Beethoven 3

Beethoven Events of the day matter less in a study of Beethoven (1770-1827) than they do in most other composers. However, certain factors need to be taken into consideration when one is looking at his composition method. He never moved from Vienna and only ever left the city for any lengthy period either to take a summer holiday - which was only a holiday in the sense that he could devote himself to composition more …

…that extra-musical factors in Beethoven's life did have some effect on his output but that is another story. Beethoven's sketchbooks show that he had very unusual and often extremely complicated composing habits. He left more drafts and sketches than any other composer of his day and through them not only does one learn about the art and craft of composition in general but also about the character of Beethoven himself and the music he created.