How is one to know a man's thoughts on religion? It is difficult enough for a man to know his own thoughts on religion, but to know the man's thoughts on religion nearly two hundred years dead is at best a daunting task, and one not undertaken by any of the authors of any of my reference works, including my sets of encyclopedia's.
So, one must resort to following his own paper trail. His works, then, should speak for him. Of about 600 of Ludwig Van Beethoven's works that still survive,only two were clearly religious. The two masses that he wrote. Whether because he was asked, commissioned, or simply "moved" to write them, history is silent on his motives, but the fact that he wrote them tells us that he at least was aware of God, and at least twice reverenced his creator. At least, in part. I have heard these offerings,and frankly, I was not impressed. So from my own point of view, I prefer to consider his entire body of work. So much of what he wrote throughout his lifetime was so inspired, so beyond beautiful, that it is difficult to think that this man who started to go deaf at the age of thirty, and still continued on composing, was simply fulfilling a passion for music! As anyone who loves good music knows, such a composer is not merely putting notes on a page, just to be played to tickle the ears of the eventual listener,but is transcribing an inner voice,born of his mind and spirit, calling out to God. These are human outcries translated into a language that can be understood and appreciated for generations to come.
This, after all,I think was the man who wrote "The Pastoral" derived from one of his symphonies, which was featured in Walt Disney's Fantasia, to which Disney had the Pegasus fly! An experience so delightful that to this day gives me chills because it is so beautiful. This is the man who wrote "Moonlight Sonata", one of my all-time favorite pieces of music,which when played simply by one lone pianist, all by himself on one piano, even an upright spinet, is enough to take my breath away. But the sound of it played on a grand piano is enough to keep me weak for the entire time! I cannot imagine what it would do to me to hear it done by an orchestra!
So, given what we know of the man and his music, and how classical music buffs are still thrilling to his work today, and his works dedicated to God, I would say that he was definitely,at least for a portion of his life, in touch with God. Whether or not that would translate into his being religious is something else again. Religion, as we have discussed on this site before,is not the same thing as being in tune with, in touch with, or an instrument of God. Religion is a system of rules and regulations, most of which are made up by men,and (barring the commandments) having nothing to do with God's will. Having read about the man, I doubt very much if he would have been considered a good church member. Having been exploited in his youth by his father as a child prodigy,and considered Boorish and temperamental as an adult, I don't think he had much patience for the rules of man.
But, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong!
OUI?
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