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==Beethoven and Religion==

==Beethoven and Religion==

In 1801, around the time Beethoven began to lose his hearing, and during the period of his most intense personal crisis, he wrote, "No friend have I. I must live by myself alone; but I know well that God is nearer to me than others in my art, so I will walk fearlessly with Him."

There is some dispute between scholar's over Beethoven's religious stance, as his letters and the accounts of friends provide conflicting evidence. While he was raised a Roman Catholic and made several well-documented references to his faith, it is known that he never attended religious services. His teacher, the great composer Franz Joseph Haydn, thought Beethoven was an atheist. His friend and biographer Anton Schindler considered him a deist. Furthermore, Beethoven's choice of text in the choral movement of his ninth symphony indicates at least an interest (if not a belief) in Pantheism.

==Trivia==

==Trivia==