 Maynard
Solomon is that rarest of writers on classical music: a well-trained expert who is also
gutsy and humane, and who knows about life. He had the courage to write in recent years
about Franz Schubert's homosexuality, which, judging by the size of the polemic that
ensued, some academics were still not ready to hear about. But for many readers, Solomon's
masterpiece is still his 1977 biography of Beethoven, offered here in a revised second
edition that is a must-read for anyone interested in classical music, let alone "The
Big Deaf One," as Jean Cocteau referred to the composer. Artfully blending history,
psychology, sociology, and musicology in just the right measures, Solomon has taken the
opportunity in his revision to focus more on certain themes, like Beethoven and
Freemasonry; to discount evidence now seen as suspect, including the forgeries of the
composer's friend Schindler; and to present new finds such as recently discovered
documentary evidence. The result stands with Thayer's biography and Tovey's analyses as
the classics on Beethoven, along with other fascinating books like the Cambridge Music
Handbook on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. A triumph--bravo, Professor Solomon! --Benjamin
Ivry |