Beethoven’s music is influential primarily based on the transitional role that his musical work played during the classical music period and the commencement of the Romantic period. According to Horton (2018), Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770, during an era when Bach, Mozart, and Haydn dominated the music industry of the country (p. 7). He had a hearing impairment; thus, he desired to create music related to his health status. His most significant musical works include the Fifth Symphony, Septet, and the Moonlight Sonata. The emerging and classical music artists draw from his compositions to build up their lyrical pieces. His greatest accomplishment is the creation of instrumental music utilized in the current music compositions, primarily due to his classic style of music and the integration of idealism. Beethoven’s influence on later artists is mostly borne from basing his music on impact and emotions, thus, enabling the audience to build a connection and relate with his style of music.
Beethoven’s ability to influence other artists is primarily borne from his background and the passion for music that he developed as a child. Born in 1770 in Bon, he began playing the piano in the Catholic Church, where his grandfather was in charge of the chapel in 1785. Later he was introduced to Mozart music, where he honed his skills in classical music. The creation of variations in his music led to the development of his first Piano Quartet number one. Piano Quartet had slow but relatively longer instructions and variations within his musical journey. In 1789, the period of enlightenment came into force during the French Revolution. Beethoven became one of the romanticism musicians due to the variations and the integration of musical instruments and vocals in his music. The breakaway from the traditional style of composure and the introduction of variations that were formerly not in Mozart’s music is a trademark in his music that grants him a unique identity.
Beethoven’s influence on the later artists is premised on his revolution within the music industry, primarily due to his initiative to metamorphose symphony from being mundane to sensational and complex. Under this purview, artists have seemingly developed the quest to progressively integrate creativity in their work that would revolutionize the genre to which their music belongs. A notable example is drams from his work, “Eroica,” where he decided to make it longer than the symphonies that were existent to make it emotionally appealing and rich in form. The influence, in this case, is the ability to come up with an item that is unique, pleasurable, and attendant to the needs of the target audience. The power of one’s music to have more extended existence and experience primarily draws from its ability to be a trendsetter in a specified genre.
Beethoven’s ability to bring about sophistication in music, building on the classical genre, and further being a pioneer in romantic music is another notable influence. Despite Beethoven being preceded by other celebrated artists such as Bach and Mozart, artists have a liking for Beethoven due to his reputation as being the best in his art. Having introduced the romantic era in music, the subsequent artists would prefer writing in the romantic area and not the classical style due to the emotional connection with the audience that Beethoven had integrated into the type of music that he presented to his target audience. Sophistication in his music is primarily evident in the skillful writing, integration of instruments with the melodies which made his music beautiful, and the fame that tagged along with his music style. Later artists draw from composing music that would play for years and the realization of international renown. Artists drawing from Beethoven’s style of music contend that there is a need to earn genuine fame and not just fade based on the instant hits they make but the influence that their style of music would have through generations.
The other aspect of the influence of Beethoven on the artists is envisaged in his innovation and introduction of a new writing style. The musical composition by Beethoven formally broke away from the formal ways of music comparison where the audience was alive to the class and what each key meant within the music. Instead, Beethoven added life to his music by communicating his intention and personal views in each composition. In such a case, it would be relatively complex for the audience to predict what he would compose next and ensure that each item he offered to the audience was unique and connected with the audience. Based on his attitude and expertise, breaking of rules is not done in the course of rebellion but understands that it would shape a new approach within the entertainment sector. Beethoven is true to himself in his art and does not do it at the pleasure of supernatural being or that of the audience but enables the audience to understand him through each piece that he added to his album.
Moreover, Beethoven invoked originality in his music as a result of his health encounters. The works of Beethoven were original and authentic hence commanding respect among the artistically works. His work is ideal for enlightenment since they were simple to understand, have universal appeal, and contain logic relevant to several generations. His artistic creation took care of various classes in life, making them more appealing to different persons. For example, with his work known as the string quartets, he shuttered musical boundaries and provided a benchmark for other musicians interested in improving their pieces to attract international appeal. He honestly had a different approach to music, using innovative techniques that made his work better day by day. An example of Beethoven’s influence in the music industry is the Beatles (Scheinbaum 51). The kind of approach he gave to music changed the musical thought in the industry forcing the musicians to embrace creativity and always add logic to their music. It is a fact that history has proved the levels of influence done by Beethoven’s music in the industry and specifically on the current musical thought.
