brief biography of beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer whose Symphony 5 is a beloved classic. Some of his greatest works were composed while Beethoven was going deaf.

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(1770-1827)

Who Was Ludwig van Beethoven?

Controversial birthday, childhood abuse, beethoven and mozart, early career as a composer, beethoven and haydn, debut performance, personal life, was beethoven deaf, heiligenstadt testament, moonlight sonata, beethoven’s music, quick facts.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer widely considered to be one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time. His innovative compositions combined vocals and instruments, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto and quartet. He is the crucial transitional figure connecting the Classical and Romantic ages of Western music.

Beethoven’s personal life was marked by a struggle against deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was quite unable to hear. He died at the age of 56.

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Beethoven was born on or about December 16, 1770, in the city of Bonn in the Electorate of Cologne, a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Although his exact date of birth is uncertain, Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770.

As a matter of law and custom, babies at the time were baptized within 24 hours of birth, so December 16 is his most likely birthdate.

However, Beethoven himself mistakenly believed that he was born two years later, in 1772, and he stubbornly insisted on the incorrect date even when presented with official papers that proved beyond any reasonable doubt that 1770 was his true birth year.

Beethoven had two younger brothers who survived into adulthood: Caspar, born in 1774, and Johann, born in 1776. Beethoven's mother, Maria Magdalena van Beethoven, was a slender, genteel, and deeply moralistic woman.

His father, Johann van Beethoven, was a mediocre court singer better known for his alcoholism than any musical ability. However, Beethoven's grandfather, godfather and namesake, Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven, was Bonn's most prosperous and eminent musician, a source of endless pride for young Beethoven.

Sometime between the births of his two younger brothers, Beethoven's father began teaching him music with an extraordinary rigor and brutality that affected him for the rest of his life.

Neighbors provided accounts of the small boy weeping while he played the clavier, standing atop a footstool to reach the keys, his father beating him for each hesitation or mistake.

On a near daily basis, Beethoven was flogged, locked in the cellar and deprived of sleep for extra hours of practice. He studied the violin and clavier with his father as well as taking additional lessons from organists around town. Whether in spite of or because of his father's draconian methods, Beethoven was a prodigiously talented musician from his earliest days.

Hoping that his young son would be recognized as a musical prodigy à la Wolfgang Mozart , Beethoven's father arranged his first public recital for March 26, 1778. Billed as a "little son of 6 years," (Mozart's age when he debuted for Empress Maria Theresia ) although he was in fact 7, Beethoven played impressively, but his recital received no press whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the musical prodigy attended a Latin grade school named Tirocinium, where a classmate said, "Not a sign was to be discovered of that spark of genius which glowed so brilliantly in him afterwards."

Beethoven, who struggled with sums and spelling his entire life, was at best an average student, and some biographers have hypothesized that he may have had mild dyslexia. As he put it himself, "Music comes to me more readily than words."

In 1781, at the age of 10, Beethoven withdrew from school to study music full time with Christian Gottlob Neefe, the newly appointed Court Organist, and at the age of 12, Beethoven published his first composition, a set of piano variations on a theme by an obscure classical composer named Dressler.

By 1784, his alcoholism worsening and his voice decaying, Beethoven's father was no longer able to support his family, and Beethoven formally requested an official appointment as Assistant Court Organist. Despite his youth, his request was accepted, and Beethoven was put on the court payroll with a modest annual salary of 150 florins.

There is only speculation and inconclusive evidence that Beethoven ever met with Mozart, let alone studied with him. In an effort to facilitate his musical development, in 1787 the court sent Beethoven to Vienna, Europe’s capital of culture and music, where he hoped to study with Mozart.

Tradition has it that, upon hearing Beethoven, Mozart said, "Keep your eyes on him; someday he will give the world something to talk about.”

After only a few weeks in Vienna, Beethoven learned that his mother had fallen ill and he returned home to Bonn. Remaining there, Beethoven continued to carve out his reputation as the city's most promising young court musician.

When the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II died in 1790, a 19-year-old Beethoven received the immense honor of composing a musical memorial in his honor. For reasons that remain unclear, Beethoven's composition was never performed, and most assumed the young musician had proven unequal to the task.

However, more than a century later, Johannes Brahms discovered that Beethoven had in fact composed a "beautiful and noble" piece of music entitled Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II . It is now considered his earliest masterpiece.

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In 1792, with French revolutionary forces sweeping across the Rhineland into the Electorate of Cologne, Beethoven decided to leave his hometown for Vienna once again. Mozart had passed away a year earlier, leaving Joseph Haydn as the unquestioned greatest composer alive.

Haydn was living in Vienna at the time, and it was with Haydn that the young Beethoven now intended to study. As his friend and patron Count Waldstein wrote in a farewell letter, "Mozart's genius mourns and weeps over the death of his disciple. It found refuge, but no release with the inexhaustible Haydn; through him, now, it seeks to unite with another. By means of assiduous labor you will receive the spirit of Mozart from the hands of Haydn."

