-
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & Ludwig van Beethoven
- Masters of Classical Music
- Narrated by: Jerry Beebe
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
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Publisher's summary
Probably the most naturally gifted musician the world has ever known, Mozart began his career early as a child prodigy. By the age of five, he was already proficient in the violin, the harpsichord, and piano keyboard. He had also begun composing music that had integrity. He was a showman as well, according to contemporary documents, and charmed many of the crowned heads of Europe with his performance and his manner.
In this audiobook, you’ll learn about:
- Early years of prodigy
- The grand tour 1763-66
- Setbacks and success in Vienna
- The solo trip to Italy
- Salzburg to Vienna
- Augsburg, Mannheim, Paris, and Munich
- Munich and Idomeneo
And much more!
Ludwig van Beethoven is a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in classical music. Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father, Johann van Beethoven, and by composer and conductor, Christian Gottlob Neefe.
You’ll learn about:
- Background and early life
- Establishing his career in Vienna
- Musical maturity
- Loss of hearing
- Patronage
- Middle period
- Personal and family difficulties
- Late works
- Illness and death
And much more!
Listen to the full biographies of these two musicians, from the beginning to end!
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- Narrated by: Tim H. Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed historian Mary McAuliffe vividly recaptures the Paris of Napoleon III, Claude Monet, and Victor Hugo as Georges Haussmann tore down and rebuilt Paris into the beautiful City of Light we know today. Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of the City of Light during Napoleon III’s Second Empire into the beloved city of today.
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Superb
- By Cheri Stocking on 02-17-23
By: Mary McAuliffe
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The Rest Is Noise
- Listening to the 20th Century
- By: Alex Ross
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 23 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Rest Is Noise takes the listener inside the labyrinth of modern music, from turn-of-the-century Vienna to downtown New York in the '60s and '70s. We meet the maverick personalities and follow the rise of mass culture on this sweeping tour of 20th-century history through its music.
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Learned so much!
- By Paula on 02-18-08
By: Alex Ross
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Our Oriental Heritage
- The Story of Civilization, Volume 1
- By: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 50 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
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Wonderful
- By Michael on 11-30-13
By: Will Durant
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When Paris Sizzled
- The 1920s Paris of Hemingway, Chanel, Cocteau, Cole Porter, Josephine Baker, and Their Friends
- By: Mary McAuliffe
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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When Paris Sizzled vividly portrays the City of Light during the fabulous 1920s, les Annees folles, when Parisians emerged from the horrors of war to find that a new world greeted them - one that reverberated with the hard metallic clang of the assembly line, the roar of automobiles, and the beat of jazz. Mary McAuliffe traces a decade that saw seismic change on almost every front, from art and architecture to music, literature, fashion, entertainment, transportation, and, most notably, behavior.
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Informative, but no sizzle
- By OzEnigma on 06-01-17
By: Mary McAuliffe
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Botticelli's Secret
- The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance
- By: Joseph Luzzi
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Some 500 years ago, Sandro Botticelli, a painter of humble origin, created work of unearthly beauty. An intimate associate of Florence’s unofficial rulers, the Medici, he was commissioned by a member of their family to execute a near-impossible project: to illustrate all 100 cantos of The Divine Comedy by the city’s greatest poet, Dante Alighieri. A powerful encounter between poet and artist, sacred and secular, earthly and evanescent, these drawings produced a wealth of stunning images but were never finished.
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Great story
- By Chris M on 12-09-22
By: Joseph Luzzi
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Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know
- By: Colm Toibin
- Narrated by: Colm Toibin
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Elegant, profound, and riveting, Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know illuminates not only the complex relationships between three of the greatest writers in the English language and their fathers, but also illustrates the surprising ways these men surface in their work. Through these stories of fathers and sons, Tóibín recounts the resistance to English cultural domination, the birth of modern Irish cultural identity, and the extraordinary contributions of these complex and masterful authors.
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Eminently re-readable
- By Ellen-A on 01-02-19
By: Colm Toibin
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Afterlives of the Rich and Famous
- By: Sylvia Browne
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades—on television, in consultations,and in packed auditoriums across the country—renowned psychic Sylvia Browne has beenasked one question again and again: “What ismy favorite celebrity doing on the Other Side?” Now, for the first time, you can follow the redcarpet into the heart of the spirit world. Browne reveals intimate details of how some of our most cherished actors, musicians, and public figures have fared since their deaths, giving us one more glimpse into the personalities we loved and lost.
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Very entertaining book!
- By Crusader on 11-06-11
By: Sylvia Browne
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Outlaw Marriages
- The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples
- By: Rodger Streitmatter
- Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than a century before gay marriage became a hot-button political issue, same-sex unions flourished in America. Pairs of men and pairs of women joined together in committed unions, standing by each other "for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health" for periods of 30 or 40 - sometimes as many as 50 - years. In short, they loved and supported each other every bit as much as any husband and wife. In Outlaw Marriages, cultural historian Rodger Streitmatter reveals how some of these unions didn’t merely improve the quality of life for the two people involved but also enriched the American culture.
