Schulz's use of Beethoven's musical scores in the comic strip was groundbreaking in three ways:

1. He was committed to accuracy: "Sometimes drawing the musical scores that Schroeder plays can be very tedious," Schulz once commented, "but I love the pattern that the notes make on the page. I have always tried to be authentic in this matter."

2. Schulz often did not identify the music in the strips, thereby playfully setting up a game of "name that tune" for his readers.

3. In Schulz's most sophisticated strips, those readers who recognize what the music is and what it symbolizes have a richer appreciation of the strips' meanings.

While Schulz did include relatively unknown works, he paid particular attention to Beethoven's most popular and greatest compositions. Since Schroeder is a pianist, he of course has to play beloved works like the "Moonlight" Sonata - but he also gets in shape to be able to perform the "'Mount Everest' of all piano sonatas" the Hammerklavier.

And while he loves the Eroica Symphony (Beethoven's Third), Schroeder holds the most special place in his heart for the Ninth Symphony and the touching story of its premiere in 1824.