What differentiates Beethoven from other composers?

Beethoven still sounds "new" to us, and I think that is the differentiator. Beethoven started out as a performer, what we now think of as a celebrity concert pianist. read more

Beethoven was a contemporary of Mozart. As a master, Mozart's style and sound was the gold standard of the time and is what people came to expect. read more

Even his finest pianos didn't have the advantage of metal bracing, a necessary feature of today's instruments, introduced into the somewhat stronger English pianos in 1820 (only after Beethoven's receipt of his Broadwood), and into the Viennese instruments in 1831 (four years after the composer's death). Beethoven is said to have played the piano in a manner never before heard or conceived. read more