Beethoven - A Character Studay

In this interpretation of the composer's life and works, Beethoven scholar Lewis Lockwood interweaves the composer's musical and biographical dimensions and places them in their historical and artistic contexts. Written for the lay reader, this book explores the special problems that Beethoven faced as an artist who fulfilled his destiny as Mozart's sucessor while remaining a true, rebellious original. It uncovers the artistic challenges that Beethoven set for himself and shows how they were fulfilled in his compositions. In this way, Lockwood develops a new interpretation of the composer's character that puts to rest the "heroic" model as the only basis for understanding Beethoven's career. While taking the latest scholarship fully into account, Lockwood presents the reader with a portrait of the composer that is based principally on his artistic achievements.
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CONTENTS

CHAPTER
I. Early Promise
II. The Morning of Life
III. The New Path
IV. Heroic Symphony
V. Fidelio
VI. The Eternal Feminine
VII. Victory from Defeat
VIII. Meeting with Goethe
IX. Optimistic Trend
X. At the Zenith of His Fame
XI. Methods of Composition
XII. Sense of Humor
XIII. Missa Solemnis
XIV. Ninth Symphony
XV. Capacity for Friendship
XVI. The Day's Trials
XVII. Last Quartets
XVIII. In the Shadows
XIX. Life's Purport