ABSTRACT
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was a German Romantic author, known especially for his fantasy and Gothic horror. His novella, The Nutcracker and the Mouseking, was the basis of the ballet The Nutcracker. Hoffman was also a music critic, and his essay on Beethoven’s instrumental music particularly explored the latter’s Fifth Symphony and his Trios, op. 70. The essay was influential, published first in 1813 and several times thereafter, as well as being translated into English. One of the significant contributions of the piece was the idea that music was a higher art form, because it could be enjoyed for pure sound and form, not due to any additional meaning imposed upon it through language or art. In spite of the geniality which predominates in the first trio, not excepting the emotional Largo, Beethoven’s genius, as a whole, remains serious and religious in spirit.
