Beethoven’s Four Beats

One of Beethoven’s most famous concertos was suggested to him as he heard repeated knocks in the stillness of the night at a neighbor’s door. The concerto begins with four soft taps of the drum, raised in this work to the rare dignity of a solo instrument. Again and again the four beats are heard throughout the music, making a wonderful effect. God’s call comes in irresistible and repeated knockings on the heart.
~ Christian Register