Written by (U.S.) Jan Swaford
Excerpt 丨 He An'an
Editor's Note:
For those who love musician Beethoven, this year is a special year.
The day on which Beethoven was born has long been a point of debate – because historical sources do not allow it, many people tend to refer to his baptism day as his birthday, December 17, and commemorate his birthday on this day – although in the traditional concept, the day of baptism is not a birthday, so there are many sources that record his birthday as December 16. But in any case, 2020 coincides with the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, and for this reason, various forms of commemoration will be launched around the world this year. And, according to the original plan, these activities will run through the entire year of 2020.
As The homeland of Beethoven, Germany has launched a special preparatory organization in Bonn as early as three years ago, specially launching the commemorative logo "BTHVN2020", Bthvn is the signature that Beethoven occasionally uses on his score, and on the other hand, these five letters also have their own meanings: B represents Beethoven's hometown of Bonn, T means Tonkünstler, that is, composer, H stands for humanitarian, V stands for fantasist, N stands for nature lover.
Sculpture in front of Beethoven's house in Bonn, Germany.
News from around the world heralded that this year's scheduled performances of many orchestras would revolve around Beethoven – in fact, many bands have been commemorating Beethoven since last year. Various publishing houses, record companies and other institutions have also launched beethoven-related publications or collector's edition music collections.
In "Biography of Beethoven: Tribulations and Splendor" in the "Kai Zhen Artist" series recently published by Zhejiang University Press, the American composer and writer Jan Swaford strives to restore the real Beethoven outside the melody: under the praise of many "geniuses" and "outstanding", in addition to the image of "demigod Beethoven", he is also blunt, rough and irritable, and his music has also undergone a process from barbarism to detachment.
There are many biographies of Beethoven, and like his music, many stories related to Beethoven are deeply rooted in our minds. Like us, Jan Swaford was attracted to Beethoven, first by the music and then by the man himself. Jan Swaffford said many believe that in some ways, the best biography of Beethoven is still Alexander Viloque Thayer at the end of the 19th century
（Alexander Wheelock Thayer）
Masterpiece. And for him, it seems that through the books of Elliot Forbes, he can see Beethoven strolling down the street, talking and laughing with friends, pounding the table when composing music, cutting the fish for dinner...
As a composer, Jan Swaford saw Beethoven as a "man who worked in creative outbursts." Beethoven's life was certainly full of imperfections, but Jan Swaford said: "It's a flaw as a person, not a myth." ”
The following is an excerpt from the preface to Beethoven's Biography: Tribulations and Glory, which has been published with permission from the publisher.
Biography of Beethoven: Tribulation and Glory, by Jan Swaford, translated by Han Yingchao, Qizhenguan Zhejiang University Press, February 2020
In an age of cult genius, it became the archetype of the genius of Romanticism
As long as the interest in Beethoven and his music does not dissipate, the continuous creation of Beethoven's biography will not stop. People's interest will remain in place for a long time. Like Shakespeare, Rembrandt, and other figures in the history of literary creation, Beethoven has always been a cultural creature, inseparable from our worldview, and as mythical to both the general public and the professionals.
A few kilometres from my study, Beethoven is the only composer whose name is inscribed above the stage of the Boston Symphony Orchestra concert hall, built in the 19th century. Today, his Ninth Symphony is played to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall. In Japan, "Kaiku" is also played at important ceremonies such as the opening of the sumo wrestling arena. Around the world, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is regarded as a model for classical symphonies. When I was teaching at the conservatory, I could hear Beethoven's music almost every day in school. My Beethoven seminar attracted many young musicians who would not be able to do without Beethoven in their future musical careers.
Stills from Beethoven's biographical film Immortal True Love.
Of course, Beethoven's omnipresence is also worrying. His presence more as an abstract symbol than as a real person and artist makes him appear to be on top. The usual ups and downs of artist fame in history did not affect Beethoven much. In part, this is due to the fact that in the decades after his death, the concert hall gradually became a museum of past history, rather than exploring the current musical space. This situation also has its negative effects. The works of Shakespeare and Rembrandt do not lack passion, pungent satire and immediacy. This immediacy is easily lost in musical "saints" such as Beethoven, Bach and Brahms.
For two centuries since Beethoven became famous, he has been toyed between biographers and other writers. He was born during the "Aufklaerung" (German Enlightenment) and grew up in the 1780s of the Revolution. Many of his contemporaries considered him a revolutionary musician, associating him with the spirit of the French Revolution. By the time of his death in 1827, Beethoven was already a Romantic myth, which was also his image in the 19th century: the combination of the demigod Beethoven, the Crucifix christ and the transcendent saints. His personality was blunt, rough, and irritable, and his music went from barbaric to detached, and he became the epitome of romantic genius in an age of cult genius (and continues to this day).
