Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist who is one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. His works span the transition from the classical period to the romantic era in classical music. His career has conventionally been divided into early, middle, and late periods. The “early” period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. From 1802 to around 1812, his “middle” period showed an individual development from the “classical” styles of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterized as “heroic.” During this time he began to suffer increasingly from deafness. In his “late” period from 1812 to his death in 1827, he extended his innovations in musical form and expression. Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) was a British-American classical composer and violist best known for her chamber music featuring the viola. She is considered one of the most important British composers in the interwar period between World War I and World War II and the most distinguished British female composer of her generation. Born in England (of a German mother and an American father), Rebecca Clarke claimed both British and American nationalities and spent substantial periods of her long life in the United States, where she permanently settled after World War II. Although Clarke’s output was not large, her work was recognized for its compositional skill and artistic power.

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Beethoven String Quartet #10 in E-flat major, Op. 74 (1809) “Harp" Clarke Two Movements for String Quartet (1924-26)