I don't think Beethoven expresses religious truth. He expresses a human truth.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Beethoven can write music, thank God, but he can do nothing else on earth.
I'm a Beethoven freak. I listen to him all the time.
Playing the Beethoven symphonies, for example, is a consummate experience for a musician because Beethoven speaks so directly to who we are as people.
The artist himself may not think he is religious, but if he is sincere his sincerity in itself is religion.
I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to study that. And he must find out in which station of life of Beethoven he did.
In South America, I heard the 8th Symphony of Beethoven. And the young conductor thought, Beethoven must be heroic. But this is piece which shouldn't be heroic. And this was such a misunderstanding, such a deep misunderstanding.
I think a great piece, whenever it was written, gets under our skin, makes us feel something. That's what Beethoven was trying to do.
All churches and all religions contain aspects of the truth, but only God is truth.
Composers in the old days used to keep strictly to the base of the theme, as their real subject. Beethoven varies the melody, harmony and rhythms so beautifully.
Beethoven was a deeply political man in the broadest sense of the word. He was not interested in daily politics, but concerned with questions of moral behaviour and the larger questions of right and wrong affecting the entire society.