Part 1 of Essay
Events of the day matter less in a study of Beethoven (1770-1827) than they do in most other composers. However, certain factors need to be taken into consideration when one is looking at his composition method. He never moved from Vienna and only ever left the city for any lengthy period either to take a summer holiday - ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... the purely personal considerations one must not overlook the drastic changes which passed over the whole of European society in Beethoven's lifetime. Twice during the most productive part of Beethoven's life, Vienna was occupied by Napoleon's armies but his work went steadily forward. Nevertheless, the ideas that brought those armies into existence was sweeping across Europe. The spirit of independent thought and action was stirring and it was this that eventually gave birth to the inventive genius of the 19th ce ....