. But in addition, like his own triumph over suffering, there is hope, triumph and joy as expressed in the finale of the "Eroica." The Heiligenstadt Testament is a prophecy of the greatness to come of Ludwig van Beethoven. At a time in his life where he had exhausted the musical possibilities of the Viennese high-Classic tradition and where his growing deafness foreshadowed a diminishing career, Beethoven seemed to have come to halt in 1802. His Heiligenstadt Testament of that year revealed a soul set to despair and futility. At the same time however, despite the looming impossibility of recovery, his ambition to fully realize his musical talent set him to establish a new milestone in musical history-the creation of the heroic style. Symbolizing struggle, the resistance of morality to suffering, and the triumph over despair, we can see how the heroism of Beethoven's music reflected his own struggles with fate and his own triumphs....
