Violin Sonata No. 9 (Beethoven) Rudolphe Kreutzer, which gave the composition its nickname. Kreutzer never performed the work, considering it "outrageously unintelligible". He did not particularly care for any of Beethoven's music, and they only ever met once, briefly. Referring to Beethoven's composition, Leo Tolstoy's novella "The Kreutzer Sonata" was first published in 1889. That novella was adapted in various stage and film productions, contributing to Beethoven's composition becoming known to the general public. Rita Dove's 2009 "Sonata Mulattica" reimagined the life of Bridgetower, the sonata's original dedicatee, in poetry, thus writing about the sonata that connected the composer and the violinist who first performed
The Kreutzer Sonata birthday in 1908, G. K. Chesterton criticized this aspect of Tolstoy's thought in an article in the 19 September issue of "Illustrated London News": "Tolstoy is not content with pitying humanity for its pains: such as poverty and prisons. He also pities humanity for its pleasures, such as music and patriotism. He weeps at the thought of hatred; but in "The Kreutzer Sonata" he weeps almost as much at the thought of love. He and all the humanitarians pity the joys of men." He went on to address Tolstoy directly: "What you dislike is being a man. You are at