{"id":2801,"date":"2024-07-07T12:54:30","date_gmt":"2024-07-07T10:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.popularbeethoven.com\/?p=2801"},"modified":"2024-07-07T12:54:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-07T10:54:30","slug":"alexander-wheelock-thayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.popularbeethoven.com\/alexander-wheelock-thayer\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexander Wheelock Thayer"},"content":{"rendered":"
Alexander Wheelock Thayer (1817-1897) was an American writer and journalist who travelled to Europe to conduct extensive research on Beethoven\u2019s life, with the intension of writing the first scholarly biography of the great composer. His work became the basis for modern research on Beethoven.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Thayer was born in South Natick, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard college, and it was whilst he was working in the Harvard library<\/strong> that he became interested in Beethoven and began his research into the composer. He noticed a number of inconsistencies in Anton Schindler<\/a>\u2019s biography, and this prompted him to pursue the truth. The other extant biographical text at the time had been written by Franz Wegeler<\/a> and Ferdinand Ries<\/a>. It was published in 1838, and is considered highly reliable. It is a joint reminiscence, a collection of many anecdotes and copies of correspondence.<\/p>\n Thayer was a musical individual<\/strong>. He had tried his hand at composing, although he didn\u2019t play an instrument, and had written many articles on music-related subjects.<\/p>\n In 1849, Thayer travelled to Europe and began his reasearch into the real Beethoven<\/strong>, learning German simmultaneously. His journalism, writing articles for the Boston Courier <\/em>on European life and later, his position as US Consul in Triest between 1862-1882, enabled him to undertake this momentous task.<\/p>\n \n The first edition of his biography was published in German<\/strong>, and was made up of three volumes. It was important to Thayer to publish the text in Beethoven\u2019s own language too, in German. These covered Beethoven\u2019s life up until 1816. After his death, his biography was completed by two of his German colleagues<\/strong>, both musicologists: Hermann Deiters<\/a> (who was also responsible for the German translation) and Hugo Riemann<\/a>, who completed the volumes after Deiter\u2019s death. Riemann produced volumes 4 and 5, staying true to Thayer\u2019s notes<\/strong>, which detailed Beethoven\u2019s life between 1817 and his death a decade later.<\/p>\n \u2018I fight for no theories, and cherish no prejudices; my sole point of view is the truth\u2026\u2019 – <\/em><\/strong>Thayer<\/p>\n Thayer set the standard for modern biographical writing<\/strong> in terms of both accuracy and analysis.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Two further trips to Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n Thayer spent two and a half years in Europe whilst researching Beethoven\u2019s biography, up until his money ran out. He returned to America and worked for the New York Tribune<\/em> until 1854, when he journeyed to Europe again to continue his research<\/strong>. A couple of years later he was back in America again, where his employer took an interest in his work and secured funding for his final journey to Europe to resume his important and admirable work<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who did Thayer interview?<\/strong><\/p>\n Life of Beethoven<\/em> is an invaluable biography, as Thayer used primary sources for his work, interviewing people who had known the composer first hand.<\/strong> These people included Anton Schindler<\/strong><\/a>, his secretary; composer and friend to Beethoven Anselm H\u00fcttenbrenner<\/strong><\/a>, who was at the composer\u2019s deathbed; pianist and educator Cipriani Potter<\/strong><\/a> and Caroline van Beethoven<\/strong>, widow of Beethoven\u2019s Nephew Karl. Thayer also looked through newspapers, obtained court records<\/strong> and analyzed conversation books<\/strong> that Beethoven had used to communicate with when his hearing deteriorated. He collected information that could be further analysed by scholars, which may otherwise have been lost forever.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nThe biography: Life of Beethoven<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n