A classic about the classic
"Beethoven - His Music. His Life" by Lewis Lockwood still offers a wide range of information in generally understandable language.
The biography Beethoven. The Music and the Life by Lewis Lockwood, Professor of Musicology at Harvard University, made it to the final round of the Pulitzer Prize after its publication in 2003. The German translation was published by Bärenreiter/Metzler in 2009 and has been available as a special edition (paperback in large octavo format 24 x 16 cm) at a bargain price since 2012. Although it is therefore no longer new, this important standard work should be referred to again here.
Lewis Lockwood succeeds in structuring the musical and biographical in a meaningful way. Within the broad division into the three periods of Beethoven's life, the biographical facts and the music are described in separate sub-chapters, whereby the links between work and life are maintained. Descriptions of the musical, intellectual, political and social environment are included without making the reader's head spin. Numerous further details can be found in the extensive notes section. A chronology, index of works and persons make it easier to navigate through the book, and the bibliography is also an overview of the immense Beethoven literature.
The author is aware of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Promethean" significance, but never lapses into rapture. His descriptions of his works, which are limited to the essential details, are factual and, apart from the basic music-theoretical vocabulary, written in generally understandable language. This 456-page biography conveys a comprehensive picture of Beethoven's life and music. The translation by Hamburg musicologist Sven Hiemke reads like an original German text - the book is a technical and linguistic masterpiece!
Lewis Lockwood: Beethoven - His Music. His life, special edition, 456 p., € 19.95, Bärenreiter/Metzler, Kassel/Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-7618-2288-3
