Research Paper On Beethoven

It is no surprise that Beethoven liked to write, whether music or notes to himself. He even wrote letters to his friends, lover, and business associates. Though, the way he talked to these people is very confusing. In his letters, his personality is varied and unpredictable. There is also a shift as the years go on and he treated every letter differently, depending on the person. Hopefully, through these letters, we can get somewhat of an understanding of the type of person he was and how is voice changed throughout the years. In the first set of letters, from the beginning of the 18th century, Beethoven seemed very humble and respectful when talking to the Elector of Cologne, Frederick Maximilian. Maximilian was the Archbishop and Elector of Cologne. He talked about his music when he was a 4th year and how Maximilian should accept his works from that time. While Beethoven complimented his “friend” profusely, there is a hint of arrogance in his words. To quote one of the letters, he said “[accept] them as the pure offering of childlike reverence, and graciously vouchsafe to regard with indulgence them and their youthful composer” (IMSLP Volume 1, Letter #1). It proven further when he was talking to a Dr. Schade about how his apology should be accepted and the reasons why. It seems that Beethoven was apologizing because he left …show more content…
Through the 18th and 19th century when these letters were written, Beethoven was all over the map when it came to his emotions. Whether talking to his friends, like Dr. Schade and Ries, as though they are nothing more than insects, but appreciating their friendship to being completely in love and obsessive towards Eleonore, Beethoven was not stable. However, the instability in his personalities is associated to his failing health and familial issues. There was no telling whether the letter you got from Beethoven was jovial or rude. Beethoven was a man with a multitude of emotional