"Hatten's interpretations are at times surprisingly poetic in their expression. . . . In his book he effectively creates an interaction between aspects of music theory, analysis, aesthetics and semiotics. His work yields some novel insights that deserve careful consideration from anyone in these fields." ―The Semiotic Review of Books

Musical Meaning in Beethoven offers a fresh approach to the problem of expressive meaning in music. Beginning with a provocative analysis of the slow movement of the Hammerklavier piano sonata, Robert S. Hatten examines the roles of markedness, Classical topics, expressive genres, and musical tropes in fostering expressive interpretation at all levels of structure. Close readings of movements from Beethoven's late piano sonatas and string quartets highlight less obvious expressive meanings and explain how more familiar stylistic meanings are consistently cued from one work to the next. Co-recipient of the 1997 Wallace Berry Publication Award from the Society for Music Theory.