Beethoven in the Age of Schiller, Goethe, and Kant

Hans-Joachim Hinrichsen is professor emeritus for musicology at the University of Zurich.Cynthia Klohr studied philosophy and literature in Detroit, Karlsruhe, and Heidelberg, and after earning her degrees, taught university courses in modern philosophy in both English and German.

"One of the most substantial recent additions to the Beethoven literature, Hinrichsen's book offers a finely judged account of the composer's evolving social position as well as an up-to-date picture of his artistic development. But the book's most signal achievement is its thoroughgoing, multifaceted, and persuasive demonstration of the relevance of Kant's critical philosophy to any understanding of both the man and his music. It is not just that the composer's position in the history of modern music is similarly pivotal to that of the philosopher's position in the history of modern thought. More importantly, Hinrichsen argues that Beethoven's worldview as captured in his music was fundamentally Kantian, centering on the notion of human autonomy and attempting to stage its reconciliation with the causal determinism of nature."

• Preface: Revisiting BeethovenAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsIntroduction: Kantian Times and the Authonomy of MusicChapter 1: A Young Man’s New Way with MusicChapter 2: Music, Philosopy, and AestheticsChapter 3: The Epitome of Instrumental Music: Musical ThoughtChapter 4: Beethoven’s Last Style: Laughter, Pain, and GreatnessEpilogue: Are We Done with Beethoven?Bibliography