30. The French Revolution and an Introduction to Beethoven

Overview

Haydn’s music reflects the Classical-era characteristics of balance, accessibility, tunefulness, rhythmic continuity, and artistic restraint. Beethoven’s music, on the other hand, is unrestrained, unpredictable, self- expressive, and self-referential. Beethoven’s music reflects the revolutionary times in which he lived, a time that saw the French Revolution and the rise of the self-made hero Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven’s music also manifests his own unique personality and experience, influenced to a large degree by the grimness of his childhood and his devastating hearing disability.

Cast