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The Character of a Genius Beethoven in Perspective
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Peter J. Davies
ISBN: 0-313-31913-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-313-31913-6
376 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 10/30/2001
List Price: $131.95 (UK Sterling Price: £91.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: Beethoven's often-discussed dark side--marked by paranoia, narcissism, and obsession--is brought into focus by Peter J. Davies, who examines both the composer's genetic roots and the familial cruelty and neglect that defined his childhood. But this book is more than a biography, eschewing facile psychoanalysis in favor of a real exploration of how Beethoven's character shaped the work now universally regarded as among the best music ever written. Davies acutely observes the ways in which suffering can bring, at the same time, both madness and genius.

The author begins by tracing the medical history of mental disorders in Beethoven's family, and then goes on to detail the composer's religious beliefs and attitudes, his daily work habits and pastimes, and elements of his character including manic depression. Though the work does not purport to be a musical analysis, it does consider the many ways in which the things that shape an artist go on to shape his art.
Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
    Chronological Calendar
    Childhood and Adolescence
    Religious Beliefs and Attitudes
    Beethoven's Religious Music
    Work Habits and Pastimes
    Beethoven's Personality I: Paranoid Character
    Beethoven's Personality II: Other Traits Stresses Humour and the Eternal Feminine
    Beethoven's Personality III: Manic-Depressive Tendencies: The Suffering Depressive Composer
    Beethoven's Personality IV: Manic-Depressive Tendencies, Upswings of Mood, Sanity, Genetics, Creativity
    Bibliography
    Index of Beethoven's Works in This Volume
    General Index
About the Author: PETER J. DAVIES is a retired consultant physician of internal medicine and gastroenterology who has devoted his studies to the health, personality, and creativity of Mozart and Beethoven./e Previous works include Mozart in Person: His Character and Health (Greenwood, 1989) and Beethoven in Person: His Deafness, Illnesses, and Death (Greenwood, 2001).
LCC Class: 780
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