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Tia DeNora, Beethoven and the Construction of Genius: Musical Politics in Vienna, 1792-1803. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995.
Tia DeNora has undertaken an important study of Beethoven's early years in Vienna. She examines three issues as they pertain to Beethoven: the nature of Viennese society; the concept of the artist, in particular the notion of genius in late eighteenth-century Europe; and the conflict of musical styles that emerged near the end of the century. Most of the issues themselves are not new. We know, for instance, that Beethoven succeeded in large measure when he first came to Vienna because he had strong backing from important aristocrats. We know that the concept of genius, particularly as applied to music, had gained currency by at least the 1780s. We also know that Vienna was a stratified and hierarchical city, and that the nature of the hierarchy affected artistic activities in a major way. In this regard Vienna may be contrasted with London, a comparison facilitated by Haydn's experiences in each city. And we know that Haydn's and Mozart's style changed later in their lives, as they wrote for a broader public, not to mention the French Revolutionary influences that had begun to affect many composers' work by the end of the century.
DeNora's book is of interest because she focuses on the intersection of these elements. She examines more closely than anyone else just which aristocrats supported Beethoven, where they were in the complex Austrian hierarchy, why they backed him, and how this affected aesthetic perceptions. Her study provides substantial insight into the interworking between musical creation and production and the social forces that shape them, although, as I will discuss, some of her conclusions about Beethoven and about the aristocracy's motivations possibly go too far. In the first half of the book DeNora examines the aristocratic structure in Vienna in relation to musical patronage. She discusses how the concert world of Vienna changed in the 1790s as the aristocracy withdrew its support from public concerts. She also provides the clearest picture yet of the complex hierarchical world of aristocratic position and prestige that existed in Vienna. The strongest part of the book is the description and analysis of the changes in patronage that occurred in...