John’s passion for the life and music of Beethoven took a new turn in the early 1990’s. John decided to write a book about the great composer’s life.

Over the next several years he and his wife Bonnie visited every site associated with Beethoven that is still there to be seen. They travelled to Vienna several times, Prague, the Austrian countryside that Beethoven loved so much, Bohemia north and south.

You can see John’s own pictures of the sites – Beethoven’s homes, as well as portraits of his family, patrons and friends – on his Beethoven website, www.madaboutbeethoven.com.

What was intended to be one relatively short book about the life of Beethoven became a trilogy, encompassing the composer’s entire life.

"I simply did not want to leave anything out," says John. He chose to write the book as a novel.

“In a curious way, by writing the story as fiction – as long as you stick to the known facts, which I have – you can take the reader closer to the man himself. Instead of writing, for instance, that in 1803 Beethoven composed the symphony that was to become the Eroica – as you would in a formal biography – in a novel you have to be in the room with Beethoven. Where was he living? Where was he sitting when he wrote those two famous opening chords? Was there a carafe of wine on the table? Who else was in the room with him?”

In January 2006 Classic FM commissioned John to write the second in their new series on great composers, The Classic FM Friendly Guide to Beethoven. The book was published in August 2006.

John is currently working on yet another book about Beethoven, beginning with the historic first performance of the Ninth Symphony, and chronicling his sad final decline.

For further information contact John's agent,
David Foster Management >>