Enroll Yourself in Autumn IntroSems with Space Available

IntroSems with Space Available open for self-enrollment in SimpleEnroll the afternoon of September 18th when new students can start to enroll in their other fall classes. Frosh, Sophomores, and New Transfers have priority for open spaces; upper class students should check back after Sept. 18.

All applicants who were admitted to Autumn IntroSems were enrolled by Sept. 16th provided they had space for the seminar units on their study lists and no enrollment holds (excluding New Student Advisement hold).

MUSIC 33N: Beethoven

Application Deadline: February 10

General Education Requirements

Way AII

Course Description

This seminar is designed as an in-depth introduction to the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. In addition to exploring the composer's principal works in a variety of genres (symphonies, piano sonatas, string quartets, opera, etc.), we will consider broader questions of biography and reception history. How have images of the composer and the fortunes of his music changed over time? How did his compositions come to define the paradigm of Western classical music? What impact has he had on popular culture? The class is open to all levels of musical expertise; the ability to read music is not a requirement. Come prepared to discover—or rediscover—some great music!

Meet the Instructor: Stephen Hinton

Stephen Hinton is Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Music and, by courtesy, of German. Before moving to Stanford, he taught at Yale University and, before that, at the Technische Universität Berlin. He has written extensively on many aspects of modern German music history and served as editor of the journal Beethoven Forum. His book Weill's Musical Theater: Stages of Reform (2012) is the first musicological study of Kurt Weill's complete stage works.