In Vienna, Beethoven dedicated himself wholeheartedly to musical study with the most eminent musicians of the age. He studied piano with Haydn, vocal composition with Antonio Salieri and counterpoint with Johann Albrechtsberger. Not yet known as a composer, Beethoven quickly established a reputation as a virtuoso pianist who was especially adept at improvisation.

Beethoven won many patrons among the leading citizens of the Viennese aristocracy, who provided him with lodging and funds, allowing Beethoven, in 1794, to sever ties with the Electorate of Cologne. Beethoven made his long-awaited public debut in Vienna on March 29, 1795.

Although there is considerable debate over which of his early piano concerti he performed that night, most scholars believe he played what is known as his "first" piano concerto in C Major. Shortly thereafter, Beethoven decided to publish a series of three piano trios as his Opus 1, which were an enormous critical and financial success.

In the first spring of the new century, on April 2, 1800, Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 1 in C major at the Royal Imperial Theater in Vienna. Although Beethoven would grow to detest the piece — "In those days I did not know how to compose," he later remarked — the graceful and melodious symphony nevertheless established him as one of Europe's most celebrated composers.

As the new century progressed, Beethoven composed piece after piece that marked him as a masterful composer reaching his musical maturity. His Six String Quartets, published in 1801, demonstrate complete mastery of that most difficult and cherished of Viennese forms developed by Mozart and Haydn.

Beethoven also composed The Creatures of Prometheus in 1801, a wildly popular ballet that received 27 performances at the Imperial Court Theater. It was around the same time that Beethoven discovered he was losing his hearing.

For a variety of reasons that included his crippling shyness and unfortunate physical appearance, Beethoven never married or had children. He was, however, desperately in love with a married woman named Antonie Brentano.

Over the course of two days in July of 1812, Beethoven wrote her a long and beautiful love letter that he never sent. Addressed "to you, my Immortal Beloved," the letter said in part, "My heart is full of so many things to say to you — ah — there are moments when I feel that speech amounts to nothing at all — Cheer up — remain my true, my only love, my all as I am yours."

The death of Beethoven's brother Caspar in 1815 sparked one of the great trials of his life, a painful legal battle with his sister-in-law, Johanna, over the custody of Karl van Beethoven, his nephew and her son.

The struggle stretched on for seven years, during which both sides spewed ugly defamations at the other. In the end, Beethoven won the boy's custody, though hardly his affection.

Despite his extraordinary output of beautiful music, Beethoven was lonely and frequently miserable throughout his adult life. Short-tempered, absent-minded, greedy and suspicious to the point of paranoia, Beethoven feuded with his brothers, his publishers, his housekeepers, his pupils and his patrons.

In one illustrative incident, Beethoven attempted to break a chair over the head of Prince Lichnowsky, one of his closest friends and most loyal patrons. Another time he stood in the doorway of Prince Lobkowitz's palace shouting for all to hear, "Lobkowitz is a donkey!"

For years, rumors have swirled that Beethoven had some African ancestry. These unfounded tales may be based on Beethoven's dark complexion or the fact that his ancestors came from a region of Europe that had once been invaded by the Spanish, and Moors from northern Africa were part of Spanish culture.

A few scholars have noted that Beethoven seemed to have an innate understanding of the polyrhythmic structures typical to some African music. However, no one during Beethoven's lifetime referred to the composer as Moorish or African, and the rumors that he was Black are largely dismissed by historians.

At the same time as Beethoven was composing some of his most immortal works, he was struggling to come to terms with a shocking and terrible fact, one that he tried desperately to conceal: He was going deaf.

By the turn of the 19th century, Beethoven struggled to make out the words spoken to him in conversation.

Beethoven revealed in a heart-wrenching 1801 letter to his friend Franz Wegeler, "I must confess that I lead a miserable life. For almost two years I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people: I am deaf. If I had any other profession, I might be able to cope with my infirmity; but in my profession it is a terrible handicap."

At times driven to extremes of melancholy by his affliction, Beethoven described his despair in a long and poignant note that he concealed his entire life.

Dated October 6, 1802, and referred to as "The Heiligenstadt Testament," it reads in part: "O you men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn or misanthropic, how greatly do you wrong me. You do not know the secret cause which makes me seem that way to you and I would have ended my life — it was only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed impossible to leave the world until I had brought forth all that I felt was within me."

Almost miraculously, despite his rapidly progressing deafness, Beethoven continued to compose at a furious pace.

From 1803 to 1812, what is known as his "middle" or "heroic" period, he composed an opera, six symphonies, four solo concerti, five string quartets, six-string sonatas, seven piano sonatas, five sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios, two sextets and 72 songs.

The most famous among these were the haunting Moonlight Sonata, symphonies No. 3-8, the Kreutzer violin sonata and Fidelio , his only opera.

