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 greater extent than has been thought. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, most accounts of Beethoven's religious attitudes have assumed that, as a child of the Enlightenment, the composer was estranged from the Catholicism into which he was born, adhering instead to an idiosyncratic and unorthodox religious outlook that was suspicious of dogma and tradition. This assumption has often resulted in the critical marginalization of Beethoven's religious music, with the notable exception of the Missa solemnis, which is usually included among his most important compositions only by being reinterpreted as a humanist or universalist work transcending its superficial identity as a setting of the Catholic Mass. This book argues that such views have relied on an inadequately complex view of the Enlightenment, which presumes incorrectly that the Enlightenment was monolithically opposed to traditional religious belief. Beethoven's religious outlook was primarily shaped by ideas associated with the German Catholic Enlightenment, a particular strand of the Enlightenment that sought to reconcile traditional Catholic beliefs with elements from more familiar, secular versions of the Enlightenment. The book uses the central concerns of this Catholic Enlightenment as a framework for interpreting Beethoven's sacred works-not just the Missa solemnis, but also the Mass in C, Christus am OElberge, and the Gellert Lieder-as well as documentary evidence usually cited in relation to the composer's religious outlook. In addition, it will situate the content of a number of religious books in his library within the religious-historical context of his time. Particular attention is devoted to Beethoven's interest in the writings of Johann Michael Sailer (1751-1832), one of the most important figures in German Catholicism during Beethoven's time, with whom the composer also had a personal connection.

About the Author
Nicholas Chong is Assistant Professor of Musicology at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. Previously, he served as TOMS Core Faculty Fellow and Lecturer in the Core Curriculum at Columbia University. He holds academic degrees from Columbia University and Yale University, as well as a degree in orchestral conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati.

Reviews
This book is a game changer. At first, the idea of contextualizing Beethoven in his religious milieu might seem like a tangential if interesting footnote in the crowded literature on the composer but, in Nicholas Chong's hands, it is a thread that unravels tacitly accepted and long-cherished approaches in Beethoven scholarship. Meticulously researched, Chong's clearheaded re-evaluation will challenge the way we think about Beethoven, if not the tradition of Western music built upon his name. * Daniel K. L. Chua, Professor of Music, The University of Hong Kong *
This book is a game changer. At first, the idea of contextualizing Beethoven in his religious milieu might seem like a tangential if interesting footnote in the crowded literature on the composer but, in Nicholas Chong's hands, it is a thread that unravels tacitly accepted and long-cherished approaches in Beethoven scholarship. Meticulously researched, Chong's clearheaded re-evaluation will challenge the way we think about Beethoven, if not the tradition of Western music built upon his name. * Daniel K. L. Chua, Professor of Music, The University of Hong Kong *
This insightful book by Chong (Rutgers Univ.) of 312 pages, six chapters, and an extensive bibliography is original and well researched. Chong offers a valuable analysis of the Missa Solemnis, especially regarding key structure. * M. N. H. Cheng, Choice *


Awards
Winner of Winner, 2025 Research Award from the American Beethoven Society.



Book Information
ISBN 9780197752920
Author Nicholas Chong
Format Hardback
Page Count 336
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 649g
Dimensions(mm) 243mm * 165mm * 27mm