Beethoven wrote only one opera—Fidelio in 1805—and the popularity and impact of his instrumental work has often caused his vocal music to be overlooked. But he was a prolific and powerful composer for the human voice, writing in disparate contexts, such as his Haydn-esque Mass in C Minor (a.k.a. “Missa Solemnis”), the thrilling choral section of his Ninth Symphony, or the elegant lieder of Opus 52, eight art songs composed between 1790 and 1796.