In terms of the astonishing output of superlatively complex, original and beautiful music, this period in Beethoven's life is unrivaled by any other composer in history.

Some of Beethoven’s best-known compositions include:

Eroica: Symphony No. 3

In 1804, only weeks after Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor of France, Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 3 in Napoleon's honor. Beethoven, like all of Europe, watched with a mixture of awe and terror; he admired, abhorred and, to an extent, identified with Napoleon, a man of seemingly superhuman capabilities, only one year older than himself and also of obscure birth.

Later renamed the Eroica Symphony because Beethoven grew disillusioned with Napoleon, it was his grandest and most original work to date.

Because it was so unlike anything heard before it, the musicians could not figure out how to play it through weeks of rehearsal. A prominent reviewer proclaimed "Eroica" as "one of the most original, most sublime, and most profound products that the entire genre of music has ever exhibited."

Symphony No. 5

One of Beethoven’s best-known works among modern audiences, Symphony No. 5 is known for its ominous first four notes.

Beethoven began composing the piece in 1804, but its completion was delayed a few times for other projects. It premiered at the same time as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, in 1808 in Vienna.

In 1810, Beethoven completed Fur Elise (meaning “For Elise”), although it was not published until 40 years after his death. In 1867, it was discovered by a German music scholar, however Beethoven’s original manuscript has since been lost.

Some scholars have suggested it was dedicated to his friend, student and fellow musician, Therese Malfatti, to whom he allegedly proposed around the time of the song’s composition. Others said it was for the German soprano Elisabeth Rockel, another friend of Beethoven’s.

Symphony No. 7

Premiering in Vienna in 1813 to benefit soldiers wounded in the battle of Hanau, Beethoven began composing this, one of his most energetic and optimistic works, in 1811.

The composer called the piece “his most excellent symphony." The second movement is often performed separately from the rest of the symphony and may have been one of Beethoven’s most popular works.

Missa Solemnis

Debuting in 1824, this Catholic mass is considered among Beethoven’s finest achievements. Just under 90 minutes in length, the rarely-performed piece features a chorus, orchestra and four soloists.

Ode to Joy: Symphony No. 9

Beethoven’s ninth and final symphony, completed in 1824, remains the illustrious composer's most towering achievement. The symphony's famous choral finale, with four vocal soloists and a chorus singing the words of Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy," is perhaps the most famous piece of music in history.

While connoisseurs delighted in the symphony's contrapuntal and formal complexity, the masses found inspiration in the anthem-like vigor of the choral finale and the concluding invocation of "all humanity."

String Quartet No. 14

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 debuted in 1826. About 40 minutes in length, it contains seven linked movements played without a break.

The work was reportedly one of Beethoven’s favorite later quartets and has been described as one of the composer’s most elusive compositions musically.

Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, at the age of 56, of post-hepatitic cirrhosis of the liver.

The autopsy also provided clues to the origins of his deafness: While his quick temper, chronic diarrhea and deafness are consistent with arterial disease, a competing theory traces Beethoven's deafness to contracting typhus in the summer of 1796.

Scientists analyzing a remaining fragment of Beethoven's skull noticed high levels of lead and hypothesized lead poisoning as a potential cause of death, but that theory has been largely discredited.

Beethoven is widely considered one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, composer of all time. Beethoven's body of musical compositions stands with William Shakespeare 's plays at the outer limits of human brilliance.

And the fact Beethoven composed his most beautiful and extraordinary music while deaf is an almost superhuman feat of creative genius, perhaps only paralleled in the history of artistic achievement by John Milton writing Paradise Lost while blind.

Summing up his life and imminent death during his last days, Beethoven, who was never as eloquent with words as he was with music, borrowed a tagline that concluded many Latin plays at the time. Plaudite, amici, comoedia finita est , he said. "Applaud friends, the comedy is over."

FULL NAME: Ludwig van Beethoven BORN: December 1770 BIRTHPLACE: Bonn, Germany DIED: March 26, 1827 DEATHPLACE: Vienna, Austria ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

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• Never shall I forget the time I spent with you. Please continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.
• Anyone who tells a lie has not a pure heart and cannot make good soup.
• Love demands all and has a right to all.
• Recommend to your children virtues that alone can make them happy. Not gold.
• I shall seize fate by the throat.
• Music is the mediator between the spiritual and sensual life.
• To play without passion is inexcusable!
• Ever thine, ever mine, ever ours.
• Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.
• Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.

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Beethoven Biography

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) is one of the most widely respected composers of classical music. He played a crucial role in the transition from classical to romantic music and is considered one of the greatest composers of all time.

“Music is … A higher revelation than all Wisdom and Philosophy”

– Beethoven

Beethoven was born 16 December 1770 in Bonn (now part of Germany) From an early age, Beethoven was introduced to music. His first teacher was his father who was also very strict. Beethoven was frequently beaten for his failure to practise correctly. Once his mother protested at his father’s violent beatings, but she was beaten too. It is said, Beethoven resolved to become a great pianist so his mother would never be beaten.

