In his concertos Beethoven joined in a sort of human expression that seems almost universal: a discourse of the individual and the group, or of leader and followers who sometimes work together in harmony and sometimes appear pitted one against the other (early definitions of the concerto, indeed, were divided as to which was the main idea of the genre--cooperation or conflict). In his concertos Beethoven typically cast himself as leader; the concerto was for him mainly a youthful preoccupation intimately bound up with his prowess and ambition as a public pianist. The hope is that a wide-ranging consideration of the historical context will serve to cast new light upon the music itself, which remains the central focus of this study.
The kudos given this work by the above reviewers are well-deserved. Do not be misled, however, into thinking that an affection, or even a passion, for Beethoven guarantees your appreciation of Plantinga's sophisticated analysis. Do not buy this book if you do not have a fairly strong command of music theory and terminology.
Deep analysis for the non-specialist
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Leon Plantinga writes clearly and does not clutter his prose with arcane musicological terminology. Yet he presents insights into this music that cannot be obtained elsewhere. A separate booklet, included with the book, presents numerous examples in music type for those who wish to see the precise points in the scores mentioned in the text.
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