They constitute what is generally regarded as one of the greatest of Beethoven's piano pieces and as the greatest set of variations of their time, and are generally known simply as the Diabelli Variations, Op.

Among critics, it is almost universally considered to be among Beethoven's greatest works, and is considered by some to be the greatest piece of music ever written.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 1 is a set of three piano trios ( written for piano, violin, and violoncello ), first performed in 1793 in the house of Prince Lichnowsky, to whom they are dedicated.

Although these two trios are sometimes numbered as " No. 5 " and " No. 6 ", the numbering of Beethoven's twelve piano trios is not standardized, and in other sources the two Op.

Although the " Archduke Trio " is sometimes numbered as " No. 7 ", the numbering of Beethoven's twelve piano trios is not standardized, and in other sources the Op.

The scherzo and trio from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony are famous orchestral excerpts, as is the recitative at the beginning of the fourth movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

The first A is an expansive threnody on solo cello ( Schmidt's own instrument ) whose seamless lyricism predates Strauss's Metamorphosen by more than a decade ( its theme is later adjusted to form the scherzo of the symphony ); the B section is an equally expansive funeral march ( deliberately referencing Beethoven's Eroica in its texture ) whose dramatic climax is marked by an orchestral crescendo culminating in a gong and cymbal crash ( again, a clear allusion to similar climaxes in the later symphonies of Bruckner, and followed by what Harold Truscott has brilliantly described as a " reverse climax ", leading back to a repeat of the A section ).

The question of Brahms and Clara Schumann is perhaps the most mysterious in music history, alongside that of Beethoven's " Immortal Beloved ".

The main theme of the finale of the First Symphony is also reminiscent of the main theme of the finale of Beethoven's Ninth, and when this resemblance was pointed out to Brahms, he replied that any ass – jeder Esel – could see that.

Beethoven's " Ode to Joy ", a song in support of universal brotherhood, is a song of this kind.

** Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is played on television in its entirety for the first time, in a concert featuring Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

It is Beethoven's only opera.

As elsewhere in Beethoven's vocal music, the music is not especially kind to the singers.

In early 19th-century cantatas the chorus is the vehicle for music more lyric and songlike than in oratorio, not excluding the possibility of a brilliant climax in a fugue as in Ludwig van Beethoven's Glorreiche Augenblick, Carl Maria von Weber's Jubel-Kantate, and Felix Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht.

It is preceded by three symphonic movements, a device avowedly suggested by Beethoven's ninth symphony ; but the analogy is not accurate, as Beethoven's work is a symphony of which the fourth movement is a choral finale of essentially single design, whereas Mendelssohn's Symphony Cantata is a cantata with three symphonic preludes.

Beethoven's heavy use of sforzando notes, together with just a few strategically located fortissimo passages, creates the sense of a very powerful sound in spite of the predominance of piano markings throughout.

About a slightly earlier period, 1815, Beethoven's authoritative biographer, Alexander Wheelock Thayer, writes, " Diabelli, born near Salzburg in 1781, had now been for some years one of the more prolific composers of light and pleasing music, and one of the best and most popular teachers in Vienna.

The centerpiece was the American premiere of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, to take place at Castle Garden on the southern tip of Manhattan.

This is seen, for instance, in Beethoven's trios, and was likely in part the result of the increase in the power and sonority of the piano that took place during Beethoven's career, making it more feasible for the piano to play independently in an ensemble.

As Antony Hopkins has noted, the cheerful mood of the work betrays nothing of the grossly unpleasant events that were taking place in Beethoven's life at the time, which involved his interference in his brother Johann's love life.

Although Ludwig van Beethoven's cycle An die ferne Geliebte ( To the Distant Beloved ) had been published earlier, in 1816, Schubert's two cycles hold the foremost place in the history of the genre.

Beethoven's place as a transitional figure between the neo-classical period in the arts, called the " classical " period in music, and the Romantic period was a conscious intention of the many 19th century writers and composers, who pointed to his work as the radical departure from the past.

In the film Beethoven's 3rd ( 2000 ) the street can clearly be seen with the shops and the Church still in place around ' Circle Drive '.

The premiere of Beethoven's 8th Symphony took place there in 1814.

This is one of the earlier manifestations of Beethoven's tendency, especially later in his career, to place the second subject of a major-key work in more remote keys, usually the mediant major or minor, for instance, ( Symphony no.

Hummel spent most of the 1820s at the Weimar Court, where he was a friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and did not see Beethoven again until a remarkable reconciliation took place between the two men at Beethoven's deathbed.

Beethoven's Fifth was the one on top.

As an unintended consequence, the soundtrack to one of the films — Beethoven's Ninth Symphony — renders Alex unable to listen to his beloved classical music.

His last opera was a German language singspiel Die Neger, ( The Negroes ), a melodrama set in colonial Virginia with a text by Georg Friedrich Treitschke ( the author of the libretto for Beethoven's Fidelio ) performed in 1804 and was a complete failure.

Beethoven's Pianos in the Beethoven-Haus.

However, both the words and notes of the symphony have sources dating from earlier in Beethoven's career.

Beethoven's sketchbooks show that bits of musical material that ultimately appeared in the symphony were written in 1811 and 1817.

Beethoven's friend Anton Schindler, later said: " When he started working on the fourth movement the struggle began as never before.

The opening theme, played pianissimo over string tremolos, so much resembles the sound of an orchestra tuning, many commentators have suggested that was Beethoven's inspiration.

Both trios were composed during Beethoven's stay at Countess Marie von Erdödy's estate, and both are dedicated to her for her hospitality.

The D major trio features themes found in the second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 2.

These pieces are representative of Beethoven's " Middle " stylistic period, which went from roughly 1803 to 1812, and which included many of his most famous works.

This was a period of uncertainty in Beethoven's life, in particular because he had no dependable source of income at the time.

The trio was written late in the " middle period " ( spanning roughly 1803 to 1814 ) of Beethoven's compositional career.

" It was Beethoven's last performance in the role of pianist.

This capacity was reportedly specified by Sony executive Norio Ohga so as to be able to contain the entirety of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on one disc.