MUS 166
Beethoven
Last Offered Spring 2022
Division I
This course is not offered in the current catalog

This course provides an introduction to the life and music of Ludwig van Beethoven. The composer’s difficult childhood, loss of hearing, secret affair with his “Immortal Beloved,” tempestuous relationship with his suicidal nephew, along with political, philosophical, social, and cultural developments of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, will provide context for our study of his artistic achievements. Students will listen to a broad selection of Beethoven’s music, including sonatas, string quartets, symphonies, overtures, concertos, choral works, and opera. Some of the topics we will discuss include the nature of his genius, his compositional methods, his influence on later composers such as Schubert, Wagner, and Brahms, Beethoven in popular culture, and the continuing impact of his music around the globe.