Two Lives of Beethoven

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer looks at the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, who by the time of his death in 1827, was already recognized as one of the greatest musical talents of his era. At the end of reading the biographies of both Geck and Jones, the writer notes that one is left with an impression of Beethoven that often confirms the stereotype of the Romantic genius at odds with his era. But, as both biographers point out, this is a notion that Beethoven played a major role in fostering. The writer discusses that as an emblematic figure of Romanticism, Beethoven not only composed some of the most important music of all time; he also gave rise to common beliefs about the myth of artistic genius. The writer concludes that ultimately, it may be impossible for a truly "objective" account of Beethoven's life to ever emerge, owing to the fact that mythology and reality are inextricable when considering the legacy of this great man - and the music that continues to live on, all these years later.

From the Paper:

"At the same time, Geck shows the ways in which Beethoven fostered many of the myths surrounding his genius during his own lifetime. Geck admits early on that there continues to be some confusion regarding Beethoven's exact birth date, for example. Much of this confusion arises from the fact that Beethoven was not the first-born son of his parents - but he was the first-born son to survive. Two years prior to Beethoven's birth, they had had another son who was also named Ludwig, but who died in infancy. For this reason, Beethoven believed that he had been born in 1772, rather than 1770, as has commonly been believed.
"If there is a problem with Geck's biography, it is a structural one."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Geck, Martin. Beethoven. London: Haus Publishing, 2003.
• Jones, David Wyn. The Life of Beethoven. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

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