Beethoven’s talent as a piano virtuoso was recognised by Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein. He sponsored the young Beethoven and this enabled him to travel to Vienna, where Mozart resided. It was hoped Beethoven would be able to learn under the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , but it is not clear whether the two ever met. Mozart was to die shortly, but Beethoven was able to spend time with the great composer Joseph Haydn, who taught him many things.

Rather than working for the church, Beethoven relied on private donations from various benefactors. However, while many loved his music, they were often not forthcoming with donations and Beethoven sometimes struggled to raise enough finance. He complained about the way artists like him were treated.

“One clashes with stupidity of all kinds. And then how much money must be spent in advance! The way in which artists are treated is really scandalous… Believe me, there is nothing to be done for artists in times like these.” – Beethoven

His situation was made more difficult by his mother’s early death and his father’s descent into alcoholism; this led to Beethoven being responsible for his two brothers.

Beethoven by August Klober, 1818

Beethoven was widely regarded as a great musician, though his habits were unconventional for the social circles which he moved in. He was untidy, clumsy and (by all accounts) ugly. All attempts to make Beethoven behave failed. On one occasion, Beethoven pushed his way up to the Archduke saying it was impossible for him to follow the many rules of social behaviour. The Archduke smiled and said – ‘we will have to accept Beethoven as he is.’ Beethoven himself had great faith in his own capacities, referring to the princes at court.

“There are and always will be thousands of princes, but there is only one Beethoven!”

Beethoven’s music was also unconventional, he explored new ideas and left behind the old conventions on style and form. His freer and explorative musical ideas caused estrangement with his more classical teachers like Haydn and Salieri.

From his early 20s, Beethoven experienced a slow deterioration in his hearing, which eventually left him completely deaf.

Beethoven once said:

“Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.”

Beethoven by Mahler, 1815

Yet, despite his deafness and the frustration this caused him, Beethoven was still able to compose music of the highest quality. He was still able to inwardly hear the most sublime music. However, his deafness meant he struggled to perform with an orchestral backing, as he often fell out of time. This caused the great pianist to be ridiculed by the public, causing much distress. As a result, he retreated more into his private world of composition. Despite these later difficulties, his most widely admired works were composed in this difficult last 15 years. This included the great works Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony – both finished shortly before his death. The Ninth Symphony was groundbreaking in creating a choral symphony from different voices singing separate lines to create a common symphony. The final part of the symphony (often referred to as “Ode to Joy”) is a symbolic musical representation of universal brotherhood. It was a fitting climax to Beethoven’s unique musical creativity and life. Beethoven considered music as one of the greatest contributors to a higher philosophy.

Beethoven was also a supporter of the Enlightenment movement sweeping Europe. He was going to dedicate a great symphony to Napoléon , whom Beethoven believed was going to defend the ideals of the French Republic. However, when Napoléon’s imperial ambitions were made known, Beethoven scratched out his name so powerfully, he tore a hole in the paper.

Religious views of Beethoven

Beethoven was born and raised a Catholic. His mother was a devout Catholic and sought to share her religious views with her children. Beethoven was considered a fairly moral person, he recommended the virtues of religion to those around him and encouraged his nephew to attend mass.

“Recommend to your children virtues, that alone can make them happy, not gold.”

In his mid-life, his deafness and stomach pains created something of a spiritual crisis in Beethoven. He stopped attending Mass regularly and looked to a wider source of spiritual inspiration. One of his favourite works was Reflections on the Works of God and His Providence Throughout All Nature by a Lutheran Pastor which praised the ‘romantic’ view of the value of nature. Beethoven also became interested in Hindu religious texts and expressed belief in a Supreme Being in a language which was not overtly Catholic. Beethoven wrote

” O God! – you have no threefold being and are independent of everything, you are the true, eternal, blessed, unchangeable light of all time and space.” – Beethoven’s Letters with explanatory notes by Dr. A.C. Kalischer (trans. J.S. Shedlock ), 1926.

Beethoven never formally left the Catholic Church, but some identify him more the tradition of Theists – those who believe in God but don’t follow a particular religion. Others suggest that Beethoven remained a Catholic, but he just redefined Catholicism in a more liberal understanding to accommodate the current enlightenment thinking and his own spiritual exploration of music. In terms of music, he did compose specific religious music such as Missa Solemnis – the great choral symphony. When asked whether he thought this work was intended for church or the concert hall, Beethoven replied that such a distinction was not so important.

