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more than Mozart’s. If Mozart’s sublime music seems to communicate universal truths, Beethoven’s seems to tell us about Beethoven—his struggles, and ulti- mately the struggles of us all. As was true of his own personality, Beethoven’s music is full of extremes: sometimes tender and sometimes violent. And just as Beethoven the composer triumphed over personal adversity—his growing deafness—so his music imparts a feeling of struggle and ultimate victory. It has a sense of rightness, even morality, about it. It seems to speak to the humanity in all of us.
Historians have traditionally divided Beethoven’s music into three periods: early, middle, and late. In his early works in particular Beethoven employed Classical forms (sonata–allegro, rondo, and theme and variations) and through- out his life he honored Classical genres (symphony, sonata, concerto, string quartet, and opera). Yet in all his music Beethoven projects a new spirit, one that foreshadows the musical style of the Romantic era (1820–1900). An intense, lyrical expression is heard in his slow movements, while his allegros abound with pounding rhythms, strong dynamic contrasts, and startling orchestral ef- fects. Although Beethoven stays largely within the bounds of Classical forms, he pushes their confines to the breaking point, so great is his urge for personal expression. Though a pupil of Haydn and a lifelong admirer of Mozart, he never- theless elevated music to new heights of both lyricism and dramatic power. For this reason, he can rightly be called the prophet of Romantic music.
The Early Years (1770–1802)
Like Bach and Mozart before him, Beethoven came from a family of musicians. His father and grandfather were performers at the court at Bonn, Germany, on the Rhine River, where Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770. Seeing great musical talent in his young son, Beethoven’s father, a violent alcoholic, forced him to practice the piano at all hours, day or night. Soon he tried to ex- ploit his son as a child prodigy, a second Mozart, telling the world that the di- minutive boy was a year or two younger than he actually was; throughout his life Beethoven was convinced that he was born in 1772, two years after his actual birth date.
In 1792 Beethoven moved to Vienna, then the musical capital of Europe, and began to study with the world’s most respected composer, Joseph Haydn. Beethoven also bought new clothes, located a wig maker, and found a danc- ing instructor. His aim was to gain acceptance into the homes of the wealthy of the Austrian capital. And this he soon achieved, owing not to his woeful social skills, but to his phenomenal ability as a pianist. As a journal of the day reported, “Beethoven, a musical genius, has chosen Vienna as his residence for the past two years. He seems already to have entered into the inner sanctuary of music, distinguishing himself for his precision [in playing], feeling and taste; conse- quently his fame has risen considerably.”
Beethoven played the piano louder, more forcefully, and even more violently than anyone the Viennese nobility had ever heard. He possessed an extraordi- nary technique—even if he did hit occasional wrong notes—and this he put to
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