Beat Oven and His Over Cooked Nephew

Many scholars of music and informed people of any sort for that matter; are at least somewhat familiar with the life and times of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. That is to say: most know he was somewhat insane and deaf and also that he was a prolific, and brilliant composer. Maynard Solomon, co-founder of Vanguard records cum musicologist, forgets that Beethoven was indeed a prolific and brilliant composer and in his article Beethoven and his Nephew writes only of Beethoven’s considerable mental defects and the custody fight over his nephew Karl between 1815 and 1820. Of the thirty-three pages that make up his article, only three have any mention of the music that Beethoven composed. These three pages read as a rushed insert, included only to refute people like me who would make snide remarks about the lack of musical commentary. I would probably also be told, “shut up and read the thesis you idiot,” as Mr. Solomon clearly states that the article is actually about, “Beethoven’s life between the end of 1815 and early 1820 [and] the complex, and occasionally arcane, story of his attempt to surmount-indeed to survive- a personal and creative crisis that threatened to overwhelm him.” Still in an article about a composer as well known as Beethoven, I would think it imperative to have far more mention and description of the music and how it intertwined with this time in Beethoven’s life. .
Once I got over the lack of musical remark, it was easy to come to terms with the article and completely agree with Solomon that Beethoven was completely and utterly insane. While that may not actually be the case, there is little room for argument in this biased lambasting of the great composer in a very fragile state. In the entire article I found one quote that was not manipulated to make Beethoven sound like he is crazy as loon. “[Karl’s] whole future depends upon this education, which cannot be left to a woman or to his mother alone.” All sexism aside, this quote reinforces the seldom touched upon idea that Beethoven actually was concerned for his nephew’s well being.
Unfortunately for Beethoven and his corpse, which is surely rolling over, Solomon holds stubbornly to the idea that Beethoven’s nephew Karl was in fact Beethoven’s savior, and thus the reason for Beethoven’s madness concerning the custody issue. This idea almost enables the reader to imagine Beethoven as very human. Solomon however does his best to dispel this notion throughout the article by centering his attention on describing the volatile nature of Beethoven’s relationship with his sister in law Johanna, Karl’s mother. Every instance of Beethoven speaking ill of Johanna is followed by a remark from Solomon about the diminishing validity of his mental state. From a conversation book (as result of Beethoven’s loss of hearing he would hold his conversations through a book) Solomon quotes, “Last night that Queen of Night was at the Artists’ Ball until three A.M. exposing not only her mental but her bodily nakedness- it was whispered the she- was willing to hire herself- for 20 florins! Oh Horrible!” Solomon then deems the statement, “A sexual fantasy, [and] subsidiary to a complex rescue fantasy.” Even when Solomon depicts a time when Beethoven was an extremely reasonable man, he quickly attributes all kindness to Beethoven’s desire to manipulate future events.
Finally near the end of the article Solomon stops his castigation of the great composer to essentially list all the music Beethoven wrote in the midst of his custody battle, and describe a few in scarce detail. While Maynard’s article in certainly informative it lacks an objective view. Maynard goes into this article with far too much emotional attachment thus rendering him a biased and overly passionate commentator on these tumultuous times in Beethoven’s life.