Beethoven Unvarnished. A Lecture by Vincent DeLuise

Vincent deLuise MD gives an fascinating insight into the music and medical history of Beethoven and how they intertwine

[yvonnenovakmatz]

Tremendous lecture. Such a multi-dimensional treatment of the greatest composer in the history of the world. Essential for anyone with a love or appreciation for Beethoven’s work.

[tamarabedic]

Brilliant analysis; interspersed with clips of Beethoven's powerful, tempestuous, glorious music. A highlight is deLuise's medical speculation based on Beethoven's symptomology.

[litltoosee]

My Dearest Vincent:
This presentation of LVB's life and times is sweet with delicate morsels of a man who has been my idol and mentor all of my 70yrs. I first heard LVB at the age of 6, and I have been inspired ever since. I have devoured all the information I could find on this great man, but your lecture has capsulized and clarified so much for me. An elegant presentation that I believe The Great man himself would approve of. My thanks to Ed Edelson for posting this wonderful piece, and I wish your life to be rich and long.
Thanks again,
Thomas

[OingoLove]

I have been on a Beethoven jag for about a week, listening to all the lectures and bios I can find on YouTube and this wins points for being the first to mention Immortal Beloved, a movie much beloved by me. ❤

[katrinat.]

I wish I could go to lectures like this in Philadelphia.

[katrinat.]

Creatures of Prometheus, such great music by LVB, which seems under appreciated

[kyleethekelt]

An interesting presentation from a fellow fan; there was little I didn't already know.
Corrections: first, dying in March of 1827 would have put him at 56 not 57. He would have turned 56 in the preceding December.
secondly, Heiligenstadt, though a country village outside the city in Beethoven's time, is now no longer outside Vienna. It's a suburb in which resides the Beethoven museum which was opened in 2017. It's an easy ride by train, tram and bus from the inner city. Well worth a visit.
I would also dispute the epithet of 'money-hungry'. It is natural to constantly worry about money when you don't know where the next pay is coming from. Beethoven was never a rich man, support from patrons was not guaranteed and he required paid help to look after him, so that money must always have been on his mind.
I thought this was a rambling and somewhat superficial treatise. What, from a musical viewpoint, made those passages glorious. A discussion on Beethoven's musical battle with the art of fugue (which I believe he won convincingly) would have aded interest.
The book list would also have been very helpful.
Oh, and would someone please ask the good doctor not to cough into the microphone or make those disgusting mouth noises whilst the music is playing.
Great to see fellow enthusiasts promoting the western world's greatest composer, though.

[bruce]

Based on what Carl Sagan said in _Cosmos_ it was the Cavatina from op 130 that was used on the records that went on the Voyager space craft, not the more significant movement from op 132.

[jackatherton]

Excellent lecture. Small correction: Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 at age 56, not 57.

[gunterangel]

Excellent and entertaining lecture !
Especially liked the painting of Beethoven's highly dialectical personality !

But in all humility I have to make a little correction :

At 43:55, at the left side, the larger photograph, that is NOT the death-mask of Beethoven, but the life-mask, that the scupltor, Franz Klein, had taken from Beethoven in 1812 (, when Beethoven was pretty "well-composed" physically, ) to serve him as the basis of his well-known bust.

The actual death-mask is shown on the four smaller pictures on the right side !

One can clearly see the remarkable weightloss thru his four last month fighting against death.

His cheeks are completely sunken and deep set and the skin tensed about the cheekbones, which appear more prominent than on the life-mask.

I own copies of both of these masks, which I had ordered from the Beethoven-house in Bonn, which sells wonderful alabaster-copies of the two originals they own.

[katrinat.]

I watch tons of LB with VPO performing LVB on YouTube

[katrinat.]

Suggestion: On YouTube there is a great performance of The Choral Fantasy performed by the Singapore Symphony

[gunterangel]

Little addition to the "Plaudite..."-quote of Beethoven.

Even if we possibly will never know for certain, whether these had really been his VERY last words, it is at least quite probable, that he actually made this quote, since we know of at least TWO sources, that spoke about it.

The first is a letter from Beethoven's adalatus Anon Schindler to Ignaz Moscheles from march, the 23.th., that means three days before his passing, wherein Schindler wrote: "He feels his end, for yesterday he said to me and Herr Breuning "Plaudite...!" "

So according to this letter of Schindler, Beethoven made the quote four days before his actual passing.

The second is a report from Beethoven's doctor in his last days, Professor Wawruch, that was printed in the "Neue Zeitschrift für Musik", Leipzig, in June, the 12th, 1841.

If Schindler's letter is correct it must have happened on march, the 22.th.

In his report Wawruch tells us, that he considered it his duty as a physician to make Beethoven aware, that his passing is unevitable and he should do his last rites, whereupon Beethoven would have very calmy nodded and said :"Let the priest come!", and immediately after hie had done his last rites, Beethoven would have dropped the "Plaudite"-quote.

And a few hours later he would have fallen into a coma, from which he never would awake again until his passing three days later.

But that doesn't necessarly mean, that he couldn't have regained consciousness again for a few seconds, when his friends brought the Rhine wine to him, and possibly uttered the "Schade"-quote as well.

Anyway, we will never know for sure.

( Source: "Beethoven",
by H.C.Robbins Landon )
Here is another thought about the "plaudite"-quote.

It wasn't actually a original Beethovem quote, but Beethoven made himself a quotation by it.

According to Sueton ( ~ 70 - 122) in his history work, De vita Caesarum,
these had been the last words of the first Roman emperor, Octavian Augustus.
Since Sueton wrote many decades after Augustus, his quote has to be taken with a grain of salt.

But Beethoven had been an avid reader about the ancient history all his life, especially the works of Sueton and Plutarch, which he owned in German translations.

When he had come to the conclusion, that there was no hope for him anymore, he would have found this to be the most fitting quote to express his personal resignation and acceptance of his fate.

[ericchaillier]

Mozart didn't like to walk at all ! He liked to play billiards and ride horses. Beethoven and Brahms were great walkers, it's true.

[renzo]

Dis-secting
Not
di-secting.
———————-
The unification of Italy began in 1861 and was completed in 1871.

[militaryandemergencyservic]

25:11 - even though I am a 6th generation Beethoven student (via Nikolaev, Lechititsky and others - and Czerny) I nevertheless prefer the Schubert E flat trio. I don't think it has been confirmed that Therese was Elise. So if I am right then this lecturer gives incorrect info. Also Alban Berg quartet not credited at end.

[papagen]

sorry can't help noticing about the video -- old people giving lecture to old people about a dead composer.