The First Four Notes

The First Four Notes: Beethoven's Fifth and the Human Imagination (2012) by Matthew Guerrieri. The first four notes, of course, are the da-da-da-dum that starts and recurs throughout Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Guerrieri goes deep into history and many related fields in explaining the profound impact Beethoven's Fifth had on humanity and on human thinking. This is a very erudite, thoroughly researched book, and it was mostly way over my head. I liked it, but I didn't completely understand it. So it gets a partial recommendation from me. Readers who are musically inclined, who play an instrument, who know anything about the history of music, will doubtlessly enjoy it immensely. Grade: A-