Click on picture to hear just one of Beethoven's most beautiful pieces
(If you're on modem, you may want to skip this)

Lately, for some reason, I haven't been listening to much classical music. Instead, I've been grooving alot on the Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, the Stones (particularly Exile on Main St.) and Lynyrd Skynyrd. All of them are wonderful and make me feel good, driving down the road, singing along and grinnin' like a frog eating onions.

But, here it is, December 16th and I started my annual Beethoven marathon yesterday, listening to the first seventeen of his thirty-two piano sonatas, and today I've finally worked my way through his symphonies and am just now listening to his final ninth symphony. Tomorrow, I'll finish the piano sonatas and wrap it up with his Missa Solemnis.

Guess what? As great as Lynyrd Skynyrd is, none of that rock stuff comes close to Beethoven. Who'da thunk it, anyhow?

If I get his complete string quartets in the next year, my marathon will have to start a week or so earlier.

Beethoven! His music stops me dead in my tracks with a reverently whispered "Wow!" coming from my lips.



He's right up there with Shakespeare in my Pantheon of Idols.

Today's his birthday (I have a Happy-Face party hat on my statue of Beethoven (he looks like he could use some cheering up, right?)).

Try to listen to something, anything by Ludwig today. At 4:00 am, I have already started my annual marathon of going through all his symphonies, followed by as many piano sonatas and concertos and string quartets as time (and my library) allows. I just realized that I no longer have a recording of Missa Solemnis, darn it!

I suppose you could always watch A Clockwork Orange, too.


(By the way, Walter is now Wendy ... her Timesteps is incredible!)