Ludwig van Beethoven

About Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) remains one of the most influential figures in the history of Western music, meriting his rank as the #10 most historically important person globally according to the Pantheon project. As a pivotal figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras, his work-including nine symphonies, numerous concertos, and his groundbreaking late string quartets-fundamentally reshaped musical expression and remains a cornerstone of classical performance worldwide.

Despite his towering historical significance, Beethoven's modern internet attention suggests a relative decline. He garnered 2.0 million annualized Wikipedia views in 2025, resulting in an Attention Gap of approximately 1x, which is close to what might be expected given his importance, but pales in comparison to contemporary figures. For context, politicians like Joe Biden (#329 importance) achieved 10.6M views, and even historical figures with lower importance, such as Edward VIII (#142 importance), commanded 4.1M views.

His attention appears to be solid but not surging. The year-over-year view change of -12.2% and a slight negative momentum of -3% between Q1 and Q3 of 2025 suggest that, while still highly recognized, Beethoven is experiencing a slow erosion of immediate online cultural relevance compared to his historical weight.