Robert Greenberg, on the Harvard Business Review Editor’s Blog:
By 1803, it was, once again, time to innovate or throw in the towel. Finding inspiration in the heroic model of Napoleon Bonaparte and the revolutionary change in the air, Beethoven created for himself a heroic self-image, one that allowed him to funnel his rage, alienation, and passion into a music that abandoned convention. Central to Beethoven’s second reinvention was the belief that his music must be, above all, a vehicle for self-expression, unfettered by the old rules.
Of course, Beethoven eventually repudiated Napoleon, famously scratching out the dedication of the Third Symphony:
Title Page of the Third Symphony
That’s what I find interesting about this framing of the story: the myth of Napoleon was a catalyst for Beethoven’s reinvention, even though the man didn’t live up to the myth.
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