Critical retelling and reappraisal is inevitable, like all art, they reflect the pulse of the times. In the 20th century, the myth of Romanticism slowly faded, and most of the works on Beethoven in recent decades came from academic circles, reflecting the fashions and taboos within the circle. Many recent books focus on opinions related to Beethoven rather than himself. Many of the theories of this late 20th-century scholarly work reveal many truths, but they don't seem to have taken him off the altar—I think it makes him too far away from us.
I think many people still feel that, in some ways, the best biography of Beethoven is still Alexander Viloque Thayer at the end of the 19th century
Masterpiece. The American writer's goal was to collect all the facts about Beethoven and narrate them as clearly as possible. "I don't rely on theory, and I have no bias," Thayer wrote, "and my only opinion is truth." In the 1960s, the book passed through Elliot Forbes
（Elliot Forbes）
Updated on the same principles, it will be republished. For me, Beethoven's personality stood out strongly in Teille's Victorian English, and I seemed to see him strolling down the streets, laughing with friends, pounding tables while composing music, and cutting fish for dinner.
Beethoven represents the usual life of musicians and composers
Although not as lengthy as Thayer's work, the spirit of the book fits with him. In the history of an artist's biography, we sometimes need to get rid of the theories and gestures that have accumulated over the years and examine the protagonist as clearly and unbiasedly as possible. Although everyone as a biographer has a starting point that is not necessarily aware of, this does not affect the true value and necessity of returning to the illustrious figures themselves. The book is about Beethoven as a man and a musician, not about the deified. To this end, I put all the comments of posterity in the footnote. I hope this book takes us back to Beethoven's time and sees him walking, talking, writing, angry, and composing as directly as possible.
We will find out that Beethoven was not a good gentleman. The flaws in his character, his dirty dwellings, his paranoia and delusions of persecution, his world-weariness, and the commercial frauds of his later years will all occupy roughly the proportions of their proportions in his life. There is also a painful deafness and medical history, as well as a failed emotional life. Still, I believe that Beethoven was not a real villain. He aspired to be a kind, noble, honorable, and dedicated man. His quirks, witty remarks, witty remarks, and true knowledge, and even his rhetoric about social affairs, are often charming and lovely. From his youth, he was often touted. He is confident in himself and his talents, but he is equally self-critical and ruthless in his work.
Portrait of 13-year-old Beethoven.
If I had an intention in mind, it was that I was a composer before and after I started writing biographies, so this book is a composer in the eyes of composers who write for the masses. In my eyes, Beethoven is like me and many others: sitting at a table, playing the piano, or walking in the fields and forests, composing music one by one, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. I heard the rustle of the quill pen on the sheet paper. I see works that have finally taken shape after a large number of drafts. I see people like us who work in creative outbursts —but Beethoven's out-of-breath is deeper than ours, and his results are incomparable and far-reaching.
In other words, I think Beethoven represents the ordinary life of musicians and composers, which is also the content of this book. Like many of his contemporaries and descendants of composers, he made a living through a variety of means and was deeply involved in these skills and traditions. The biggest difference is that he has mastered these skills skillfully and has a huge innate talent. In the course of my work, I have come to realize that no matter which way I look at Beethoven, I represent the ultimate of a musician: whether it's writing notes, playing them, or selling them. History, his friends, and himself are familiar with other imperfect, and sometimes astonishing, aspects of Beethoven's life. This is a flaw in a person, not a myth.
After writing a lot, I realized that in the text I did not mention two words that are extremely common in artist biographies: genius
（genius）
and masterpieces
（masterpiece）
。 I use the first word only when quoting beethoven-era sources, not the second at all. For "genius", it's not that I don't believe it exists, I just don't need the word. This book is a record of a perfect musician composing, playing, coming out on top, selling works, currying favor with patrons and supporters and publishers, falling in love, currying favor with and provoking listeners, and promoting all progress in the arts with unparalleled courage and integrity.
I think the problem with "genius" is not the concept itself, but the abuse of nearly two centuries. and "Spirit"
（spiritual）
, "Profound"
（profound）
, "Unbelievable"
（incredible）
, "Amazing"
（amazing）
Like the word "masterpiece," people use it indiscriminately. I use these words occasionally, hopefully not randomly. Although I never use "genius," this book acknowledges Beethoven's genius and is committed to exploring its meaning.
