Alexandra Coghlan

If we stop idolising Beethoven we might understand him better

Laura Tunbridge’s brisk corrective to the myth of Beethoven the lofty Romantic reveals a shrewd businessman who was not above a little dishonesty

The Beethoven monument in Vienna. Credit: Getty Images
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  • Beethoven: A Life in Nine Pieces

    Laura Tunbridge

    Viking, pp. 288, £16

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