Beethoven and His Forerunners

"Beethoven and His Forerunners" by Daniel Gregory Mason is a narration from the beginning of the 20th century that traces the path of music that paved the way for Beethoven, spotlighting key individuals and musical trends that defined his era, to understand his influence as he was the next phase of musical evolution. Mason introduces the idea of musical evolution within a historical framework, stressing the change from seeing events as separate to viewing them as related in a timeline. It emphasizes the shift from simple, basic forms to more complex forms, highlighting the importance of composers such as Palestrina and Bach, leading up to Beethoven. This sets the scene for a closer examination of how Beethoven's work is a continuation of Western music, illustrating the story of Western Music.