Beethoven in the Age of Schiller, Goethe, and Kant

""One of the most substantial recent additions to the Beethoven literature, Hinrichsen's book offers a finely judged account of the composer's evolving social position as well as an up-to-date picture of his artistic development. But the book's most signal achievement is its thoroughgoing, multifaceted, and persuasive demonstration of the relevance of Kant's critical philosophy to any understanding of both the man and his music. It is not just that the composer's position in the history of modern music is similarly pivotal to that of the philosopher's position in the history of modern thought. More importantly, Hinrichsen argues that Beethoven's worldview as captured in his music was fundamentally Kantian, centering on the notion of human autonomy and attempting to stage its reconciliation with the causal determinism of nature."" -- Karol Berger, Stanford University ""Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen’s conviction about Beethoven’s “transcendental music” as analogous to Kant’s “transcendental philosophy” is provocative and far-reaching, as is his persuasive view about the “philosophical stance of humor” embodied in Beethoven’s later works. As Hinrichsen rightly observes, this music holds “a good amount of Idealism” and enlightened optimism that is urgently needed in our own troubled times."" -- William Kinderman, author of Beethoven: A Political Artist in Revolutionary Times