Beethoven 1806

Abstract

Between early 1806 and early 1807, Ludwig van Beethoven completed a remarkable series of instrumental works including his Fourth Piano Concerto (Op. 58), “Razumovsky” String Quartets (Op. 59), Fourth Symphony (Op. 60), Violin Concerto (Op. 61), Thirty-Two Variations on an Original Theme for Piano (WoO 80), and Overture to Collin’s Coriolan (Op. 62). Critics have struggled to reconcile the music of this year with Beethoven’s so-called heroic style, the paradigm through which his middle-period works have typically been understood. Drawing on theories of mediation and a wealth of primary sources, Beethoven 1806 explores the specific contexts in which the music of this year was conceived, composed, and heard. Not only did Beethoven depend on patrons, performers, publishers, critics, and audiences to earn a living, but he also tailored his compositions to suit particular sensibilities, proclivities, and technologies.