“My chief aim was to awaken and permanently instill religious feelings not only into the singers but also into the listeners.” ( link )

• For piano: Sonata in C sharp minor, op. 27, nr. 2 “The Moonlight Sonata”
• For piano: Sonata in C minor, op. 13, “Pathetique”
• Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”; in E flat major (Op. 55)
• Symphony No. 5 in C minor
• Symphony No. 9 in D minor, including well known “Ode to Joy”.
• Missa Solemnis D Major, Op. 123
• Piano Concerto no. 5 “Emperor” in E flat major op. 73

Beethoven’s Death

For the last few months of his life, Beethoven was confined to his bed with illness. Amongst his last view visitors was the younger composer Franz Schubert , who had been deeply inspired by Beethoven. Beethoven, in return, expressed great admiration for the works of Schubert and said of him “Schubert has my soul.” Beethoven’s last words were reported to be:

“Plaudite, amici, comedia finita est. (Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over.) and Ich werde im Himmel hören! (I will hear in heaven!)”

He died on 26 March 1827, aged 56. The precise cause of death is uncertain, but, he had significant liver damage – due to either the accumulation of lead poisoning or excess alcohol consumption. Over 20,000 people are said to have lined the streets of Vienna for his funeral. Though Beethoven had a difficult temperament, and although his music was sometimes too visionary for the general public, Beethoven was deeply appreciated for his unique contribution to music.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Beethoven”, Oxford, UK.  www.biographyonline.net , 28th May 2008. Last updated 1 February 2020.

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer of Classical and Romantic music ; he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians to have ever lived. Most famous for his nine symphonies, piano concertos, piano sonatas, and string quartets, Beethoven was a great innovator and very probably the most influential composer in the history of music.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, on 16 December 1770. His grandfather was the director of music ( Kapellmeister ) to the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne at Bonn and his father, Johann van Beethoven (c. 1740-1792), worked at the same court as both an instrumentalist and tenor singer. Ludwig's mother was a head cook in the palace . Ludwig had only two other surviving siblings, his younger brothers Caspar Anton Carl (b. 1774) and Nikolaus Johann (b. 1776). Ludwig's father was keen for Ludwig to develop his obvious musical skills but went rather overboard so that his eldest son spent so much time practising on the piano he did not have a lot of time left for all the other things children need to learn to become rounded adults. Johann was violent and an alcoholic, so there was not much that could be done against his wishes.

Ludwig's musical education continued at the Cologne court from 1779 under the tutorship of the organist and composer Christian Neefe (1748-1798). Ludwig impressed, and he was made the assistant court organist in 1781, and the next year, he was appointed the court orchestra's harpsichordist. Already composing his own pieces, Ludwig's work was catalogued by his teacher and a set of keyboard variations was published in 1782. Three of Ludwig's piano sonatas were published in 1783. In a smart move, Ludwig dedicated his sonatas to the Elector, and although he died that year, the next Elector saw fit to keep him on in the court orchestra.

In 1787, Ludwig was all set to go to Vienna where it was arranged he would take lessons from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Although he made it to Vienna, when Ludwig's mother became ill, he was obliged to return home after only two weeks. Unfortunately, Ludwig did not manage to return to Bonn before his mother died, likely of tuberculosis. In 1789, Johann van Beethoven had descended deeper into alcoholism and grief so that Ludwig was obliged to take over responsibility for his family's affairs, which included controlling half of his father's salary. A second opportunity to learn from a master came in 1792 when Ludwig was given leave to study under Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), who was also in Vienna. The music of both Mozart and Haydn influenced Beethoven in the first stage of his career as a composer, as did the guidance of another teacher, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736-1809), particularly regarding counterpoint.

Character & Family

Beethoven was "stocky, swarthy, with an ugly, red, pock-marked face – and [with] rather a boorish manner" (Wade-Matthews, 333). The music historian C. Schonberg paints an even grimmer picture of the composer:

Never a beauty, he was called Der Spagnol in his youth because of his swarthiness. He was short, about 5 feet, 4 inches, thickset and broad, with a massive head, a wildly luxuriant crop of hair, protruding teeth, a small rounded nose, and a habit of spitting wherever the notion took him. He was clumsy, and anything he touched was liable to be upset or broken…He was sullen and suspicious, touchy as a misanthropic cobra, believed that everybody was out to cheat him, had none of the social graces , was forgetful, was prone to insensate rages, engaged in some unethical dealings with his publishers. A bachelor, he lived in indescribably messy surroundings, largely because no servant could put up with his tantrums. (109)

Like his father, Beethoven found alcohol difficult to resist. His great passion besides music was nature. As Countess Therese von Brunsvik once wrote in a letter: "He loved to be alone with nature, to make her his only confidante" (Osborne). Beethoven himself once said, "I love a tree more than a man" ( ibid ); he once even refused to rent a house when he found it had no trees in the vicinity.

Beethoven's love interests remain obscure. To name but a few, the composer may have proposed to the singer Magdalena Willmann in the 1790s, to Countess Josephine Deym in 1805, and to Therese Malfatti in 1810, but nothing came of such reckless and socially impossible declarations of love if indeed they were ever made. Beethoven fell in love with a woman he described in a July 1812 letter as Unsterbliche Geliebte ("Immortal Beloved"), although the letter was never sent (after the composer's death , it was found in a secret drawer of his cashbox). The intended recipient may have been the already-married Antonie Brentano, his friend Bettina Brentano's sister-in- law ; another candidate is the pianist Dorothea von Ertmann. The common feature of Beethoven's objects of desire is that they were all utterly unattainable unless the ladies were prepared to ruin themselves, perhaps that was the subconscious and real desire of an impossibly eccentric man who seemed unable to live with anyone, man or woman.

