Western Culture Global Presents

The Top 100 Heroes of Western Culture
These individuals have most contributed to replacing ignorance with knowledge, savagery with civilization, disease with health, tyranny with liberty, poverty with abundance, and despair with happiness.



#81: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist.

Beethoven is properly revered as a musical innovator and rule breaker. He courageously challenge the musical "mainstream" of his time and made it flow in a novel direction, one that reverberated with emotion and beauty.

A substantial amount of Beethoven's work arguably presented an idealized view of humanity as rooted in the Enlightenment worldview. Consequently, Beethoven brought a new level of respect and admiration to musical composition, elevating it to an art form that can express the highest of human aspiration and potential.

Beethoven's works today form the core of orchestral and chamber music repertoires around the world. And his music will forever stand as a monument to human creativity and excellence.



Go to #82: Karl Benz


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