Summary of John Suchet's Beethoven

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 Beethoven was the eldest of three children, but not the firstborn. His arrival brought unbridled joy to his parents, but his parents were not married because they were thought to be marrying beneath themselves. His father, a musician, had established himself as the most senior and respected musician in Bonn.
#2 The Beethoven family had a liking for alcohol, and it is tempting to suggest that there was a generous supply of wine on the table. However, the family was highly respected thanks to the accomplishments of Ludwig senior.
#3 The marriage between Ludwig van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Keverich was a small and one-sided affair, attended reluctantly by Ludwig senior, whose tears at his own memories might have hardened his heart still further.
#4 The marriage between Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven was not long, as Maria Magdalena was already pregnant. The baby died a week after being baptized, and Maria Magdalena fell pregnant again.

Sujets

• Musique
• Histoire de la musique
• Lettres et linguistique
• Biography
• Autobiography
• Music

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 26 mai 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798822523586
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on John Suchet's Beethoven
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11 Insights from Chapter 12 Insights from Chapter 13 Insights from Chapter 14 Insights from Chapter 15 Insights from Chapter 16 Insights from Chapter 17 Insights from Chapter 18 Insights from Chapter 19 Insights from Chapter 20 Insights from Chapter 21
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Beethoven was the eldest of three children, but not the firstborn. His arrival brought unbridled joy to his parents, but his parents were not married because they were thought to be marrying beneath themselves. His father, a musician, had established himself as the most senior and respected musician in Bonn.

#2

The Beethoven family had a liking for alcohol, and it is tempting to suggest that there was a generous supply of wine on the table. However, the family was highly respected thanks to the accomplishments of Ludwig senior.

#3

The marriage between Ludwig van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Keverich was a small and one-sided affair, attended reluctantly by Ludwig senior, whose tears at his own memories might have hardened his heart still further.

#4

The marriage between Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven was not long, as Maria Magdalena was already pregnant. The baby died a week after being baptized, and Maria Magdalena fell pregnant again.

#5

The death of Kapellmeister Beethoven, who had served the Elector of Bonn for 42 years, left his son, Johann, in need of a job. He petitioned for the position, but was not hired. His skills on clavier and violin were not exceptional, and he had no compositions to his name.

#6

The death of Ludwig van Beethoven’s grandfather, which happened when he was just three years old, profoundly affected him. He never came to terms with it, and he idolized his grandfather.

#7

The concert that Johann van Beethoven held in 1778 to showcase his son Ludwig was a famous event in the young boy’s life. He was seven years and three months old, but Johann claimed he was six, so that his son would appear younger than he was.

#8

The concert that Johann put on for the public was not successful, and it is likely that the receipts did not justify the effort. Soon after that, he put his son into school. But it was not long before he took him out of school to concentrate solely on music.

#9

The story of Ludwig and his brothers playing pranks on Frau Fischer is a charming one, but the story of Ludwig as a schoolboy is very different. His physical appearance set him apart from his peers, and he was teased about it.

#10

Ludwig began music lessons with the court organist Gilles van den Eeden, but he was soon given a new teacher, Tobias Pfeiffer, who was an accomplished artist and actor.

#11

The first evidence of Ludwig van Beethoven performing on equal terms with an adult professional was when he was asked to play the flute by his father’s friend Pfeiffer. However, his father was an erratic teacher who would often force him to play.

#12

The winter of 1781 began with bitterly cold weather. Ludwig van Beethoven’s mother took him to Holland to meet a friend, where he played in the highest salons and was showered with compliments. But the financial rewards were not forthcoming.
Insights from Chapter 2

#1

The small town of Bonn, on the west bank of the Rhine, was the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949. It was a medieval Archbishop who chose Bonn for his residence, rather than the more obvious choice of Cologne.

#2

The town of Bonn, which was ruled by an ineffective Elector, was still a desirable location for touring theatrical companies. It was this reputation for the arts that brought the thirty-one-year-old composer Christian Gottlob Neefe to Bonn.

#3

Neefe was a teacher who was able to help the young Beethoven develop as a musician. He was a Protestant, and his pupil likely came to admire his forward-thinking, radically minded, and intensely musical personality.

#4

The marriage of Johann and Maria Magdalena was beginning to fall apart. Johann was drinking more and more, and he would walk through Bonn gulping wine from a flask. Maria Magdalena was berating him for drinking outside in the street.

#5

There is anecdotal evidence that Maria Magdalena was unhappy in her marriage. She was not above losing her temper, and on occasion was able to give as good as she got.

#6

Ludwig van Beethoven grew up in a household that was full of tension and conflict. He had something that his brothers did not: a means of escape. He escaped into the world of music, where he could discuss the Mundane with other musicians.

#7

The article praised Ludwig’s skills as a musician, and suggested that he should study composition with Mozart. It was even bold and ambitious for a twelve-year-old to choose the sonata form, rather than something simpler.