In 1815, Beethoven, after his brother Caspar's untimely death, took on the role of the legal guardian of his nephew Karl, although the pair had a troubled relationship. Beethoven sought to exclude Karl's mother from being Karl's protector – he disapproved of her low education and poor reputation – but he had to engage in a lengthy legal battle to win his case. Karl could not cope with the mood swings of his uncle, and he attempted suicide in August 1826. Managing only to graze his scalp with one of the two shots he fired, Karl survived and left his uncle for good by joining the army.

Move to Vienna

Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, and he would live there for the rest of his life. His father's death in December 1792 may have convinced the composer he had insufficient reasons to ever go back to Bonn. Beethoven quickly established a reputation in what was then the musical capital of Europe for being a superb improviser, frequently performing on piano in the homes of the wealthy. One newspaper reported on Beethoven's piano style in the following terms: "He is greatly admired for the velocity of his playing, and astounds everybody by the way he can master the greatest difficulties with ease" (Wade-Matthews, 333). Beethoven's career was boosted by the patronage of Prince Lichnowsky who even gave the composer use of rooms in his palace. Various other music-loving nobles helped the composer financially throughout his career.

Beethoven's method of writing new music was "strikingly different from that of his predecessors, in that he made a vast amount of rough drafting and sketching for each work. Although many of these sketches were discarded or lost, a large number survive – probably about 10,000 pages altogether, with nearly all his works represented" (Sadie, 164-5). Beethoven may have been slovenly in his personal habits, but he was meticulous when it came to writing his music; he checked all his published works and frequently sent corrections to the publishers, exhorting them to ensure the printers put all the dots in the right places.

On 29 March 1795 in Vienna's Burgtheater, Beethoven gave his first public performance, choosing to highlight a new piano concerto he had composed. More piano works were published over the next few years as Beethoven established himself as a piano virtuoso of distinction. He published works of chamber music for piano, violin, cello, and wind instruments, and embarked on several concert tours that took in major cities like Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, and Pressburg (modern Bratislava). From 1799 to 1801, he wrote the Pathétique piano sonata, the Moonlight piano sonata (a name coined after a critic wrote that the music reminded him of moonlight over Lake Lucerne). The Moonlight sonata was dedicated to Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The 1801 string quartets are considered by many to be Beethoven's finest works of chamber music. It was also in this period that Beethoven turned to a new format for him, the symphony. Music would never be quite the same again.

The Symphonies

Beethoven's First Symphony was completed in 1800, and the Second Symphony was completed in 1802. They displayed the composer's innovative use of musical motifs rather than the more traditional emphasis on lyrical themes, and wind instruments were given a greater role than was traditional. Another innovation, first seen in the Second Symphony, was to replace the third movement "minuet and trio" with a lively scherzo on either side of a slower mid-section. The Second Symphony, which premiered in April 1803, was an altogether grander affair than the First and is surprisingly joyous considering the composer's health problems at the time (see below), but it was ultimately outshone by the Third Symphony, Eroica , which was completed in 1803. Eroica is double the length of a normal symphony. The composer dedicated it to Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), although he later withdrew the dedication when Napoleon took on the title of Emperor of the French in 1804. Regarded by Beethoven himself as his finest symphony besides the Ninth and often cited by music critics as one of the greatest of any symphony by any composer, a highlight is the dramatic Funeral March.

The Fourth Symphony was completed in 1806 and contains what music critic Richard Osborne describes as "the loveliest of the Beethoven symphonic adagios." The Fifth and Sixth Symphonies both received their premieres in December 1808. The Fifth featured the trombone, a first in Beethoven's work, and shows the composer's increasing interest in repeating motifs and blending the different movements into a single narrative whole while also minimising the breaks between the movements. The author E. M. Forster (1879-1970) described in words the music of the Fifth Symphony as "Gusts of splendour, gods and demi-gods contending with vast swords, colour and fragrance broadcast in the field of battle, magnificent victory, magnificent death" (Osborne). The Sixth Symphony is also titled the Pastoral since it contains musical interpretations of birds singing, thunderstorm, and a rural festival. There are unusual instruments to enhance these effects, for example, the alphorn.

The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies were composed in 1811 and 1812, respectively. The second movement of the Seventh Symphony was especially popular with audiences. Fellow composer Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) was enraptured by the Eighth Symphony: "one of those creations for which there is no model and no parallel, something that falls just as it is from heaven into the artist's head…and we are transfixed as we listen to it" (Kunze). Audiences preferred the Seventh Symphony, which slightly annoyed Beethoven since he felt the Eighth was better.

