Beethoven Anguish and Triumph – by Jan Swafford

This is an excellent bibliography of Beethoven. Swafford states in the introduction that it took him 12 years to complete this bibliography. It shows.

There are many positive things about this bibliography. First of all, the pacing is excellent. The story moves forward with a good level of detail, but not too much as to slow down the narrative or interrupt the feeling as if you’re witnessing events as they are happening. Swafford at times can be quite critical of Beethoven, but as he states in his introduction this may in fact be necessary as Beethoven has been elevated to a status far above that of a human being. Throughout there is a proper sense of balance, as musical ideas are introduced and explained concisely but at the same time not presented in an overwhelming manner. It is clear that Swafford not only understands music in great detail but is also gifted at presenting these complex topics in an accessible manner. I think the greatest achievement of the bibliography is that it expertly shows the special circumstance of life in Bonn and Vienna at that time and how different the situation was to our current time. Overall, I can highly recommend this book.