Austria Books

This is an important read for any Beethoven-head, classical music fan, or music history buff. I'm a fan of primary documentation in general; I would rather read letters, essays, or autobiographies than some scholarly tome. But these letters are very revealing as to Beethoven's character and state of mind. At times they are quite moving, such as Beethoven's letter to his brother where he stated that the only thing that prevented him from killing himself was the knowledge that he still had more music to give to the world. From just about anyone else that would seem like delusional grandiosity, but in Beethoven's case it was true.

It brought to mind a comment made by a patient who was opposed to psychiatric medications. He made an argument, a variation of a common one, linking mental illness as the driving force behind creativity: "If Beethoven had been given Prozac, we all would have been robbed of the Eroica." Sounds compelling, but is it true? One thing that can be learned from Beethoven's letters, in combination with other sources, is that he wrote his heaviest, darkest, most brooding works during periods of relative happiness. When he was in the deepest depths of his mood disorder, he wrote light, upbeat music, music that is brilliant in its own way, but not the music people generally picture as Beethovian. Certainly one can speculate as to links between creativity and some forms mental illness, but to equate the two is to marginalize the suffering of true mental illness. Here's what I'm saying: Mental illness is not something to exoticize. It is something to rebel against.

Who's to say that Beethoven on Prozac wouldn't have written the same music? Or wouldn't have written different but equally brilliant music? This also begs the question of whether or not a suffering artist really owes the public the products of their creativity, but that's another tangent.

You know who I'd like to medicate? Bruckner. How about Bruckner punching up his 7th symphony while on multiple stimulants? That might be interesting. Oops, off-topic again.

I recommend this book. If willing to invest the time, one could create an iPod Beethoven playlist that roughly tracks his work chronologically, and then read Beethoven's letters in short bites following along with the music.

This book was written not 10 years after Beethoven's death-- by his friends and pupils Franz Weigler and J. Ries. It is a good first-hand look at Beethoven, how he lived, and what was generally thought of him by friends. It includes a good number of letters, documents, and engravings to aid the reader in understanding of this composer. The book is divided into two halves, one half is Weigler's account, the other Ries'. The authors thought highly of the 'Master', yet include the not always flattering opinions of others, such as his employers, relatives, pupils, etc. I found this book gratifying to read as a first-hand account, with more direct biography than philosophy on Beethoven's life. Submitted by: Tobey S. Crawford, studen

This book is well written and the reader senses that the writers were attempting to be as accurate as possible in giving us a picture of the genius as well as the person, Beethoven. There is something special about reading first hand accounts of the lives of great men. Another good book in this vein is "Memories of Beethoven" written by Gerhard von Breuning. Gerhard was the son of one of Beethoven's oldest friends, Stephan von Breuning, and the boy visited Beethoven frequently during Beethoven's final illness. Beethoven delighted in seeing the youngster and nicknamed him "Trouserbutton" as Gerhard developed a close and loving relationship with Beethoven. Sadly, Stephan von Breuning, Beethoven's old friend, died only a few months after Beethoven. Another member of Beethoven's circle during his last years, Anton Schindler, also wrote a book titled "Beethoven As I Knew Him." Beethoven scholars are doubtful of the veracity of some of Schindler's stories and Schindler, at times, appears to use his relationship with Beethoven for his own self-promotion by exaggerating his own importance in Beethoven's life. Neither of the first two books are long but they are both very enjoyable. I, for one, am grateful to those authors for sharing their experiences with me and helping me understand more about the humanness of the great artist, Beethoven.

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Written in very nice British English, with the very sane British academic expression, Cooper's Beethoven is one of the best books on the Master available. Includes an important appendix treating the Beethoven syphilis theory. Apart from his deafness, Beethoven struggled all his adult life with painful chronic colitis and probably died of hepatitis. It's possible but doubtful he had syphilis.

Also, Cooper touches upon the fey facet of Beethoven's personality: not that he practiced homosexuality at all--(we do know that he sometimes frequented female prostitutes), but that he had an element of his character which may be considered a little fey. Certainly he never married, and in his later life he was somewhat misogynistic while he surrounded himself with a small series of handsome young men as assistants and companions; moreover, his destructive relationship with his nephew Karl distinctly reminds one of Wilde's relationship with Douglas.
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Bertha von Suttner is little known in the United States. Despite the fact she won the Nobel Peace Prize - and was the first woman - she is often overlooked. This book helps to inform those who read it about how she was instrumental in having the Nobel Peace Prize created.

Born into Austrian nobility, Bertha von Suttner saw firsthand the military buildup in Europe during the decades preceding World War I. She and her husband, Baron Arthur von Suttner, worked tirelessly for the cause of peace in Europe. Her close friendship with the inventor Alfred Nobel helped to establish a strong structure to the peace movement, with the annual awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize.

This book is an excellent reference to Baroness Bertha von Suttner's life. Syracuse University did our society a great service in publishing the book in English.

Wilhelm Reich was many things in his lifetime- a student of Freud, a political activist, a research scientist, and an inventor. His work was decades ahead of its time and is finally being rediscovered and reevaluated by the public. If, like me, you are interested in Reich and his work, you might want to check out a novel called We All Fall Down, by Brian Caldwell. it draws heavily on Reich's theories, particularly Listen Little Man and The Mass Psychology Of Facism. It's a great introduction to Reich's work and the entire novel draws heavily on his theory. It's very interesting watching an author explore his theories in a fictional setting. Well worth reading.

This book is a product of remarkable research by Professor Pybus. In a fascinating unravelling of little known facets of early European settlement of Australia it reveals that history is never as simple as we think, and that White Australia was never as White as some liked to believe. In today's Australia, where Sudanese migrants are being demonized for electoral gain, it reminds us that our true heritage is a mixed one we should embrace, not disown.

We used the Blue Guide for our trip to Vienna. It was fantastic, if you like detailed information about architecture and history, which we do. The book doesn't have much, if any humor, as it is almost like a textbook. I wouldn't use it for accomodation information, but as a human guide it cannot be beat.

My daughter is a 1st grader who is advanced in her reading and loves biographies. Since she is young for her class, it is difficult to get advanced vocabulary without the advanced content. This book was perfect for her. It held her interest and provoked questions. It helps that our family loves Beethoven!

A fine guide, but note: it treats the German lied exclusively--not a word here about the French melodie--which is a lied sung in Paris, rather than Munich!