Reviews for Beethoven as I Knew Him; A Biography - Anton Felix Schindler - Paperback

The average rating for Beethoven as I Knew Him; A Biography - Anton Felix Schindler - Paperback based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-02-04 00:00:00 Karen Gesler Ziegler writes intelligent, interesting books that have much personal detail but is not too gossipy. And Melbourne's life certainly has lots to gossip about. The most well known of which is his wife Caroline Ponsonby who runs away with Lord Byron! Although, it seems she didn't "run away" as such but they pursued each other with great passion until even Lord Byron couldn't handle Caroline's volatility. She had uncontrollable fits of rage, with physical abuse a big part of that abuse. Contrary to his outwardly mellow and laid-back manner, Lord Melbourne seems drawn to women who have high emotion up to and including violence. The scandal of his involvement with, Caroline Northon, the beautiful wife of a Tory parliament member, made him the focal point of their divorce proceedings. She too had a strong even belligerent personality, and seemed willing to thumb her nose at the conventions of the day which led to her ostracism and even loss of Melbourne's good will. (p226-230) The other woman (besides Queen Victoria) who played a role in his wife was Elizabeth Brandon. She also is described as selfish, egocentric, and wildly and aggressively emotional. (p102) Generally a charming companion, he's described as "... mournful in his heart of hearts." Many people detected a melancholy, moroseness, even tragic side to Melbourne. He would suddenly lapse into a silence in the middle of a conversation, leading many to think that his cheerfulness was simply a veneer. (p123) Melbourne's quotes are memorable, like ... "I've bought the book; its amazing when you leave a book on the table how much you kow what is in it, without reading it." (p123) "No fellow who likes office should ever talk as if he disliked it or was indiffernet to it. It always results like pretence and affectation." (p120) Apparently, he didn't follow this advice. "Nothing induces a man to keep his owner temper so much as the observation that otheres either have lost or are likely to lose theirs." (p204) Melbourne is described by Talleyrand as "... this familiar, unguarded manner when it is backd by perfect integrity and quite sufficient talent, that makes him perfectly invaluable and invulnerable." (p207) Melbourne, not so highly educated in traditional sense but read deeply and broadly, and had it seems at his fingertips such quotes (or quips) as: "... Herodotus argued that those who are anxious to establish their influence in any country ought not to begin by offending the religion of the majority of the community." In this he was referring of England to the majority of Roman Catholics in Ireland, a situation that consumed a great deal of his life. (p209) This is not to say that he was entirely sympathetic to the Irish, especially the Irish peasants. (p262) Having a quip for every occasion, here are few more of his: On procrastination "if a thing is very urgent you can always find time for it, but if a thing can be put off, why then you put it off." Responding to Wellington on unladylike behavior towards Queen Victoria he said, "If you mean by unladylike that is a unlike what a lady ought to do, I quite agree with you, but if you mean that it is unlike what ladies do, I cannot agree." Of this, he obviously had examples from his wife, Caroline, and Elizabeth Brandon. Following along these lines, Melbourne says, "Why, it is almost worthwhile for a woman to be beat, considering the exceeding pity she excites." (p260) Melbourne's views on education and poverty certainly in contradiction to most Whig (liberal) views and insulting to our 21st c. minds. He was "against public education" telling Victoria that the English people would not allow such "thraldom" and he liked to quote Walter Scott's opinion of the poor: "Why do you bother the poor, leave them alone." He also didn't think it was wrong for parents to send their very young children to work in factories. (p288) Melbourne's advice to Queen Victoria, "You had better try to do no good, and then you'll get in to no scrapes." (p262) Probably very good advice, but unlike (or seems so) his mostly sage instructions on the new Queen's responsibilities. One more great quote: "Few people indeed want to be confronted by unpleasant reality when it is far more agreeable to ramble along the primrose path of indifference." (p262) This view was somewhat in the context of his message to Victoria about most discontents due to a few agitators. (p262) Another one: "When people say a report prevails, it generally makes me suspect that they spread it." (p311) As much as the queen relied on, respected and admired Melbourne, he sometimes responded to the Victoria in amazingly bad form. Like this, Victoria was madly in love with her husband-to-be and remarked to Melbourne that one of the things she liked most about Albert was that he paid no attention to other women. Melboure said, "no, that comes later." The queen was not amused and was irritable with him, but she could never stay annoyed with him for long, and soon he was back in her graces. (p313) A great story! This view (of Melbourne's) could apply to the U.S. (or any group of people): "A public cry, however unfounded and absurd, has more force in this country than objections which have in them more of truth and reality." (p348) His "esoteric doctrine ... is that, if you entertain any doubt, it is safest to take the unpopular side in the first instance. The transition from the unpopular is easy and prosperous traveling. But from the popular to the unpopular the ascent is so steep and rugged that it is impossible to master it." (352) Perhaps our last moments in this life are never pleasant, but it seems that Melbourne lost all real joy and satisfaction when he was away from the queen and court. He was heard to mumble, quoting lines from Samson Agonistes (?): So much I feel my genial spirits droop, My hopes all flat, Nature within me seems In all her functions weary of herself, My race of glory run, not race of shame, And I shall shortly be with those that rest. Melbourne died in November 1848, felled by several strokes. Victoria made appropriate comments on the good character of her prime minister, but (maybe because she was fully occupied with children and government) her praises were less than effusive, "he was not a good or firm minister" and really didn't give him all credit due. Ziegler says, "through a trick of circumstances his value was greater than his merits" and tehre lingers about Melbourne a sense of defiency, an incompleteness. (p364) I'd disagree with this overall view of Melbourne. He had more depth, courage and wisdom that this summary gives. The parliamentary system, certainly in England, is still a mystery to me, but it seems to be a great way to run a country. How is it possible that someone's threat to resign can rally all kinds of opinions to compromise? And brings me to the thought of what our government, the US government, would have formed if we had stayed with England instead of so tenanciously clung to "independence."? Perhaps we'd be a Canada? or an Australia? Hmmm ... not a bad though at all.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-02-18 00:00:00 Isabel Pereira So strange a man--both likeable and unlikeable. Best known not as prime minister but as the husband of Caroline Lamb who had a notorious affair with Lord Byron, he was both likeable and unlikeable in his refusal to take a stand. Likeable in his refusal to divorce her or to abandon her. Unlikeable in his indifference to a woman who longed for passion. Likeable in standing by her to the end and visiting her when she was dying. “If the unacceptable face of scepticism is a crippling cynicism, then that of tolerance is indifference.” So Ziegler writes and it is certainly true of Melbourne who was indifferent to starvation and poverty and was incapable of believing that the famine was really happening or that it could matter. He could take any position that was expedient--an extreme political pragmatist, I would say. I hadn't realized how formative his relationship with Queen Victoria was though I knew about her relationship with Disraeli. He did well by her for the most part and, as Ziegler points out, others probably couldn't have done as well. This is very much a political biography and I sometimes got lost since I'm not so steady footed when it comes to understanding British politics. Even his personal life is seen through this lens--Caroline, his sister, etc.