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Beethoven

The Philosophy of Music
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( 53 ratings, 3 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Beethoven by Theodor W. Adorno is a profound exploration of Beethovenโ€™s music contextualised within the society of his time. Adorno traces three distinct periods in Beethovenโ€™s work, highlighting how the thematic unity observed in the earlier periods begins to unravel in the third. This breakdown reflects the rationality and monopolistic traits of modern society, as mirrored in Beethovenโ€™s progressive disintegration of organic unity in classical music.

This volume is especially valuable for those interested in philosophy, sociology, music, and history, offering an in-depth study of the composerโ€™s life and legacy.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for students and researchers in philosophy, sociology, musicology, and history, as well as anyone deeply interested in Beethoven and the interplay between art and society.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Beethoven is a classic study of the composer's music, written by one of the most important thinkers of our time. Throughout his life, Adorno wrote extensive notes, essay fragments and aides-memoires on the subject of Beethoven's music. This book brings together all of Beethoven's music in relation to the society in which he lived.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Beethoven is a classic study of the composer's music, written by one of the most important thinkers of our time. Throughout his life, Adorno wrote extensive notes, essay fragments, and aides-memoires on the subject of Beethoven's music. This book brings together all of Beethoven's music in relation to the society in which he lived.

Adorno identifies three periods in Beethoven's work, arguing that the thematic unity of the first and second periods begins to break down in the third. Adorno follows this progressive disintegration of organic unity in the classical music of Beethoven and his contemporaries, linking it with the rationality and monopolistic nature of modern society.

Beethoven will be welcomed by students and researchers in a wide range of disciplinesโ€”philosophy, sociology, music, and historyโ€”and by anyone interested in the life of the composer.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Martin Jay of the University of California, Berkeley, praises the book for revealing Adornoโ€™s intellectual process through his extensive yet incomplete notes, emphasizing the inherent resistance of great art to theoretical categorisation. The workโ€™s reconstruction by Rolf Tiedemann and editing by Edmund Jephcott are lauded for their clarity and elegance.

Max Paddison from the University of Durham highlights how the fragments illuminate Adornoโ€™s musical philosophy origins and commends the sensitive editing and magnificent translation, resulting in a coherent and insightful volume.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780745614670

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 September 1998

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 161.0mm

Height: 239.0mm

Weight: 539g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969), a prominent member of the Frankfurt School, was one of the most influential thinkers of this century in the areas of social theory, philosophy and aesthetics.

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