The Ninth Symphony, titled Choral , was completed in 1824 and premiered on 7 May that year at Vienna's Kärntnertor Theatre . Despite being almost totally deaf by then, Beethoven conducted the premiere himself. The symphony's title derives from Beethoven's innovative use of vocals in the finale. The work was inspired by the ode An die Freude ('To Joy') by Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805).

Health Problems

Beethoven was at the peak of his powers and fame when he suffered a cruel blow to his health. The composer realised around 1798 that he was losing his power of hearing. Doctors confirmed Beethoven's fears in 1800, but the cause remains unknown. The composer first lost the ability to hear higher notes, and his hearing deteriorated from there over the following years, although there were brief periods of improvement.

Beethoven expressed the trauma of this discovery in a letter which has become known as the Heiligenstadt Testament , named after the country retreat outside Vienna where the composer often spent time. The letter, written in 1802, was addressed to Beethoven's brothers (but never actually sent) and included such dark thoughts as: "For me there can be no pleasure in human society, no intelligent conversation, no mutual confidences. I must live like an outcast." He contemplated suicide but was driven on by his music: "It seemed impossible to leave the world before I had accomplished all I was destined to do" (Wade-Matthews, 334). Beethoven began to use an ear trumpet, but he could not hear at all by 1818. Fortunately, like many musicians, Beethoven could 'hear' notes pitch perfectly in his head, and so he could continue to compose.

Other Works

Beethoven wrote a successful ballet in 1801, Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus ( The Creatures of Prometheus ) – the main theme was reused in the composer's Third Symphony. Beethoven wrote his only opera, Fidelio (initially known as Leonore ), in 1805 and then revised it in 1814. Some of the score of Fidelio was recycled by the composer from his 1790 cantata intended to mark the death of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 1765-1790). The composer lived in turbulent times. The decade-long French Revolution (1789-1799) rocked Europe, and Austria and France were at war . The story of Fidelio is set in Spain during the 18th century, but the plot, where an innocent man is imprisoned but rescued by his wife, was inspired by a story set during the French Revolution. Unfortunately for Beethoven, his original three-act opera had just two performances at the Theater an der Wien before it was closed down because Napoleon's army took possession of Vienna.

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Beethoven returned to instrumental music with his 1806 Violin Concerto and, in the same year, his "Razumovsky" quartets, named after the Russian Count Andrey Razumovsky, ambassador in Vienna, to whom he dedicated the work. In 1809, Beethoven completed his Fifth Piano Concerto, titled Emperor since it was dedicated to his patron Archduke Rudolph of Austria.

Although financially secure from the middle of his career, Beethoven's descended into odder and odder behaviour as he grew older. By 1820, he was "considered a great composer, but as a man completely eccentric, even mad. Careless of his dress, drinking a bottle of wine at each meal…communicating with his friends by means of conversation books, he seemed almost at the end of his career" (Arnold, 195).

In 1822, Beethoven composed an overture, The Consecration of the House, to mark the grand opening of the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna. The same year he composed his Missa solemnis, which ended up being premiered at a concert with the Ninth Symphony. Beethoven described the Missa solemnis as his finest work.

Just as Beethoven was obliged to retract from society because of his deafness so his final work became more detached from its audience. His last piano sonatas and string quartets "are introspective works, not intended to be 'understood' or applauded in the conventional sense. They are the work of a man who had withdrawn into an inner life, which could only be expressed through the medium of pure, abstract music" (Wade-Matthews, 337). He continued to innovate; his quartets expand on the usual four movements, for example, and his piano sonatas from this period "upset traditional formal patterns, altering the standard number and order of movements; the thematic material is fragmentary; and fugal writing is given an increasing prominence" (Arnold, 195). And there was still to come the Ninth Symphony in 1824, the work which inspired almost all of the Romantic composers yet to come.

Beethoven's Most Famous Works

Nine Symphonies (1800-1824) Six string quartets Around 90 songs Pathétique piano sonata (1798) Moonlight piano sonata (1801) Kreutzer Sonata for violin and piano (1803) Apassionata piano sonata (1804-5) Fidelio opera (1805 & 1814) Violin Concerto (1806) Razumovsky Quartets (1806) Coriolan overture (1807) Emperor piano concerto (1809) Egmont overture (1809-10) Archduke trio (1811) Diabelli Variations on a Waltz (1823) Missa solemnis (1823)

Death & Legacy

In later years, Beethoven suffered from liver disease, likely a consequence of his heavy drinking, and his health in general suffered from the hit-and-miss medical treatments he was subjected to by his doctors. Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna on 26 March 1827. The composer was given a public funeral, and the procession was said to have been watched by a crowd of 10,000 people, some said there was double that figure. For many critics and music lovers, Beethoven's music reflects his life: "What his music does convey is an immense ability to overcome misfortune and suffering and a sense of repose and calm when the struggle is over" (Arnold, 196). The celebrated music historian D. Arnold goes on to summarise the composer's influence on all who followed:

Never has a composer had such an influence on his successors…Many composers followed his example by introducing a chorus into a symphony, basing a symphony on a programme, linking movements thematically, opening a concerto without an orchestral ritornello , expanding the possibilities of key structure within a movement or a work, introducing new instruments into the symphony orchestra, and so on…he lifted music from its role as sheer entertainment and made music not the servant of religious observance, but its object. (196).

