Beethoven

Beethoven transformed every genre he touched. His nine symphonies expanded the form from elegant Classical entertainment into vehicles for profound human expression. His 32 piano sonatas are called the New Testament of piano literature. His late string quartets pushed music into territory so radical that performers initially refused to play them. Beethoven began losing his hearing in his late twenties and was almost completely deaf by his forties, yet his greatest works — the Ninth Symphony, the Missa Solemnis, the late quartets — were composed when he could no longer hear a note. His music embodies struggle, triumph, and the refusal to surrender to circumstance, which is why it continues to inspire millions.