Book Description
Presents a biography of Ludwig van Beethoven ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An entertaining juvenile biography of the great Ludwig Van
Mike Venezia's Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series tends to focus on biographies rather than music appreciation because unlike his companion series on the World's Greatest Artists you cannot include a sonata the way you can a reproduction of a painting.However, for Ludwig Van Beethoven the author/illustrator makes an exception.This volume begins with an appreciation for how Beethoven changed the sound of music (no more party music).Within that context Venezia provides the expected biography, complete with historic ethics and paintings as well as those funny cartoons; just think Beethoven as the Liberace (if you are over 50) or Elton John (if you are under 50) of his day.There is also a photograph of his eyeglasses and metal ear trumpets.However, Venezia only mentions a handful of specific works by Beethoven, touching on how the 3rd symphony represented Napoleon, the four-note theme of the 5th Symphony, and going into some depth on the 6th Pastoral Symphony (but no mention of the glorious 9th Symphony or his other masterworks).Still, I appreciate the attempt to get more into Beethoven's music than he has done in other volumes of this series, which covers not only the great classic composers like Handel and Mozart, but also contemporary composers from Aaron Copland and George Gerswhin to Duke Ellington and the Beatles.As always, the recommendation is for young readers to have listened to some of Beethoven's masterpieces before, during and after reading this engaging juvenile biography and mini-music appreciation lesson. ... Read more

Book Description
How hard is it to move 5 legless pianos 39 times?
Beethoven owned five legless pianos and composed great works on the floor. His first apartment was in the center of Vienna's theater district... but he forgot to pay rent, so he had to move. (And it's very hard to move a piano. Even harder to move five). Beethoven's next apartment was in a dangerous part of town... so he moved, and the pianos followed on a series of pulleys. Then came an apartment with a view of the Danube (but he made too much noise and the neighbors complained), followed by an attic apartment (where he made even MORE of a rukus), and so Beethoven moved again and again. Each time, pianos were bought, left behind, transported on pulleys, slides, and by movers, all so that gifted Beethoven could compose great works of music for the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Bravo!
This book begins with a musical score in Beethoven's own hand. The end papers are an actual photograph of Beethoven's working manuscript for the Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 134.

Jonah Winter recounts the story of Beethoven's pianos and the thirty-nine apartments where he lived in Vienna. So often children's "non-fiction" blurs the line between fact and speculation. Not so in this book. Winter clearly identifies what is fact and what is conjecture and does so with great humor.

Diaries, eviction notices, physical evidence and piano movers' notes are used as a basis for the story he tells. Why did Ludwig change apartments so frequently? Well, there is some evidence to suggest the neighbors complained. As Beethoven moves from place to place, Winter chronicles the music that was composed there. An author's note at the end gives additional information about his deafness and the amazing fact that he composed his magnificent Ninth Symphony after he had completely lost his hearing.

Barry Blitt's illustrations lift the story to a new level. We first see Beethoven as a baby crying in Gothic letters, "wha wha wha WHA." He accurately and humorously depicts the difficulties and incredible logistics involved in moving pianos to the new apartments, over rooftops, through windows and through walls. The composer's effect on his neighbors is depicted in a cross-section where we see the neighbors living above, below and next door to him reacting to the noise coming from his apartment in the middle. Babies cry, dogs bark and people pound on the floor, ceiling and walls as Beethoven plays.

This book is a must have for music teachers, piano teachers and students of music. What a treat!

So Much Fun
What a great and witty book.Great for K-2 Music Teachers.Excellent.

A very different kind of story youngsters will relish.
It's hard to easily categorize this: based on a little-known fact about Beethoven's habit of moving frequently, it offers up a fun story of how he not only moved, but moved all five of his pianos from place to place. The hilarious tale of and why he moved, followed by all those pianos, creates a very different kind of story youngsters will relish.

39 Facts of Fun
"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is one clever picture book. Jonah Winter structures the story in such a way that you only get the joke at the end. Barry Blitt's illustrations are drop-dead funny, with a cranky Beethoven juxtaposed with beautiful Viennese cityscapes on each page. (As you can tell from the cover illustration, Blitt's Beethoven looks just like the ubiquitous statuette of the great composer that glared down at you during weekly piano lessons.)

