BEETHOVEN AND THE WORLD OF MUSIC

Another competent biography by Manuel Komroff traces the chronology of Beethoven's life, illuminating the events surrounding the creation of his music -- with good comments on the music itself. The composer's life can be divided into three periods and the biographer points up the highlights of each -- Beethoven's early years in Bonn and the great social changes of that time -- his years in Vienna and the tragic loss of his hearing -- his fame -- his increasing inability to relate to people. Anecdotes on Beethoven, the man, including his tormented period as guardian of his nephew, indicate his utter detachment from humanity while the music he wrote at that time reveals the paradoxical nature of his temperament. Komroff writes earnest non-fiction, at intervals stilted, but dependable and well documented.