Book Review
Jul. 24th, 2022 04:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariThe Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824
by Harvey Sachs
This book examines Beethoven's Ninth and its political and artistic context, although its modest length doesn't allow for great depth in either topic. Sachs is a good writer and clearly loves his subject. I very much liked his analysis of the political conditions of 1824, and I liked his look at painting and literature of the times even more. I think Sach's long, metaphor-laden description of the symphony itself was the least interesting part of the book, especially for anyone who has studied the work themselves. It could have been cut in favor of more discussion of the reception of the Ninth.
by Harvey Sachs
This book examines Beethoven's Ninth and its political and artistic context, although its modest length doesn't allow for great depth in either topic. Sachs is a good writer and clearly loves his subject. I very much liked his analysis of the political conditions of 1824, and I liked his look at painting and literature of the times even more. I think Sach's long, metaphor-laden description of the symphony itself was the least interesting part of the book, especially for anyone who has studied the work themselves. It could have been cut in favor of more discussion of the reception of the Ninth.
