Beethoven and His Nine Symphonies

Sir George Grove (1820 -1900)is best-known as the writer of the original "Dictionary of Music and Musicians" which, with its many updates and versions over the years, has become the standard English reference work on classical music. In 1896, Grove wrote "Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies" which, unlike the "Dictionary" is still read today in the form in which Grove wrote it. I have recently returned to Grove's study as a guide in listening to and reviewing the Beethoven symphonies in the recordings by David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchester Zurich and have learned a great deal. Grove's book is written in an accessible late-Victorian style. He devotes a chapter to each of the nine symphonies. He begins with a summary of the instrumentation, publication history and early metronome marks of the symphonies. Grove offers material on Beethoven's life at the time each symphony was composed and describes Beethoven's compositional process. He offers information on early performances and on the reception of each work, including a great deal of commentary from the works of later composers. But the highlight of the study is Grove's movement-by-movement analysis of each symphony. It is a difficult skill to write about music in a way that amateurs may follow; and Grove succeeds admirably. He gives the score for the principal themes and highlights of each movement and discusses them in a way that anyone with a basic skill in reading music can follow easily. I used Grove many years ago when I was just coming to the Beethoven symphonies, and I continue to learn from his book. Much of what Grove says is still current in studies of the symphonies. For example, in discussing the Seventh Symphony, Grove aptly describes it as the most romantic of the nine, and he points out how the rhythm of the symphony may be scanned in terms of the meters and "feet" of poetry. Maynard Solomon has made the same points in detail in his essay on the Seventh Symphony in his recent book "Late Beethoven". In addition to the musical analyses, Grove writes with great passion about Beethoven and his work. His study is replete with allusions to the works and writings of other composers that illuminate his analysis of Beethoven. He also gives a great deal of biography, some of which must be used with caution as Grove relied on the biographical writings of Anton Schindler about Beethoven. Schindler has been discredited as as source by modern scholars. Grove has a partiality for large-scale romantic performances of Beethoven, and I don't think he would have been overly impressed with the modern Zinman performances that I just heard and greatly enjoyed. For example, his book is full of strictures against performing Beethoven too fast. Grove clearly shares the prevailing Nineteenth Century view that Beethoven was the greatest of all composers in the depth, variety, structure, and moods of his symphonies. Grove's enthusiasm and love for his subject is eloquent. He concludes his

This classic in the field of music analysis is a great source of ideas for anyone interested in serious study of Beethoven's symphonies. George Grove is one of the great musicologists of the 19th century; he is also the editor of the well-known "Dictionary of Music and Musicians." An intermediate level of musical knowledge is necessary to appreciate the text. It is full of musical illustrations, but the terminology Grove uses is probably not too jargony for a knowledgeable lay-reader or amateur musician. Grove also includes biographical information along with the analyses, making for a great overview of or introduction to Beethoven's symphonies.

This is a reprint of the 3rd edition of 1898, but that fact should not deter anyone from purchasing it. It remains an excellent analysis of Beethoven's 9 symphonies. Along with copious music quotations of the symphonies, the author has integrated some history of Beethoven's historical times and quotes letters and anecdotes that reveal not only the music but the personality of this composer.The author's knowledge of the scores of the symphonies is extraordinary. For anyone with more than a passing interest in the symphonies of Beethoven, I can't think of a better book for the money. While it is impossible to name any composer as the greatest, Beethoven must be acknowledged as one of the great architects of musical form and expression. George Grove's book underlines the genius of this composer, and is highly recommended