I would like to provide a general definition first. To me, "genius" is the opposite of talent. In my life, I have often been exposed to "talent", but I have never seen "genius", because the latter is extremely rare. Talents are mostly innate, and in one area, some people are more talented than others. But talent is not enough to make you achieve the highest achievements. Genius needs to be based on remarkable talents, but it also includes a fresh and uninhibited imagination, great ambition, unusual talents for learning and imitation, the breadth of thought and spirit, the use of one's strengths and weaknesses, and the ability to surprise not only the audience but also oneself. None of these features are part of the talent. The meaning of "genius" shifted between the classical 18th century and the romantic 19th century. In the time of Haydn and Mozart, man possessed
（possessed）
talented. The Romantics believed that genius was gifted, that it dominated man and made him a demigod. My opinion is close to the 18th century: I believe in genius, but I don't believe in demigods.
In 2016, fragments of beethoven's "Solemn Mass" were sold for 2.18 million yuan at the Guardian Spring Auction.
At the end of the postmodern 20th century, the term "genius" changed again, becoming a socio-political atrocity that was uprooted and broken. I am not a postmodernist, modernist, or neo-romantic, nor a conservative or a liberal. I want to observe things with as little prejudice as possible, to see things as they really are (without fantasizing that it will eventually be achieved). The inability of absolute truth, fact and objectivity to be achieved does not mean that they should not be pursued — even dedicated to them if necessary.
Therefore, I believe that in history and biography, despite many limitations, following objective facts is still a basic principle. "Interpretation" came in second, and for me the two were far apart. A biography is primarily a narrative of life, not an interpretation of it. Nor will I selectively make the life of the Master a concise literary form. Our life is not like a book: life goes with the flow, and my book moves forward with life. In short, I often find facts more interesting than explanations, more dramatic, unpredictable, and interesting. I believe that in most cases the opportunity to interpret should be left to you, dear reader. I provide you with the necessary information.
All the biographies I have written are based on this philosophy. No matter how hard it is, I try to find out the truth. For me, it's normal, necessary, and a little heroic to spend my life pursuing the impossible. It's the daily routine of artists. In his rare poetic flourish, Beethoven once concluded: "True artists are not proud. he...... He has a vague impression of how far away he is from his goal; he may be respected by others, but laments that he has not yet attained the goal of being illuminated only by his own genius like the distant sun. "I think art is fiction, so I call biographies works rather than works of art. But they are equally fighting for the impossible.
The above opinion is about the life of the Master, not his music. I don't believe anyone whose life exists to be "interpreted" by strangers to make money. Even for themselves, anyone's life is ultimately a mystery. This is the moral basis for my biography. But the purpose of art is to entertain, to move, to inspire, to appease or to stimulate, to educate, to be discussed, or to be interpreted. Although I only explain and judge Beethoven's life when it is clearly necessary, this book includes many interpretations of his music. Composers, performers, listeners, and researchers listen to music in different ways. I'm mostly a composer when listening to music. At the conservatory where I teach, the goal of listening is not to study art as an abstract theoretical object, but to perform music. I teach composition, theory, and history in order to make my students better performers and composers. This is the starting point of the book: Beethoven as the creator of music.
In Beethoven's day, most music originated from existing patterns
As a composer, I like to go back to my roots, and I hope to convey this joy to the reader. Hopefully, non-musicians will be patient with the technical fragments in the book. I tried to minimize its length and put most of the technical issues into the notes (this section is primarily for musicians and scholars to explore). I see Beethoven's work as a fragment of his life. It is not so much "life and works" as "works in life". However, I do not try to cover every work in the book, but only to works that are important or have special significance.
I have always been interested in the purpose of Beethoven's music, and at the same time, my analysis belongs to me. I know that much of the labor process of creating works of art is subconscious and intuitive. Art is too complex, that's all. At the same time, despite Beethoven's deep creative impulses, I found him to be an unusually self-conscious craftsman. Like a draft of a work, it looks less like a musical creation and more like the realization of a basic concept that already exists with a clear purpose and blueprint. Beethoven treated each work with care, but until the end of his career, he was quite fast. However, the details have not yet been determined until the work is completed, and he believes that everything can be changed. The excellent blueprint of the work is not all, it needs to be realized one tone at a time. It's a precise, sometimes painful process that can't be continued without sustained inspiration.
Oil painting "Beethoven created at the piano".
In Beethoven's day, most music originated from existing patterns. We call the "classical age" of music, and as he grew up, he established the principles of the melody that he often relied on—freely and creatively. The book will therefore be relevant to traditional forms such as sonatas, sonatas-phonograms, and themes and variations, as well as Beethoven's interactions with them. These are important, so the appendix at the end of the book explains these musical formats. I want readers to read the appendix before the main text. Skip if you're not interested – but the book will be more interesting if you read it.
Apparently, Beethoven believed that music was a language of emotion and individuality, and he wanted sensitive listeners to understand it that way. In our opinion, his favorite music critic is too mannerist and too imaginative. In fact, I think the sense of "narrative" in his instrumental works is more pronounced than mozart or Brahms.
