Online Great Books Podcast

In this week’s episode, Scott and Karl talk with Michelle Hawkins, music professor and Online Great Book’s member. The trio listen and discuss Beethoven’s Third Symphony and read The Heiligenstadt Testament, a heartbreaking letter written by Beethoven to his brothers.  Beethoven's Third Symphony is regarded as a turning point in musical history, the ideas for which began during his tumultuous "Heiligenstadt Testament" period. Why is it that so few of us are listening to this landmark symphony? In today's music climate, understanding and enjoying classical music may seem far-fetched for some. Michelle has a theory: “We’re living in a post-musical culture now… people are not growing up in the same musical atmosphere that used to be the case. It is harder to listen to these pieces of music because you do need to have a little bit of context. They are complex, it may be hard to enjoy something so complex when you have no context and no exposure.” What if you want to explore classical music, but you’re not sure wh