Fact Finder - People

Ludwig van Beethoven was a musical genius whose work served as a bridge between the Classical and Romantic eras. His genius was characterized by an unprecedented emotional intensity and the expansion of musical forms like the symphony and the sonata. Most famously, Beethoven continued to compose even as he lost his hearing entirely. His Ninth Symphony, which includes the 'Ode to Joy' chorus, was the first major symphony to use human voices. He broke the rigid structures of his predecessors, using music to express personal struggle, heroism, and the triumph of the human spirit. His influence on Western music is so immense that composers for the next century lived in his shadow.