When I first started reading this book, I was a little frustrated at how long the passages were on each page. However, as I got deeper into the story, I loved it! I thought it was very interesting to find out how one of Beethoven's famous works became! The setting had a huge effect on the story because if it were not for Napoleon Bonaparte's betrayal, it would not be called the Heroic Symphony. I think it was interesting that in the end Beethoven realized that the symphony was never about Bonaparte, but about his own struggles and despair. That brings me to the theme of this book, sometimes it takes relating to another person to overcome your own battles. ( )

The Heroic Symphony is the story of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most famous composers in history. The book talks about Beethoven realizing that his career as a pianist would soon come to an end because he was slowly going deaf. He went to a remote clinic in hopes of getting his hearing back, but the treatment failed and his hearing only worsened. After leaving the clinic, Beethoven begins to hear music in his head. He realizes that even though he cannot hear music anymore, he can still imagine it and write it. Beethoven tried to find inspiration for his music and when he was reading the paper one morning, he decided that Napoleon Bonaparte deserved a musical tribute. When he sat down at the piano to begin to compose, he could not come up with a melody. After going for a walk in the park, Beethoven came up with a melody and began writing a new symphony. He worked on his symphony for five months and his four movements began to take form. Beethoven called it the Bonaparte Symphony and described it as a reflection of his courage and heroic character. Beethoven included his own struggles in his music. His friend, Ferdinand, tells him that he has written a true masterpiece. Once he is finished, Beethoven learns that Bonaparte has crowned himself the Emperor of France and in a fit of anger, rips up his symphony. Thankfully, Beethoven had made another copy of the symphony and he soon realizes that it was not about Bonaparte, but rather it was about humanity and the hero in each person. He changed the name of the symphony to the Heroic Symphony. This book is interesting because it tells the story of Beethoven and his will to continue even though he was going deaf. It is a good book to encourage you to keep going no matter what challenges you may face. It also shows that if you work hard, you can do anything you put your mind to. ( )

Beethoven is one of my favorite composers, so I was thrilled to find this book providing the back story to The Heroic Symphony. I had no idea it was originally written for Napoleon! The book also explores Beethoven's life and adversities, and the individual descriptions of each movement are lovely. ( )