What Beethoven relates towith Napoleon so much is the self-made man,the self-made hero,...
Join the conversation
Log in or create an account to leave a comment
Log In
What Beethoven relates to
with Napoleon so much is the self-made man,
the self-made hero, the person who made himself the most
important person in the world by pulling himself up
by his own bootstraps. Certainly, for Beethoven, as a person who came from a small
town and an alcoholic father, this is what one can accomplish
when one is free. This is what freedom does
when you can develop what you are born to be, what
capacities you were born to have. That is what Beethoven thought
in terms of Napoleon and it's certainly what he thought
in terms of himself. And I think that conception is,
in one way or another, all over his music and it's all over for
the rest of his life, really, and that's why his music,
at the time, was considered to be a kind of revelation
of democracy among people. MUSIC: Symphony No. 3, Eroica
by Beethoven
with Napoleon so much is the self-made man,
the self-made hero, the person who made himself the most
important person in the world by pulling himself up
by his own bootstraps. Certainly, for Beethoven, as a person who came from a small
town and an alcoholic father, this is what one can accomplish
when one is free. This is what freedom does
when you can develop what you are born to be, what
capacities you were born to have. That is what Beethoven thought
in terms of Napoleon and it's certainly what he thought
in terms of himself. And I think that conception is,
in one way or another, all over his music and it's all over for
the rest of his life, really, and that's why his music,
at the time, was considered to be a kind of revelation
of democracy among people. MUSIC: Symphony No. 3, Eroica
by Beethoven
Full Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.076
What Beethoven relates to
with Napoleon so much
00:00:04.076 --> 00:00:07.076
is the self-made man,
the self-made hero,
00:00:07.076 --> 00:00:11.076
the person who made himself the most
important person in the world
00:00:11.076 --> 00:00:14.072
by pulling himself up
by his own bootstraps.
00:00:14.072 --> 00:00:16.076
Certainly, for Beethoven,
00:00:16.076 --> 00:00:21.012
as a person who came from a small
town and an alcoholic father,
00:00:21.012 --> 00:00:25.076
this is what one can accomplish
when one is free.
00:00:25.076 --> 00:00:29.052
This is what freedom does
when you can develop
00:00:29.052 --> 00:00:34.002
what you are born to be, what
capacities you were born to have.
00:00:34.002 --> 00:00:38.000
That is what Beethoven thought
in terms of Napoleon
00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:41.998
and it's certainly what he thought
in terms of himself.
00:00:41.998 --> 00:00:45.024
And I think that conception is,
in one way or another,
00:00:45.024 --> 00:00:47.000
all over his music
00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:50.000
and it's all over for
the rest of his life, really,
00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.028
and that's why his music,
at the time, was considered
00:00:53.028 --> 00:00:56.092
to be a kind of revelation
of democracy among people.
00:00:58.998 --> 00:01:00.006
MUSIC: Symphony No. 3, Eroica
by Beethoven
Want This Clip in HD?
Upgrade for HD/4K downloads and unlimited access. Upgrade now →
Movie Summary
Marking the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth in 1770, a documentary series that focuses on the real, complex and often difficult man behind the great composer.
