Beethoven vs Mozart – Who Was the Greatest?

Whenever you talk about classical music, two names that come to the forefront are Mozart and Beethoven.

Even those who are not big fans of classical music have definitely heard their names, and about their works. Some of their popular compositions still continue to be used in commercials, ringtones and other audio-visual works.

Mozart and Beethoven: Biggest Stars in Classical Music

And when you talk about two giants in any field, there is definitely bound to be comparison between their works. But then, anyone who has closely looked at their works and read about them would know that they were different not just in their personality but also in their musical styles.

It is also believed that Beethoven always wanted to learn from Mozart but unfortunately Mozart died at quite a young age and Beethoven’s ambition to have lessons from Mozart never took place.

However, since Mozart was already a known personality and his works were already popular, there were bound to be some influences on Beethoven’s compositions as well, and that can be seen in some of his works.

Mozart vs Beethoven

Here are some of the differences between these two great that have also been cited by several other musicians.

1. In terms of personality, Mozart was a happy and upbeat person as opposed to Beethoven who was more of a grumpy person
2. Mozart played for the royals, whereas Beethoven played for the masses
3. It is believed that composition came effortlessly to Mozart whereas Beethoven had to work hard at his compositions and often struggled more at his work than Mozart did
4. Mozart started his musical career at a very young age but also died quite young, at 35. Beethoven, on the other hand, did not even publish his first symphony until he was 30. He became deaf at around 50 and died when he was 56 years old.

Complexity of their Compositions

Classical music can be quite dramatic and also get complex. So how about the complexity aspect of their compositions?

Here also, their personalities played a part in their works.

Mozart had a lighter personality and most of his music was simple and written keeping in mind the less technical players in mind. His music was intended to be soothing to listen to, and was designed for any skill level to play.

Beethoven, on the other hand, wrote a lot of music that had tension and ruthlessness in the music, something that matched his angry personality.

Do you agree to the following?

Mozart had better dramatic / theatrical talents than Beethoven?

Mozart was the King of the Opera, whereas for Symphonies, Sonatas, and probably the rest Beethoven ruled?

What Do You Think?

It is believed that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had a powerful influence on the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, and Beethoven based a number of his own compositions on the works of Mozart.

But then, these two are by far, the most popular names when it comes to Music and there will always be people who will compare their works and ask “Who is the Greatest of these two – Beethoven vs Mozart?”

Let us know what are your thoughts on the “Mozart vs Beethoven” debate.

Suresh Bist

Suresh has a background in computer science, in addition to being a keyboard/piano player. He has a keen interest in music, audio & video gear, and also manages the business part of KeytarHQ. Read more here.