Simply Beethoven

The composer who turned music into a force of nature.

Ludwig van Beethoven changed music by refusing to accept its limits. In Simply Beethoven, music historian Leon Plantinga offers an accessible introduction to the life and work of one of the most important composers in Western music. From his early success in Vienna to his growing deafness and the personal struggles that shaped his later years, Beethoven's life was marked by both triumph and adversity. Plantinga guides readers through the music that made Beethoven famous, including his symphonies, piano sonatas, string quartets, and concertos, explaining what makes these works so powerful without getting lost in technical jargon. Along the way, he explores Beethoven's personality, his difficult relationships, his ambitions, and his determination to continue composing even as he lost his hearing. The result is an engaging portrait of a complicated man whose music transformed the possibilities of composition.