It is no doubt that throughout the years and throughout the world, not a soul can resist the overwhelmingly jubilant tune of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." But why? What does it mean for a composer to strike such a universal chord? Most people today think that we can separate the artist from his creations, as they praise degenerates like Richard Wagner while neglecting the fact that he was a raging anti-Semite. Ludwig van Beethoven on the other hand was of a completely different character, and that can be heard in his music. 

In this week's Midwest Meeting, David Shavin, musician, researcher, and editor at EIR, presented Beethoven and his unrelenting commitment to the ideals of the newly founded American Republic, as well as his passion to bring that same love of mankind to a Europe utterly dominated by oligarchism.