{"id":2477,"date":"2023-04-18T10:23:11","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T08:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.popularbeethoven.com\/?p=2477"},"modified":"2023-05-05T20:47:24","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T18:47:24","slug":"anguish-and-triumph-by-jan-swafford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.popularbeethoven.com\/anguish-and-triumph-by-jan-swafford\/","title":{"rendered":"Anguish and Triumph \u2013 by Jan Swafford"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Beethoven biography book recommendation<\/h3>\n

Jan Swafford\u2019s biography of Beethoven is not \u2018just another book\u2019<\/i> on the great master. He manages to be as complete as possible without being too academic or ruining the intimate tone of the book. The author covers a historical period of a lifetime including the Enlightenment, the Napoleonic wars, the peace treaty followed by, and how all these events formed everyday life and thinking of the nations affected by the developments. Understanding Beethoven is not possible, without understanding the period of history he lived in.<\/p>\n

Swafford is not only an author of books and teacher of music history, theory, and composition at the Boston Conservatory, but an award-winning composer himself. As such, he knows the craftsmanship of music making and this he puts to good use when he tells not just the story of the man, but also some interesting insights into Beethoven\u2019s music. These technical analyses he does in such a way as to help understanding even among those with rudimentary knowledge of musical theory.<\/p>\n

H<\/b>ere are some <\/b>stellar <\/b>reviews <\/b>of this book:<\/b><\/p>\n

“Swafford\u2019s craftsmanship shines…The book is two books: a biography and a series of journeys through the music, a travelogue with an excitable professor. Readers will want to have a recording playing so they can match metaphors to sounds. I found myself engaged by his imagery, sometimes delighted and surprised.”<\/i> \u2013Jeremy Denk, New York Times Book Review<\/p>\n

“Impassioned and informed…Swafford\u2019s exuberance is infectious, prompting the reader to revisit works both famous and obscure.”<\/i> \u2013The New Yorker<\/p>\n

“The stately rhythm, carefully etched detailing and oceanic sweep of this ambitious book mirror the complexity and richness of Beethoven’s revolutionary Romanticism…surrender to it and it\u2019s easy to be swept away…Swafford comes marvelously equipped to take on the enormousness of Beethoven’s life and work \u2013 his heights of inspiration, depths of suffering, the roots and range of his masterworks…Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph doesn’t drown in its musicology so much as achieve a buoyant balance of technical and human detail.”<\/i> \u2013Matt Damsker, USA TODAY<\/p>\n

“Swafford\u2019s writing on Beethoven\u2019s music is perceptive and illuminating. But just as impressive is his sympathetic portrait of Beethoven the man. Swafford\u2019s book, which should be placed alongside the excellent biographies by Lewis Lockwood and Maynard Solomon, does not diminish any of the composer\u2019s flaws. Instead, it suggests that these flaws were inconsequential compared with the severity of the composer\u2019s anguish and the achievement of his music.”<\/i> \u2013Washington Post<\/p>\n

“A highly rewarding read, with a lightness of touch that makes history come to life.”<\/i> \u2013The Economist<\/p>\n

In this 1,000-plus-page book Swafford manages to introduce Beethoven as a real man<\/i>, peeling away layers of legend that have built up around him. Both the highs and the lows of his life are presented in full honesty and truthfully. More than a decade in the making, this book is a worthy biography of Beethoven, the most consequential musician who ever lived.<\/p>\n

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\n(Disclosure: Popular Beethoven Magazine is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. This means, if you follow the links and purchase a product or service, our magazine will receive a small percentage as commission. This will not affect your price! These commissions help to operate the magazine, this way your purchase also supports our work. Thank you!)<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Beethoven biography book recommendation Jan Swafford\u2019s biography of Beethoven is not \u2018just another book\u2019 on the great master. He manages to be as complete as possible without being too academic or ruining the intimate tone of the book. The author covers a historical period of a lifetime including the Enlightenment, the Napoleonic wars, the peace treaty followed by, and … <\/p>\n

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