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig von Beethoven" begins with three facts. The first of these is:

"FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the town of Bonn in the country of Germany in the year 1770."

We then learn that Beethoven composed on five legless pianos and "FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven lived in 39 different apartments--which is of course the subject of our story. (See book title.)"

Then the story begins. Beethoven's move from apartment to apartment is "documented" with complaints from neighbors, what he composed where, and details on how movers transported the five legless pianos. Here's a mover's lament:

"In the diary of one Anselm Schwartz, we find the following translated here into modern English: 'After this move, I'm out of here. That dude is WHACKED in the head! Yow...My back is, like, REALLY messed up!'"

After the first three FACTS of the book, there are only three to follow--two in the story of the moves: "FACT: It is very difficult to move a piano. FACT: It is even more difficult to move five pianos." These two FACTS are self-evident and are easily overlooked amongst the evidence of cotton balls with earwax found in neighbors' apartments.

It's only when you read the last FACT on the final page that you get the joke: "FACT: That's all we know of the 39 apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven." In other words, absolutely nothing--but a good story results nonetheless.

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is a stunner of a picture book and definitely makes my 2006 favorites list. Read it aloud to a group just for the experience of watching kids get the joke. "The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is highly recommended for children ages 5-10.

... Read more

Book Description
These are the personal memories of an elderly man who, as a child was closely acquainted with Beethoven. Gerhard von Breuning, the son of one of Beethoven's oldest friends, was favorite of the ageing composer, who delighted in the boy's frequent visits. This first-hand account provides us with telling details about Beethoven's daily life, his personality, and his relationships with family and friends. It is as a clear-eyed witness of Beethoven's final illness that Breuning is particularly compelling, providing graphic reports on the atmostphere of the sick-room, the course of the medical treatment and Beethoven's death throes after he despaired both of his doctor and of his life and, muttering 'Oh, that ass!', turned his face to the wall. This is the first ever English translation of a fascinating document. The Beethoven scholar, Maynard Solomon, has provided many explanatory notes as well as a full and informative introduction. A permanent contribution to the Beethoven literature, this book provides a sensitive and unique insight into the life of the composer during his later years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A wonderful little book!
The previous reviewer did an excellent job in describing this book but I must give the book five stars.There is not much more I can add.The book is written in a delightful, honest, sensitive, and engrossing manner.What the previous reviewer wrote is true. Gerhard did come to address Beethoven in a familiar rather than a more formal manner.And Beethoven nicknamed the boy "Trouserbutton" as their close and loving relationship developed.Beethoven is shown as the man rather than the sometimes difficult genius we read about.What a gift Gerhard von Breuning has given us in recording his memories for later generations!
One thing I must comment on is how Beethoven is described to have faced impending death with grace and dignity.Beethoven had to have been in incredible pain during those last months.Not only did Beethoven suffer greatly from his disease but horrible bedsores were discovered when Beethoven's body was moved after his death.Yet it is recorded that he rarely complained.
I cannot imagine anyone not thoroughly enjoying this book.This is a book that I will keep in my personal library for a very long time.

REMEMBERING BEETHOVEN.
By its nature, what's most obvious can easily escape our attention, so it may be worth noting that Beethoven's era is beyond the recall of any living person. Theoretically, there might now be some living centenarian whosegrandfather could have known him, or at least been in his presence andspoken with him - but this is conceptual, and though conjecture isfruitless it's still fascinating. We can't talk with Beethoven or hisintimates, none of whom lived into the 20th century - but here one of themoperatively speaks to us, if not literally then surely effectively.

Edited by Maynard Solomon and translated for the first time from theoriginal German by him and Henry Mins, the book FROM THE HOUSE OF THE BLACKSPANIARD -REMEMBRANCES OF BEETHOVEN FROM MY YOUTH was authored by Dr.Gerhard von Breuning and first published in Vienna in 1874.