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Sames Sex Couples Through History
- By Susie on 12-11-12
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The Florentines
- From Dante to Galileo: The Transformation of Western Civilization
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642, something happened that transformed the entire culture of Western civilization. Painting, sculpture, and architecture would all visibly change in such a striking fashion that there could be no going back on what had taken place. Likewise, the thought and self-conception of humanity would take on a completely new aspect. Sciences would be born - or emerge in an entirely new guise.
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Narrator ruins the narrative
- By amavita on 03-24-22
By: Paul Strathern
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Natasha's Dance
- A Cultural History of Russia
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
- Length: 29 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Beginning in the 18th century with the building of St. Petersburg - a 'window on the West' - and culminating with the challenges posed to Russian identity by the Soviet regime, Figes examines how writers, artists, and musicians grappled with the idea of Russia itself - its character, spiritual essence and destiny. He skillfully interweaves the great works - by Dostoevsky, Stravinsky, and Chagall - with folk embroidery, peasant songs, religious icons and all the customs of daily life, from food and drink to bathing habits to beliefs about the spirit world.
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A Kaleidescopic panorama of an enigmatic culture.
- By Tarquin on 02-13-19
By: Orlando Figes
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Isak Dinesen
- The Life of a Storyteller
- By: Judith Thurman
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 21 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Isak Dinesen earned international fame for Seven Gothic Tales and Out of Africa, and other stories that skillfully combine elements of fable, social conflict, and psychological drama. She was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize. Yet the story of her life - her travels, affairs, and friendships - remains the greatest story of all.
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over-written
- By Jacqui Good on 10-19-18
By: Judith Thurman
What listeners say about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & Ludwig van Beethoven
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Filip Bordz
- 10-25-19
Excellent
Beethoven is said to have had a few lessons from Mozart. However, this is uncertain, as there is only one account of a meeting, and it is not contemporary. Beethoven knew much of Mozart's work. Some of his music recalls Mozart's, he composed several variations on Mozart's themes and he modeled a number of his compositions on those of the older composer
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- Cathie
- 09-28-19
I enjoyed this book
I enjoyed this book but at times it was a bit too analytical. I preferred John Suchet's style of writing in his biography about Beethoven. Perhaps the information is limited, but I would have liked to have found out more about Mozart the person than Mozart the composer. I'd still recommend this book just not enough to give it a "5"
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- Wang
- 09-29-19
It's interesting and great
It's interesting and great for those who want an analysis of how Beethoven composed. Because of the title, I expected it to have more detail on his personal history and the historical setting during Beethoven's lifetime.
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- Anson
- 09-28-19
Enriched
I prefer to think that he did, although it is hard for us to know for sure. This book has taught me that the greatest source for knowing this man would be, of course, the music itself, and that while certain facts are known, much shall remain mysterious.
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- Garcia
- 09-29-19
This is a very detailed
This is a very detailed and authoritative biography of one of the greatest composers and musicians of all time by an author-composer knowledgeable in the intricacies of music composition. Swafford not only brings an understanding of the technicalities of Beethoven's monumental compositions, but also their revolutionary significance. He further highlights the many physical and emotional challenges of Beethoven's personal life that he heroically overcame when a lesser person might have succumbed, retreating to a life of self-pitying inactivity. I highly recommend this book to serious students of the history of music.
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- Anna
- 09-29-19
I was curious about how Beethoven’s life
I was curious about how Beethoven’s life would be evaluated in a short bio, as I have read many books about him as well as books of his letters (I have been a piano teacher for many years), so while I don’t consider myself an expert, I know quite a bit about his complex life. Several things were mentioned in the book that I didn’t know - always a happy bonus! I loved that the grumpy-looking appearance most of us have seen in images of Beethoven was explained in very human terms, as was his relationship with his nephew and sister-in-law. While his music wasn’t dealt with in great detail (for obvious reasons!), many of Beethoven’s better-known works were mentioned as was the vast amount of music created by this beloved musical genius.
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- Alura
- 09-28-19
Interesting information
Yet we are left with many holes and uncertainties. For example, we do not know for sure with whom Mozart had his first sexual encounter, however we are told that he probably--because of his infatuation with women--had many throughout his life. But since there is no real evidence of this, it is also possible (though unlikely) his wife Constanze was his one and only. We also do not know Mozart's feelings for his father and sister. Did he despise them? Did he truly love them deeply as he attests in his letters? Did he resent his father for making him a child star? For sure, we cannot say. And what about his wife and children? What was it like having Wolfgang for a husband or a father? And his work--did he love music or was it something he felt he just had to do to make a living? What was his writing process like? What inspired him as he was putting it all together?
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- Erik Watson
- 10-14-19
Excellent
Awesome book.I really love this book !! I suggested this book to my friends !
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- Hawking
- 09-28-19
Perfect narration
I am an adult and I love it. Searching for classical music appreciation for preschooler. This one is more for school kids but I love reading it so much I have to give it a review. It does helps me to understand more why Beethoven is great. Most of adult don't understand it either. The fact this is written in easy words for children makes it easy to fallow.
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- Cassie
- 09-28-19
clear and informative
His complex relationships with his father Leopold, his sister Nannerl and his wife Constanze, are echoed in his letters to his family. Unfortunately, many of the letters have been either lost or destroyed.
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