- Listenly
- Public Library
- Gustav Kobbé
- The Loves of Great Composers
Chapters
12 total[Frontispiece: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (photogravure)]
E-text prepared by Al Haines
by Gustav Kobbé
Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. New York
List of Illustrations - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (photogravure).... Frontispiece - Mozart at the Age of Eleven - Constance, Wife of Mozart - Ludwig van Beethoven - Countess Therese von Brunswick - "Beethoven at Heiligenstadt" - Félix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - Fanny Hensel, Sister of Mendelssohn - Cécile, Wife of Mendelssohn - The Mendelssohn Monument in Leipsic - Frédéric Chopin [missing from book] - Countess Potocka - The Death of Chopin - Robert Schumann - Robert and Clara Schumann, in 1847 - Clara Schumann at the Piano - The Schumann Monument in the Bonn Cemetery - Franz Liszt - Liszt at the Piano - The Princess Carolyne, in her Latter Years at Rome - The Altenburg, Weimar, where Liszt and Carolyne lived - Richard Wagner - Cosima, Wife of Wagner - Richard and Cosima Wagner - Richard and Cosima Wagner entertaining in their Home Wahnfried, Liszt and Hans von Wolzogen
Mozart and His Constance
Beethoven and his "Immortal Beloved"
Mendelssohn and his Cécile
Chopin and the Countess Delphine Potocka
The Schumanns: Robert and Clara
Description
Delve into the private worlds of music’s most celebrated geniuses, where love and art intertwine in ways that still echo through their masterpieces. The book opens with a vivid portrait of a young Mozart, whose letters to his wife Constance reveal a devotion as fierce in his final months as it was at the start of their marriage. Through their correspondence, listeners hear how affection softened the composer’s hardships and inspired some of his most heartfelt melodies.
From there the narrative sweeps across Europe, offering intimate sketches of Beethoven’s yearning for Countess Therese, Mendelssohn’s bond with his sister Fanny, and the passionate, often turbulent romances of Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Wagner. Each portrait is built from letters, diaries, and contemporary accounts, showing how personal relationships sparked creative breakthroughs and, at times, profound sorrow. The result is a richly human portrait of the artists behind the music, inviting listeners to hear their works with a deeper, more personal understanding.
Details
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (144K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2006-04-10
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
About the author
Gustav Kobbé
1857–1918
Remembered as one of America’s early great opera guides, he wrote with the clear, practical aim of helping ordinary listeners enjoy what they were hearing. His best-known work, The Complete Opera Book, remained a trusted companion for opera lovers long after his death.
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