Beethoven’s ‘Languages’

So much has been written about Beethoven that we might approach Jan Swafford’s new biography of him with a what’s-left-to-say skepticism. That would be a mistake. This book offers an unusual richness of detail concerning both Beethoven’s life and his works.

A writer of music when he is not writing books, Swafford analyzes Beethoven’s major compositions with an X-ray ear for thematic, motivic, rhythmic, and key-signature relationships. Many score excerpts support these discussions, and musically trained readers will appreciate Swafford’s sundry insights.