Background
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock was born on October 22, 1817 in South Natick, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Doctor Alexander and Susanna (Bigelow) Thayer.
Librarian music historian musicologist
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock was born on October 22, 1817 in South Natick, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Doctor Alexander and Susanna (Bigelow) Thayer.
Graduated from Harvard, 1843, Bachelor of Laws.
In the winter of 1838-1839 he was a teacher at the Westfield School in Dedham, Massachusetts. Originally a librarian at Harvard law school, Thayer became aware of many discrepancies in the biography of Beethoven by Anton Schindler, Beethoven"s sometime amanuensis, which had first appeared in 1840. (The unreliability and invention of Schindler have since been extensively exposed by later scholars).
In 1849 Thayer sailed for Europe to undertake his own researches, learning German and collecting information.
Supporting himself by journalism and after many privations, he was eventually appointed United States Consul in Trieste, where he was able to pursue his labours. The first edition of the biography, (in German), in three volumes, covering Beethoven"s life to 1816, appeared between 1866 and 1879.
Thayer"s work on Beethoven set a benchmark for modern standards of accuracy, research and analysis in biography. In 1865 Thayer wrote: Henry Krehbiel, who created the first English edition of the biography in 1921, wrote of Thayer in 1917: The most recent version of the biography is revised and edited by.
I fight for no theories and cherish no prejudices. My sole point of view is the truth.
Member of staff New York Tribune, 1852.