After emotion, music also includes melodic forms—abstract "scaffolding" structures. When discussing Beethoven's music, I don't play the game of "influence" like most people do. It is generally not wrong to say that a certain melody is similar to Mozart, and that a certain keyboard sound pattern is derived from Clemente, etc., but this does not improve our understanding of the work. Each work is conceived independently by a composer who strives for innovation at all times. I think each of Beethoven's most important works is a bold picture with unforgettable silhouettes. I'll point out the impact in some places, but overall, I'm more interested in what makes each work unique and unusual.
Similarly, many people tend to think of each work as an example of a certain form, such as a sonata, and may be a little "weird". From the composer's point of view, this is a backward view. Composers of Beethoven's time believed that the intention of the work was to first, and then to find a familiar form, cut to suit the requirements of the intention. The "weirdness" of a work is related to the unique connotation of the work. Sometimes composers feel that new specific forms must be invented to suit the requirements of the basic intent.
"What else can be done after Beethoven?"
Like many musicians, I think art is essentially an emotional language that transcends words—a mystery. I hope to convey that. The success of a work is fundamentally inanalytic. Excellent scaffolding can prop up ugly or beautiful buildings. I confess that I did not care about the analysis I had painstakingly sought, Beethoven himself. He thinks his work is a private matter, and I have some good reason to peep into it. But I've always been dedicated to explaining music and the lives of musicians for non-musicians, and this book is the culmination of decades of hard work in research and writing.
Also, I don't want anyone to think of my interpretation and musical analysis as the ultimate answer. No reader's opinion will be exactly the same as mine. Music is not mathematics. The different responses that music provokes are one of its greatest values. When I recount Beethoven's creative process—in fact, an important passage about the creation of "The Hero"—I speculate that he did not create it this way, but that there was a reason behind it.
Stills from the movie "Immortal Truth".
My interpretation and analysis of music is a perspective, a gesture that stems from what I see as Beethoven's expectation of an audience: sensitive enough, knowledgeable enough to discover the inner spirit of music and to respond creatively personally. I think it's my job to understand as much as possible what Beethoven thought before publishing his work, to record his audience's responses primarily through contemporaneous commentary, and finally to add my own opinion. The artist's self-esteem, the public's opinion, and my conjecture are different from each other. I believe that biographies need to contain all three of the above.
Like most musicians, I had a deep understanding of Beethoven early on. He is everywhere, so we can hardly remember exactly how we came into contact with his work and life stories. In classical music, I was first fascinated by Brahms, Copeland, Handel and Bach because I was the first to come into contact with them. But I knew Beethoven was supposed to be the greatest, so when I found out one day when I was young that the record of "Heroes" inexplicably appeared on the shelves of the Pruitt supermarket in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I bought it, took it home, and couldn't wait to hear it. At first I went in and out of my left ear and out of my right ear. I remember listening dozens of times in a row until I heard a doorway.
At the same time, I read Romain Rowland's famous book Beethoven: The Great Age of Creativity.
（Beethoven: the Creator）
。 In the book, each page of the "Hero" manuscript is a heroic action. There is no doubt that the book and the highly romantic image of Beethoven in the book encouraged me to start composing music. In fact, it is not useful in other ways. It gave me ambitions that were not in line with my age and abilities, and made me credulous that every music thought had to come out of suffering, a lot of drafts, and so on. Later, when I read stravinsky's words like "great genius does great harm," I understood what he meant. Schubert was the first to lament, "What else can be done after Beethoven?" "One of the composers, there are thousands of people who followed in his footsteps. In order for my music to be less constrained, I had to keep myself away from Beethoven's romantic myths. It was only later that I gradually approached this myth with a deeper critical attitude.
Let's talk about another personal experience. My grandfather Lawrence Swaford's mother came from a poor peasant family in western Tennessee and was named Egymond
（Edgemon）
。 They are from the Netherlands, and the surname is the southernized "Egmont"
(Egmont)
。 Ironically, I thus became involved with Goethe's plays and Beethoven's overtures. Even if I were to become a composer and a teacher, no one knew in advance that one day I would write them into a book.
A few years ago I ordered the rare Sidmeier's Young Beethoven second-hand book, and the one I received was nearly a hundred years old. A few months later I turned the first page and found that it had been a collection of Elliot Forbes. I think that's a good sign.
The content of this article is selected from the "Biography of Beethoven: Tribulation and Glory" of the "Kai zhen artist" series launched by The Kai Zhen Museum, which has been abridged and modified compared with the original text, and the subtitle is added by the editor, not owned by the original text. It has been authorized by the publishing house to publish.
Author 丨 (U.S.) Jan Swaford
Editor 丨 Xu Wei
Proofreading 丨Virtual