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Beethoven Biographical Resources
- Beethoven by George Fischer (ebook, published 2011): This short biography of the famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven details his life, his works and gives the reader an interesting guide to the style that defined this master of symphonies and other musical works.
- Beethoven by Richard Wagner (ebook, translated by William Ellis Ashton, published 2009): A biography of Beethoven by the composer Wagner, who was a scholar and devotee of Beethoven.
- Beethoven and Freedom by Daniel Chua (journal article, published 2017): Beethoven’s music is often associated with freedom. Chua explores the nature of this relationship through an investigation of the philosophical context of Beethoven’s reception and hermeneutic readings of key works.
- Beethoven and the construction of genius: musical politics in Vienna, 1792-1803 by Tia DeNora (journal article, published 1997): In this provocative account Tia DeNora reconceptualizes the notion of genius by placing the life and career of Ludwig van Beethoven in its social context. She explores the changing musical world of late eighteenth-century Vienna and follows the activities of the small circle of aristocratic patrons who paved the way for the composer's success.
- Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death of Beethoven by Francois Martin Mai (ebook, published 2007): Working from the symptoms described in the medical evidence, Beethoven's letters and those of his friends, and the reports of his physicians, Mai compares how Beethoven's health complaints would have been understood and treated within the medical, political, and social climate of both his time and ours. He discusses Beethoven's terminal illness and his resulting death.
