One of the most well-known work from this period, the 9th Symphony, represents very well the inner turmoil of the composer and is very characteristic of other work published during this Late period. Many historians also consider this symphony to be the greatest piece of music to be ever written (Cook, 1993). It also happened to be the very first symphony using voices; the chorus can be heard in the fourth movement, referred to as 'Ode to Joy'. This symphony is also a great example of how Beethoven influenced the course of music history. During the Classical period, symphonies usually followed a very strict form in which the slow movement (the second movement) before the scherzo movement (the third movement). However, Beethoven strived to push the boundaries and, as a composer who successfully crossed over from the Classical era to the Romantic era, forms had to be altered. One of the ideologies of the Romantic period was that form should not be the leading characteristic of music and art. Thus, in Symphony no.9, the slow movement happens to be placed after the scherzo. This symphony is also a unique example of contrapuntal and formal complexity (Biography.com, 2012).
Other work from the Late period include notably Missa Solemnis and the String Quartet no.14, which are both characterized by an impressive number of modulations and great dynamic constrasts. The 14th String Quartet is also highly unique in its genre, as it includes seven different movements played one after the other without pausing between each as customary.
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