In 1815, Beethoven’s younger brother Carl succumbed to tuberculosis. Carl left behind his son and wife, but his death began one of the most tumultuous periods in Ludwig van Beethoven’s life. Beethoven had it set in his mind that he must raise his nephew, Karl, as his own child. Beethoven struggled for years to obtain sole guardianship of Karl, and to keep him away from his mother, Johanna.
Solomon provides a detailed look at many of the events within the first five years of the conflict. He also refers to a variety of sources to obtain perceptions of Beethoven’s motivation during the conflict. What Solomon fails to include are interpretations of the events, and Beethoven’s own mentality, prefacing the conflict. Solomon glosses over the fact that two years earlier, Beethoven’s brother had already appointed him as guardian while seriously ill. This was not a whim of Beethoven’s when he saw his brother on the edge of death, but a clear goal that Beethoven kept over multiple years. No discussion of Beethoven’s prior relationship with Karl or his brother (besides some financial matters) is mentioned, making it difficult to deduce his motivation other than strictly delusional.
It would not be difficult to see Beethoven’s actions surrounding his brother’s death as a midlife crisis though. Beethoven was nearly 45 years old at this point, and had little in his personal life to show for it. Two years prior Beethoven wrote his infamous unsent letter to his “eternally beloved,” and Beethoven’s worsening deafness made social interaction increasingly difficult. Beethoven saw his brother’s death an opportunity to gain something he desired and would validate his life, a son.
Solomon sets out to argue that Beethoven used the “appropriation of his nephew” as the main method to achieve a new “psychological and creative equilibrium.” From this he enters into the long discussion of events. It is only at the end of the article that Solomon reaches many of his arguments of Beethoven’s motivation during these events, making the comprehension somewhat disjointed. Solomon continues on, but never arrives at Beethoven’s new equilibrium leaving the reader somewhat unsure of what he was discussing.
When Solomon brings Beethoven’s feud over Karl to a close in his article, he omits significant future events that are clearly related. The relationship between Beethoven and Karl continues to encounter problems, leading to Karl’s attempted suicide, which Solomon mentions but ends his discussion years before it occurs. Karl went to great lengths to commit suicide as an escape from his demanding uncle, but ultimately achieves his escape with his life intact, and Karl later decides to enlist in the military which Beethoven reluctantly agreed to; important issues that Solomon had not got to.
In the process of finishing the article, Solomon also neglected to prove his conclusive argument: that Johanna’s “passionate struggle for her son” kept Beethoven from losing “his own humanity.” Both parts of this argument are left basically unsupported. Solomon himself describes Johanna’s surrender by starting a new family, concluding the conflict ended at this point; this implies that Beethoven has finished a transition into his new mentality once Johanna has given up, not by the actual struggle. We are also given very little support that Beethoven actually kept his humanity during this time. We see only a downward spiral in Beethoven’s brutality during the fight over Karl, and increasingly delusional thoughts: from needing to raise the boy, to being his actual father, to following a mission from God.
Solomon also successfully disproves the commonly held belief that Beethoven was unproductive during this time, detailing work in Beethoven’s compositions, performances, and social life. More direct comparisons between Beethoven’s work and specific events would have helped the musical discussion, something not often possible, but easily attainable with the level of detain Solomon had given. Though not as comprehensive as would have been preferred, Solomon has detailed many events and aspects surrounding this time period of Beethoven’s life, and provided an overview of the complex narrative which had passed.
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