WhenBeethoven was born in 1770, the ideal in society was Classicism. Itwas adisciplined worldview.Value given to artwasrestrained and rational. By the 1800s, Classicism was giving way toRomanticism,and Beethoven’s music led the change.Romanticismvalued emotion over reason. It wasbased on abelief that physical passion is splendid,and thatrigid conventions should beoverthrown.

Oneof Beethoven’smostpopular compositions ishis piano sonata in C sharp Op. 27.It became known as the MoonlightSonata wellafterBeethoven’sdeath, when poet Ludwig Rellstab said that it reminded him ofmoonlightrippling on the waves of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.It has sweettone, almost like a song. This is typical of the Romantic music: manypieces lend themselves to being sung as well as played.

Beethoven’smovement away from Classicism and toward Romanticism isclearestin his symphonies.His

firstsymphony was presented in 1800. Although the orchestramemberswere not sufficiently skilled to play the music, and the critics wereunforgiving,it became widely known if not liked. In 1802, Beethovencompletedhis SymphonyNo. 2,which has been described as “full of summerair andsummer flowers.”

Inliterature, likeBeethoven in music, Wordsworthused nature as a theme in much of his writing. Here is an[!--empirenews.page--]

exampleof one of his best known poems:

Iwandered lonely as a cloud

Thatfloats on high o’er vales and hills

Whenall at once I saw a crowd,

Ahost, of golden daffodils;

Therewere many other music composers in this era. Beethoven roars;Chopin complains;Brahms is resigned and sad. But in each case their pain comes fromthis real meeting: their ideal vision of life met the reality oflife. Wordsworth defined good poetry as "the spontaneousoverflow of powerful feelings." That is the same in music.