Likewise, his work has influenced the modern conception of music, offering direction to the musical composition and technique. Techniques used in the music industry today drive their roots from the works of older musicians like Beethoven. He used great techniques that aimed at raising the intuition of the listeners and thus made the listeners wrestle within themselves and later surrender to the touch of the soothing tones of the music. In his composition, he considered the listeners’ needs, interests, and preferences and hence was able to always keep in touch with the listeners (Salzbrunn 60). Modern musicians also tend to follow the roots by examining the industry to understand the tastes of the lovers of music and consider them in the composition of the lyrics. Beethoven’s work never failed to meet the objectives of satisfying the listeners. Musical techniques mostly appeal to different categories of listeners differently. However, with a great mix of styles, musical art can be appealing to various persons. For the song to have broad support, it needs to meet the interests of the multiple categories of persons, and this is precisely what made Beethoven’s work more influential in the industry.
Again, by creating instrumental music, Beethoven increased the ranking of the music industry in the field of arts. From his time to date, music has maintained the use of instrumentals as part of a performance of musical skills (Ritchey 22). Before his intervention, music was far much below literature and painting and could not be preferred by many as a form of entertainment. The sweet feeling from the instrumentals made it possible for the creation and development of the symphony. Musical prowess and success are seen in the ability to attract the love of the listeners and the power of the music to induce the listeners into actions showing their love and enjoyment of the music. Beethoven’s works act as a landmark for the musicians of different generations in using instrumentals as accompaniments in achieving maximum satisfaction of the listener’s appeal. His creativity made it easy for him to provide new sound patterns geared towards creating suspense within the listeners, making the listener lack the ability to predict the subsequent patterns of sounds. He was mixing the patterns of sounds and words in music help to reduce the disruption of the listeners’ attention by reducing the chances of boredom when one listens to the musical work.
Finally, Beethoven influenced music through the influence of people’s attitudes towards music. His songs and performances made many people love music and later became musicians. They confessed that getting under the skin of Beethoven is one of America’s greatest obsessions, with harmony, melody, and rhythm. Several composers, for instance, Hoffmann and Babbitt, acknowledged the contributions of Beethoven in the making of the music industry. He rocked the world with great compositions that turned to be a point of reference by many artists who wish to go far in the music industry (Thurman 445). Through him, many became musical composers, some of whom were his listeners.
In conclusion, Beethoven had a mastery of his music and facilitated the shift from classical to romanticism music. He added his personal experiences and shifted away from the old style that the audience was used, and introduced a new style that would make his musical contribution celebrated through decades. The unique aspect of Beethoven’s style of music is primarily evident in his choice of rhythm, melody, and harmony. The notable artists that he influenced include Hoffmann and Babbitt. His contribution to the music industry is a reflection of his life experiences, including the health challenges and hardship endured while relating with other artists. Primarily, he articulated change in the mastery of style, originality and technique to develop sophisticated music, which would then help other musicians to realize passion for art in music as a way of expression in societies. Such skills are envisaged in Beethoven’s artistic prowess in Symphony and Piano.
Works Cited
Ritchey, Marianna. Composing Capital: Classical Music in the Neoliberal Era. University of Chicago Press, 2019. Web.
Salzbrunn, Monika. “When the Mosque Goes Beethoven: Expressing Religious Belongings Through Music.” Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology and Sociology. Vol. 7, no.01, 2016 pp 59-74. Web.
Horton, Stephanie. “Beethoven, Brahms, and Shostakovich: The Effects of War and Conflict on Composers throughout History.” 2018.
Sheinbaum, John J. “2. Unified: Beethoven, the Beatles, and the Imperfect Ideology of the Masterpiece.” Good Music. University of Chicago Press, 2018. 51-86. Web.
Thurman, Kira. “Singing the Civilizing Mission in the Land of Bach; Beethoven; and Brahms: The Fisk Jubilee Singers in Nineteenth-Century Germany.” Journal of World History 2016, pp 443-471.