Beethoven Music Style Essay

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Beethoven composed a wide range of music in 3 very different major styles; which can approximately be divided into the 3 different decades or stages of his music. The first “Early” stage being until about 1800 was influenced by Classical elements and was simply building on the Classical Period—style of Haydn and Mozart. The second “Middle” stage being from 1800, until about 1818, steamed from the seeds of romanticism; strong dynamic contrasts, explosive accents, and longer movements. This style was often considered heroic; an example of this would be the Eroica and 5th symphonies. The third “Late” stage being from 1818, until around 1827, which was considered more abstract, introspective—strength mixed with spirituality, gentleness; such …show more content…
His first two symphonies are closest in style to the two Classical masters, who preceded him, but with his third, the Eroica; in 1803, Beethoven began to expand the possibilities of the genre—the work was originally dedicated to Napoleon, and it was quickly interpreted as a personal narrative of individual heroism. An advocate for democracy and the underprivileged, Beethoven watched with interest as French General Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power after the French Revolution from 1789, until 1799. At first, he greatly admired Napoleon as a hero; more so in fact, that his Third Symphony, which was known as Eroica, was originally called Bonaparte, but when he had learned that the ruler became a tyrant and decided to declare and crown himself as Emperor of France a year later in 1804, as he tries to take over Europe; however, that soon changed as Beethoven withdrew his decision and became enraged and disillusion by this, and as a result, he scratched out, and tore up the title page bearing the dedication. Beethoven then changed the name to merely 'hero'; as he, the composer, wrote, “So he too is nothing more than an ordinary man”. So he changes the name of his symphony to Eroica and decides to rededicate it to the memory of a truly, great man; Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz. Nonetheless, despite such a bread–and–butter consideration, the politically idealistic Beethoven titled the work
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