Nobody remembers Beethoven for his piano skill.

[sir pball]

Sure, he was the greatest symphonist of all time...but time has forgotten that the old Ludwig von was very possibly the finest pianist until Liszt came along, and even then he might have been able to compete.

[unblock]

1. i grew up on beethoven sonatas and this is probably my favorite

i only wish i could play runs that fast! it's so fast the entire piece and then the finale omg it's impossible! for me, anyway....

chopin's prelude in c minor is more my speed lol

[sir pball]

4. I mean, Liszt was faster

But nobody remembers that Ludwig was as fast as Liszt if not faster...write amazing symphonies and people will forget your talent I guess?

[lpbk2713]

7. Barry Manilow is more on my level.

[Sibelius Fan]

2. That's not true.

[sir pball]

3. I mean...where has he been remembered for his keyboardism?

Seriously - outside of pianists, who remembers him for his piano skills? He's That Guy Who Wrote A Symphony While Deaf, and while that's certainly his claim to fame...who remembers him for the Appassionata and not the Ninth?

[2naSalit]

5. I do...

In fact, that's what I remember him for. And I don't play piano. I'm a vocalist and I don't care as much for anything he wrote with vocals as much as I do his sonatas.

I think of Mozart in the same way, they had excellent skills and wrote for those who could match them. Although I must admit that I have great affection for the works of Mozart that include vocals, those are masterful beyond description. Each work requires everything you have to offer as a musician and you give it willingly because the result is so moving.

It's quite a feat that both composers wrote music for the ages in the ways they did.

[Sibelius Fan]

6. Music schools, among musicians, and not just pianists.

At least the circles in which I move.

[sir pball]

8. I'm glad to be corrected by y'all

I really thought his keyboard skills weren't generally known...