How Did Beethoven Influence Our Perception Of Music Today

As the seventeenth century began to fade away, a new era began to pave the way for innovation, reason, and equality and allow it to flourish in some the greatest minds in human history. This new age of reason, or the Enlightenment, brought us various innovations in the various fields such advancements in the sciences, the evolution of art, and the development of new musical styles, genres and ideas in what would soon be known as the late Baroque and Classical eras of music. The Classical period brought forth many great composers that have influenced our perception of music today including W.A. Mozart and Haydn. It is because of these composers that quite a few new forms of music emerged during the Enlightenment; Haydn himself was able to contribute greatly to chamber music (i.e. string quartet, piano trio) and the development of the sonata, and Mozart wrote hundreds of

While the compositions of the Baroque were more focused on virtuosity and harmonical experimentation, Beethoven completely revamped the idea of expression in music and turned it on its head. Beethoven’s genius compositions demonstrated immense, sometimes frightening, power and soul that had never been seen before in music such as in his famous fifth symphony which features the jarring four-note motif that represents utter chaos and ferocity. Similarly, Mozart was able to use the score as his canvas for whatever diabolical idea would enter his mind; he had written light waltzes and dances that were whimsical and give the listener a sense of joy and fun while also writing intricate concertos which demonstrated the true potential and grace of the solo instrument and