Beethoven: the Man and the Artist, as Revealed in his own Words

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is widely considered to be one of the pre-eminent classical music figures of the Western world. This German musical genius created numerous works that are firmly entrenched in the repertoire. Except for a weakness in composing vocal and operatic music (to which he himself admitted, notwithstanding a few vocal works like the opera Fidelio and the song Adelaide,), Beethoven had complete mastery of the artform