The title isfitting. As a 12-year-old, the author (whose father was a close friend ofthe composer) was privy to Beethoven's inner circle and played a small butimportant role in the composer's daily existence during the last year and ahalf of his life. He helped him in various ways by assisting with hiscorrespondence, running special errands, helping him keep order in hisdwelling, and doing what he could during Beethoven's last illness. The boyeventually developed for the composer a feeling approaching worship.Beethoven reciprocated this devotion by guiding some of the boy's musicaleducation. When the young Gerhard eventually asked the older man'spermission to address him with the familiar Du (rather than the formalSie), the boy was overjoyed when Beethoven consented.

Dr. Solomon saysin the book's introduction, "Like many children, Gerhard was a keenobserver of small details..." This boy, who became a respected Viennesephysician, evidently was the early 19th-century counterpart of today's "kidwho doesn't miss a thing" (even pinpointing in his book such details as theexact location and number of windows of Beethoven's street-facing top floorapartment). His precision was fortunate and significant for posterity: itextended even to the minutest specifics about Beethoven's dwelling,personality and character, mood swings, daily conversations about hiscircumstances, personal preferences and other matters now irretrievablybeyond our reach and forever lost. Often even the smallest details, aboutany subject, can be keys to opening large doors behind which are answers tosome important questions. Beethoven's life was dramatic enough without theneed for embellishment a-la-Hollywood, and von Breuning illuminates hissubject from the real-world viewpoint.

His book takes its name from thebuilding, the Schwarzspanierhaus (House of the Black Spaniard) -Beethoven's last residence, and where he died on Monday, March 26, 1827. InVienna today, the site of the house (demolished ca.1904) isSchwarzspanierstrasse 15, marked with a memorial plaque and thecharacteristic red and white Austrian banner. In his day the address was200 Alsergrund am Glacis. Because of its Beethoven connection the streetwas later renamed Schwarzspanierstrasse: the composer's swarthy complexionin his youth prompted some to call him The Black Spaniard - which in turnmight have been what induced a few revisionist claims in our day that thecomposer was negro.

When Gerhard von Breuning died in 1892 he was thelast survivor of those who hadpersonally known Beethoven. Though hisaccounts were written late in life, he was there to witness the events ofthe composer's last years. This gives us not only a more immediate picture,but perhaps more importantly, bottom-line details which shed a bright lighton what transpired more than a century and a half ago. This proximity givesspecial value to accounts like these.

Among the book's photographs areBeethoven's desk, the entrance hall and main door to the very apartment heoccupied in the Schwarzspanierhaus, the building's exterior, anintriguiging floor plan of the actual dwelling, and Gerhard von Breuninghimself in old age.

Perhaps the most compelling illustration is a superbphotograph of Beethoven's life-mask, made by Franz Klein in 1812. It'scompelling because it offers a literal glimpse into the past: Beethovenlived before the advent of photography, but this life mask represents himeffectively as he looked at 42 and gives us the most accurate rendering wehave of his physical features. Artists might disagree - but thisillustration, by its very immediacy, seems to enlarge and strengthen thelinks in the chain that binds us to our own musical history.

VonBreuning's reports range from the humorous and fascinating - aboutBeethoven's fondness for puns and sarcasm - to the exasperating and evenheartbreaking: Gerhard was devastated when as a young adult the numeroushandwritten notes he had received from Beethoven were inadvertentlydiscarded by a servant who thought they were trash.

This book is forthose who want to know about Beethoven from someone who truly knew him.Historians compile and present an amalgam of data; author von Breuning viaeditor Solomon takes us into a courtroom and displays primary evidenceunsullied by the traditional legendary gloss, the ghosts of myth, and thepassage of more than 17 decades. Though no-one's memory is infallible, hestill places before us, devoid of cosmetic veneer, the raw material fromwhich we can experience our own reactions, form our own opinions, and drawour own conclusions.

The editor of this work has prepared a book thatcan be read and enjoyed by both reader and scholar. It's content isauthentic, not synthetic - a treasury of material taken from a primarysource: someone who literally knew Beethoven and who reports from thisdistinctive perspective. There are few if any substitutes for accounts likethese, and a more superlative book of this type would be hard to imagine.

There's no other book quite like it so its singularity makes it quitespecial. About Beethoven there are countless tomes, perhaps more than aboutany other composer, but this book provides something rather unique, whichadds to its value: a compendium of fascinating details that would bedifficult, if not altogether impossible, to find in any other singlevolume. The book is, in a word, superb and for both the reader andresearcher can be enjoyable, even fascinating and, perhaps moreimportantly, enlightening reading.

