Weiss, Reader Views
" Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy ."

" I wish you music to help with the burdens of life and to help you release your happiness to others."

Ludwig van Beethoven
AUTHOR’S NOTES
This is a novella (short novel). Though Ludwig van Beethoven and most of the other principal characters actually lived, some, like Amalie Holstein and Louis Archambault, are fictitious. Any resemblance of the latter to real people, living or deceased, is coincidental.
Beethoven, whose music bridged the late Classical and early Romantic eras, ranks among the world’s most beloved composers. The Voyager spacecraft carries a gold vinyl record featuring two of his works. Extremely prolific, he wrote 722 musical compositions, among them five concertos, thirty-two sonatas, nine symphonies, and sixteen string quartets. Countless children from all over the world have played his "Minuet in G," "Für Elise," and other pieces in local piano recitals this author among them. This is not to suggest that his music is simple, however. Beethoven’s compositions encompass a broad spectrum of difficulty. In fact, his "Hammerklavier" Sonata is universally recognized as among the most challenging piano works ever written. His "Grosse Fugue" for string quartet, moreover, though vehemently criticized in its day, is now considered among the best and most complex of its genre ever written.
Books on the master composer/musician’s life, which run the gamut from lengthy, scholarly histories to casual novelettes, are so voluminous they could almost fill the Wiener Philharmoniker Concert Hall. This work of biographical fiction has not been intended as an accurate historical portrayal. The author has invoked poetic license, inventing several episodes. Additionally, she has altered a few names and dates, although the events and principal characters in general parallel those in the renowned genius’s life. Employing a unique approach, drawing her readers into "conversation" with the protagonist, she hopes they will not only experience a compelling story, but also come to appreciate on a personal level the life, trials, and times of this extraordinary talent and his world without smartphones, TVs, airplanes, automobiles, or even fountain pens.
It must be remembered that in Beethoven’s time, Germany was not a unified country. Instead, German-speaking lands (which included parts of present-day Italy; the Czech Republic; Germany; Belgium; and Hungary) were composed of numerous autonomous regions (Cologne, Trier, and Mainz, for example) ruled by kings, counts, dukes, and electors. The latter were powerful nobles entitled to vote for the Holy Roman Emperor, whose capital was in Vienna. Along with his official designation, an elector inherited other titles, such as "arch-bishop." The electors of Cologne in Beethoven’s early years were Maximilian Friedrich and Maximilian Franz, the youngest son of Emperor Franz I and brother of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. Unlike their predecessor, who possessed absolute power, spent extravagantly on mass building projects, and ruled with an iron hand, both Friedrich and Franz governed with tolerance in the spirit of the Enlightenment.
In this novella, readers will encounter the terms "clavier" and "harpsichord." The former are stringed, piano-like instruments from the late seventeenth century. The latter, also Baroque piano precursors, are keyboard instruments which were invented in the fifteenth century. Their black and white keys are opposite from those of modern pianos. Sounds are created by striking the keys, which activate a row of levers triggering a mechanism that in turn plucks strings with a small, quill plectrum. Harpsichords have a quaint, clipped sound but allow for little variation in dynamics (volume). Modern pianos, on the other hand, were originally called "fortepianos" because their loudness could be easily controlled.
The language in this novella in some instances will appear formal, in keeping with eighteenth- and nineteenth-century speech patterns and expressions. On the other hand, in order to attract younger readers, at other times the narrator speaks directly in a more casual style.
Last but not least, as a companion to this book, readers are encouraged to listen to celebrated artists and orchestras on YouTube perform Beethoven’s most famous works, among them "Minuet in G"; "Für Elise"; "Moonlight" Sonata (Sonata #14 in C-sharp minor), first movement; "Tempest" Sonata (Sonata #17 in D minor), third movement; "Appassionata" Sonata (Sonata #23 in F minor); "Pathétique" Sonata (Sonata #8 in C minor), second movement; "Eroica," "Pastoral," and "Choral" Symphonies; Violin Concerto in D; Emperor Piano Concerto; arias from Fidelio ; Missa Solemnis; String Quartet #13, Grosse Fuge movement; and String Quartet #14.
PROLOGUE
On July 7, 1812 in Teplitz, Austria, Ludwig van Beethoven penciled a ten-page letter to his "Immortal Beloved." The missive, which was never mailed, was not discovered until after the famous composer’s death. Even today the intended recipient remains a mystery and is the topic of heated debate among scholars and music historians. Just who might the mysterious addressee have been?
In this novella, by some quirk of fate, you, the reader, have taken a magic carpet ride back through space and time and have the opportunity to ask the master for yourself as he narrates to you the story of his fascinating, but often harried, life.
Part 1 Bonn
Chapter 1:
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Am I going mad? Why did I do that just now snap at and drive away those most important to me.
Oh…. Hello . Now who are you ? When and how did you come in? Don’t tell me you witnessed this embarrassing tirade? You figure to be a concert-goer, or critic perhaps? No, I can see plainly now that you’re not. What was I thinking? And those clothes you’re wearing…. Could you be headed to a masquerade ball? Your costume appears like something from an exotic foreign land, perhaps even another century.
Well, no matter. I suppose you wouldn’t mind listening to my story, which I feel compelled to relate. Sit down, then, and make yourself comfortable. Would you care for some refr