This volume demonstrates that there is still much to discover about Beethoven. Featuring ten original chapters, it throws new light on various aspects of the composer and his output.

Modelled on previous collections of Beethoven essays, such as the three volumes of Beethoven Studies edited by Alan Tyson, the book assembles a group of contributors with strong links to the University of Manchester. It also features a chapter on Charles Hallé's energetic work in promoting Beethoven's music in the nineteenth century, an aspect of his activities often overshadowed by his founding of Manchester's famous Hallé Orchestra. Other chapters address Beethoven's beliefs and knowledge - specifically his religious beliefs, which have often been misunderstood, and his limited knowledge of Scotland, derived from his reading and correspondence.

The remaining contributions focus on aspects of the composer's music: his sets of variations, his little-known aria Erste Liebe (the longest aria he ever wrote), his chamber music with wind, a rarely heard string quintet, his use of expression marks and the very slow movements in his late works.