Beethoven's Letters (1790–1826)
From the Collection of Dr Ludwig Nohl

Published in 1866, this two-volume collection of letters in English translation illuminates the character and preoccupations of a musical genius.

Ludwig van Beethoven (Author), Grace Jane Wallace (Edited and translated by)

9781108078498, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 November 2014

284 pages, 1 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.36 kg

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) was a prolific letter writer, with thousands of examples surviving to this day. Often written in great haste - 'in der Eile' was a common sign-off - they allow us to follow the great composer's anxieties and preoccupations, revealing the human figure behind some of the greatest music ever written. Despite the fact that 'many of Beethoven's letters slumber in foreign lands, especially in the unapproachable cabinets of curiosities belonging to various close-fisted English collectors', the German musicologist Ludwig Nohl (1831–85) published his collection of letters in 1865, and this two-volume English translation by Grace Jane Wallace (1804–78) appeared the following year, reflecting the fact that interest in Beethoven had not diminished nearly forty years after his death. In Volume 2 we read of Beethoven's despair as his health fails, and of his efforts to fulfil the commission that would become his greatest masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony.

Part II. Life's Mission: 3. Letters, 1815–22 (cont.)
Part III. Life's Troubles and Close: 4. Letters, 1823–7.

Subject Areas: Baroque music [c 1600 to c 1750 AVGC3]