JEFFREY DANE ... Read more

Book Description
During Beethoven's darkest times, when he stumbled about the streets of Vienna like a ragged madman, people thought his career was over. Many of his friends and patrons had died. He no longer seemed to be producing music except for a few trivial pieces.

But appearances were wrong. He was creating what is generally regarded as his greatest single work. Known as the Ninth Symphony, it is much more difficult and massive than any of the preceeding eight.

But Beethoven was aware that the people of Vienna thought he was crazy. He was afraid his symphony would be rejected.

Making things even worse, there had only been time for two rehearsals. By this time he was totally deaf and could not hear how well the musicians performed.

So on May 7, 1824, Beethoven conducted the Ninth Symphony for its premiere performance in Vienna. When the last notes of the magnificent final movement came to an end, Beethoven stood on the stage with his back to the audience. One of the singers gently turned him around so he could see the audience. The applause was thunderous. Everyone was standing and cheering.

Nearly 180 years later, Beethoven's works are still enjoyed by music lovers all over the world. On January 12, 2003, the Night Symphony was added to the "Memory of the World" register so that the compositions ofVienna's "mad genius" will live on for eternity. ... Read more

Book Description
Una biografía del músico. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

delightful, short, eminently readable biography
This 100-page volume is a good "Cliff Notes" biography of Beethoven, providing a chronological overview of Beethoven's life with descriptions of his major works interwoven into the text.The author briefly addresses Beethoven's childhood, and then focuses on the three recognized periods of the composer's life --early Beethoven, with a description of Beehoven's relationship with Mozart (and later other noted composers) and his adherence to classical style, the middle period following the composer's "Heilegenstadt Testament" (believed by many to be a suicide note), and the late period, during which Beethoven's music became very introspective.Following the biography, there is a complete listing by opus number of Beethoven's compositions, and then a list of recommended recordings.

This is a appetizer; it's a great book for someone who wants to learn about Beethoven but who is not yet prepared to plow through a long, technical biography.I understand that there is some controversy about Beethoven's life & love affairs -- this book doesn't address the controversy; it's a rather simple presentation, though it does present the basics well, and provides some background for someone who wants basic familiarity with the composer's life.Although it is hard to find, it may be available in public libraries.I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Journey into the Virtuoso's life and golden age of music
In Eroica, Samuel Chotzinoff reveals the myriad of complexities which comprised Beethoven's psyche.His complexities may be better stated as sophomorics as Herr Beethoven is often characterized as a petulant,ill-adjusted, arrogant, emotionaly naive and love-lorne genius.The readeris carried on the troughs and crests of Ludwig's tumultuous forays intosociety.Despite his genius, Ludwig at first appears a person unable tolearn from his mistakes and grows only with painfulrepetition.

Chotzinoff skillfully transports the reader to 19th centuryVienna and demurely reveals the idiosyncracies of the aristocracy throughrich characterizations and Beethoven's introspections. The music lover willalso love the author's interpretations of the inspirations and motivationsfor many of the virtuoso's masterpieces.

I have a first edition of thiswhich has sat on my shelf for over ten years because I've always misreadthe jacket lettering as "Erotica".Sadly, Beethoven isrepresented as tragically inept at the art of love.I believe thatChotzinoff purports that his turmoil in arena of love allowed Ludwig thefreedom, and also the pain requisite in many an art form.I do objecthowever to the author's contention that much of Beethoven's musicalambition was a result of his desire to be accepted by the gentry, to whichhe died an outsider.Overall, the book was an insightful journey into thevirtuoso's life and the golden age of music. ... Read more

Book Description
This picture book for the whole family tells the story of Ludwig van Beethoven who is generally regarded as one of music's greatest composers. His story is especially inspiring since he had completely lost his hearing by age 31. He composed nine symphonies, as well as hundreds of sonatas, concertos, and songs. The illustrations provide a visual reference for the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A chronology makes this especially useful for elementary and middle school music reference collections. The 50-minute CD that is included with this book has excerpts from some of his most beloved works including Moonlight Sonata and his magnificent Ninth Symphony. ... Read more