MUSC 254F Beethoven

Examines the life and work of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). In addition to a close study of his biography and musical compositions, course considers the role of historiography and reception history in the development of his "heroic" status and Romantic cultivation of the "cult of genius." Also critically examines issues having to do with canon construction, positivist research vs. "new musicology," and how Beethoven has been used for political purposes and in popular culture.