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The Beethoven Syndrome by Mark Evan Bonds Oxford University Press, 2020, www.oup.com; 200 pp., $35.00
How has the art of listening to instrumental music evolved over the past 300 years? How did Beethoven lead the way to an era of celebrity composers, whose deepest thoughts were suddenly of interest to concert-goers? Why were audiences of the 19th century inspired to expend more effort to fully grasp interpretation? How do we appreciate music of various types today? These are subjects discussed in Mark Evan Bonds's newest book. The Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Music, whose research interests include instrumental music...