> (For what it’s worth, I think the latter matched his level of inspiration but not quite his achievement, though I wouldn’t be saying that if Beethoven, like M

> (For what it’s worth, I think the latter matched his level of inspiration but not quite his achievement, though I wouldn’t be saying that if Beethoven, like Mozart, had died at 35.) If "achievement" is to be read as influence, that's most likely due to Beethoven's compositional process being tractable and, therefore, imitable by mid- to late-period Romantic composers (and later, 20th century composers). A young composer can be taught to take a motive (short pattern of intervals and rhythms) and transform it to accumulate a phrase of music that is greater than the sum of its parts. If you add to that the possibility to interrupt the flow with related melodic fragments so that the melody seems to "comment" upon itself, you already have a rich set of tools from which to create a dynamic section of music. It's unlikely it will sound anything as sophisticated as what Beethoven wrote. But it will likely be coherent. Now compare that to this: * learn to read, remember, improvise upon, and mash up all the musics of continental Europe * when asked to write a piece, think of the most fitting styles and textures from what you learned (and sometimes, mash them up to make new ones), improvise some new content for that, and then write it down * if you know your musicians, tailor the music specifically to any special skills or limitations (including yourself) * put in various types of musical jokes to amuse yourself and the performers So suppose you are a budding composer and want to express your support for universal human solidarity. Do you chose as your model music from a composer who masterfully employs Romantic irony for the singer to interrupt the symphony that was previously in progress (Beethoven's 9th) to sing about universal brotherhood? Or do you choose the composer who masterfully mashed up three dances in three disparate time signatures showing how three different social classes could all make merry together in agreeable harmony (Mozart's Don Giovanni)? Keep in mind that if you choose the latter you need to conduct and cue three different groups from the orchestra so they know when to start and can remain synchronized. Given hundreds of years the musical legacy tends toward Beethoven more than Mozart for this reason. Still, I'd bet if you measured 9th Symphony references to Mozart's Requiem, the latter wouldn't be too far behind. Heck, Mozart died after writing only eight measures of the Lacrimosa and I've heard that in at least 4 different Netflix shows this year.