The Catholic Beethoven

The Catholic Beethoven offers a new view of Beethoven and his religious music by demonstrating that both the composer and his sacred works were influenced by the German Catholicism of his era to a much greater extent than has been thought. It draws on revisionist historical research into the role of religion in the Enlightenment, especially the Catholic Enlightenment, to interpret both the composer''s religious works and documentary evidence of his spiritual outlook. In addition, it is the first book-length treatment of Beethoven''s sacred music that is not focused only on the Missa solemnis, but also examines the Mass in C, Christus am Ölberge, and the Gellert Lieder.