Why does Beethoven enjoy ongoing, world-wide fame as a composer? Was his music so consequential, or is there more to the legacy?
This course will consider these questions, starting with his early style, rooted in Enlightenment Classicism, and follow his development through the rise and fall of Napoleon. The course concludes with examples of his late works whose probing musical language became the embodiment of the Romantic ideal of creativity. No musical skills or background is needed to take this course. The text is highly readable and available in used copies at low cost.
Text: Maynard Solomon. Beethoven, MacMillan Publishing Company/Schirmer Trade Books. Second Edition (2001) or first edition (1979), although there are useful differences in 2001 edition.
Repertoire will include Piano Sonata No. 1, Symphony No. 3 “Eroica,” Piano Concerto No. 5, and selections from Fidelio, the Archduke Trio, String Quartet No. 14, and Symphony No. 9.
