X is the Y of Z

“X is the Y of Z” is a snowclone–an adaptable, Mad Libs-like idiom like “May I compare thee to an X?”, “X is the new Y,” and “I for one welcome our new X overlords.” This snowclone touches on every subject imaginable, including music. So without further adieu, today’s topic is…

Beethoven

Like being called the Michael Jordan, Picasso, Michael Phelps, or Tiger Woods of anything, being the Beethoven of what-have-you is a rare honor. It is the highest praise. And—unlike taking on the name of Tiger—it’s unlikely anyone means to call you a philandering man-whore to boot.

We would all be fortunate to be called, even once, the Beethoven of our domain, even if that domain is nothing more and nothing less than a gazebo on the property of those nice people who shoo you away with a stick rather than call the police. They are such nice people. They’re probably the Beethoven of something too.

“If Montana was the Beethoven of NFL quarterbacks, orchestrating some of the great offenses in history, then the 1989 season was his fifth Symphony: the greatest season by the quarterback many consider the best ever.”

(Feb. 2, 2010, VX50.com)

“Cross has said that if he had to pick a single novel that was his favourite – then the novel that most profoundly affected his life was CATCH 22 by Joseph Heller. ‘It was a big deal for me’. He is also a big fan of THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY by Patricia Highsmith – ‘she was basically the Beethoven of psycho-pathology’.’

(Jan. 18, 2010, Neil Cross, Crime Watch)

“James Ellroy (United States — West Coast)
It’s common to hear that a particular writer has developed a completely original writing style. Though it’s rarely true, when applied to James Ellroy this becomes an understatement. Ellroy has described himself as ‘the Beethoven of crime’ and, as repulsively arrogant as that is, not many would argue that he’s right. Ellroy writes with a staccato style that strips every non-essential word from each sentence — often leaving just a subject and a verb — sometimes not even that. What results is a novel that reads like you think. Ellroy is unforgiving in his pace — he refuses to slow down and explain things — so your first read can be challenging. But once you’re firmly entrenched in the mind of an Ellroy protagonist –- the unobstructed pace at which you receive their perceptions is something unique to literature.”

(Nov. 23, 2009, Garret Kenyon, Literary Kicks)

“What would be the Beethoven of cheese, what would be the Sibelius of cheeses? What would be the James Brown of cheeses? What poet or mathematician or cineaste most approximates fudge?”

(Nov. 19, 2009, Kirby Olson, Lutheran Surrealism)

“In Florence, a shirt bearing the No.10 on its back leads to great expectations. “Behind me I hear the footfalls of a giant,’ a young composer once said of Beethoven – and since Roberto Baggio, born and bred in the colour purple, could rightfully be called the Beethoven of Italian football, any youth product in the Fiorentina team could make that phrase his own. Federico Carraro is the first whose gait – and game – suggests that he is walking in the shadow of no-one.”

(Aug. 16, 2009, Andrea Tallarita, Football Italiano)

“Although she creates all the recipes, Jill Pomeroy can’t even taste them—she can’t eat chocolate.   She is truly an artist—the Beethoven of Brownies.”

(Aug. 5, 2009, Darryle Pollack, I never signed up for this…)

“I *LOVE* Halo, but… Duke would rip Chief’s head off and… Well, you know. Duke has naturally what it took years of training for Chief to get close to – he’s the Mozart of mass destruction, the Beethoven of badass, while Chief is some guy the military picked out and tried to turn into the raw killing machine that Duke is. Needless to say, despite all the training, augments, and gadgets, they just haven’t measured up to what is at core the ultimate alien ass kicker.”

(July 10, 2007, GameSpot Forums)

“I’ve been advised that Patsy Grimaldi, the Beethoven of brick-oven pizza, has sold his Brooklyn store and that it’s not what it used to be. If so, this is sad. I lived in Brooklyn Heights for seven years and used to go all the time. The Hoboken branch is still going strong, as this article from Pizza Today indicates. Yes, I have been to Lombardi’s and places in New Haven.”

(March 1, 2006, Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise)

Mark Peters is a language columnist and humorist who writes for Good, Visual Thesaurus and other mags, while maintaining too many blogs, including Wordlustitude, The Rosa Parks of Blogs, and The Pancake Proverbs.

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