Comparisons

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It is difficult to compare van Beethoven's late work with Brahms's is it not.

What can be said is that van Beethoven's late works are on the whole very much better than his earlier works, and that Brahms's late works are on the whole very much better than his earlier works.

This is the case with most composers, but not with all. There are some - but rather fewer - composers whose late work is not up to the standard of his earlier. Perhaps our members can give examples.

And there is a third class of composer whose later efforts are so entirely different from his earlier that it is difficult to draw a comparison at all. Schönberg's is a notorious case perhaps.

Indeed we can think of a fourth case - exemplified by Bach - whose music remained at the same high standard throughout his adult life!