Beethoven: An Extraordinary Life

Barry Cooper leaves no stone unturned in this fascinating and compact account of Beethoven’s life. The biography is brimming with detail, facts and information, with special attention given to crucial documents written by Beethoven himself, and it provides unique insights into the way he composed, his women, and the relationship with his nephew. Cooper’s torpedoing of the popular myths reveals the principled and elusive man behind them, and sheds fresh light on this titan of music. The Extraordinary Life series includes biographies for Bach, Elgar, Mozart, Purcell and Britten. The collection dispels myths, provides a social setting for their respective work, and produces a human and believable portrait of each composer. Anyone interested in these great composers will find these fascinating and readable histories.