Exhibitions

Thayer spent decades of his life compiling a comprehensive biography of Beethoven based on authentic sources, not least of which were statements by contemporary witnesses. In the five-volume edition, translated by Hermann Deiters, supplemented after Thayer's death and revised by Hugo Riemann, which was published between 1901 and 1911, a large part of the material on which our knowledge of Beethoven's life and work is still based today is summarised and critically annotated on around 3,000 printed pages. Thayer, who began as a librarian at Harvard University and ended his career as American consul in Trieste, Austria, deserves to be known to a wider circle of people for his diverse and extremely fruitful activities. Thayer, who died in 1897, bequeathed his Beethoven-related estate to the Beethoven-Haus. These materials are supplemented by important objects from the extensive private collection of Thayer researcher Luigi Bellofatto.

Brief Guide

Petit Guide