begin an anticipated training, as the two were the most prominent and noteworthy musicians (one as an accomplished master, the other as a child prodigy), but by 95, this service reaches its end. Maynard Solomon says in his biography of LvB, "The relationship between the two took on a complex and tangled character from the very start. Almost immediately after the start of his lessons, LvB conceived of the notion that Haydn was envious of him, or unconcerned about his progress." (Solomon, p. 91) The teacher, here, seems more concerned about the vanity of the accomplishments than with the value of the art -- we see in RW's final phase of life a similar 'counter-art' ideal. LvB is now in the camel phase. He has been learning his whole life, but now seems to recognize that he has the potential to create, and his desire to release his creation becomes slowly apparent. His first piano concerto and the Sonata Pathetique start to show his brilliance, and his gradual departure from traditional compositional form. In 1801, we see a strong desire to break away from tradition with the Moonlight sonata. Excited about political upheaval and a potential unification of Europe, LvB finds new inspiration - Napoleon. But as the camel bears a great burden of struggle to learn, and the desire to create without full faculty, LvB is seen to struggle very much as the onset of his hearing loss is imminent. He becomes very depressed and detached, and we see that he is at the depths of despair at the end of his camel phase in 1801-02. The Heiligenstadt testament reveals his realization that he cannot take his life for he has not given to man-kind the full extent of his capabilities. The letters LvB wrote in Heiligenstadt expressed a clear desire to take his own life, but as he later writes, "I would have ended my life-it was only my art that held me back."; "Thanks to (virtue) and my art, I did not commit suicide."(Solomon, p. 154) --This sense of duty and obliga...
