Two Lives of Beethoven Comparison Essay by cee-cee

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.