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Bibliography

• Arnold, Denis. The New Oxford Companion to Music . Oxford University Press, 1983.
• Kunze, Stefan. "Liner Notes - Beethoven Symphonie No 8." Deutsche Grammophon , 1996.
• Osborne, Richard. "Liner notes - Beethoven 9 Symphonies." Deutsche Grammophon , 1988.
• Sadie, S. et al. Classical Music Encyclopedia& Expanded Edition . Flame Tree Music, 2014.
• Schonberg, Harold. The Lives of the Great Composers. Abacus, 1998.
• Steen, Michael. The Lives and Times of the Great Composers. Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Wade-Matthews, M. et al. The Encyclopedia of Music. Lorenz Books, 2020.

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Introduction.

The composer Ludwig van Beethoven created some of the most influential music in history. He transformed many traditional forms of Western classical music . For example, he set new standards for the symphony, creating longer pieces that expressed important ideas and deep feelings rather than just serving as entertainment. His works include nine symphonies, one opera, and many pieces for small groups and for piano and other solo instruments.

Early Life and Career

In 1787 Beethoven went to Vienna hoping to study with the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . He had to return home right away, however, because his mother was sick. Five years later Beethoven settled in Vienna permanently. By that time Mozart had died, but Beethoven was able to study with Joseph Haydn and other famous composers.

Growing Fame and Deafness

Beethoven became known as a highly skilled piano player. Many of Vienna’s wealthy residents enjoyed his music and gave him money to live on. In 1800 he performed some of his works at a large public concert in Vienna. This event helped him become widely famous.

In the late 1790s Beethoven began to lose his hearing. For some time he continued to compose and perform as before. But by 1819 Beethoven had become totally deaf. From then on he no longer performed much in public, spending most of his energy composing music.

In his last years Beethoven created longer and more complicated pieces. In 1824 he conducted the first performance of his Ninth Symphony with great success despite being unable to hear the music. Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827. The masterpieces he created continue to be performed nearly two centuries after his death.

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Ludwig van Beethoven - Biography

Ludwig van Beethoven Biography

Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized December 17, 1770 – March 26, 1827) was a German composer of Classical music , the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest of composers, and his reputation inspired – and in some cases intimidated – composers, musicians, and audiences who were to come after him.

Life and work

Beethoven was born in Bonn , Germany , to Johann van Beethoven (1740-1792), of Flemish origins, and Magdalena Keverich van Beethoven (1744-1787). Until relatively recently 16 December was shown in many reference works as Beethoven's 'date of birth', since we know he was baptised on 17 December and children at that time were generally baptised the day after their birth. However modern scholarship declines to rely on such assumptions.

Beethoven's first music teacher was his father, who worked as a musician in the Electoral court at Bonn, but was also an alcoholic who beat him and unsuccessfully attempted to exhibit him as a child prodigy . However, Beethoven's talent was soon noticed by others. He was given instruction and employment by Christian Gottlob Neefe , as well as financial sponsorship by the Prince-Elector. Beethoven's mother died when he was 17, and for several years he was responsible for raising his two younger brothers.

Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792, where he studied with Joseph Haydn and other teachers. He quickly established a reputation as a piano virtuoso , and more slowly as a composer. He settled into the career pattern he would follow for the remainder of his life: rather than working for the church or a noble court (as most composers before him had done), he was a freelancer , supporting himself with public performances, sales of his works, and stipends from noblemen who recognized his ability.

Beethoven's career as a composer is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods.

In the Early period, he is seen as emulating his great predecessors Haydn and Mozart , at the same time exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets , the first two piano concertos , and about a dozen piano sonatas , including the famous 'Path�tique' .

The Middle period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis centering around deafness , and is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle; these include many of the most famous works of classical music. The Middle period works include six symphonies (Nos. 3 – 8), the last three piano concertos and his only violin concerto , six string quartets (Nos. 7 – 11), many piano sonatas (including the 'Moonlight' , 'Waldstein' , and 'Appassionata' ), and Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio .

Beethoven's Late period began around 1816 and lasted until Beethoven ceased to compose in 1826. The late works are greatly admired for their intellectual depth and their intense, highly personal expression. They include the Ninth Symphony (the 'Choral'), the Missa Solemnis , the last six string quartets and the last five piano sonatas.

Beethoven's personal life was troubled. Around age 28 he started to become deaf, a calamity which led him for some time to contemplate suicide . He was attracted to unattainable (married or aristocratic) women, whom he idealized; he never married. A period of low productivity from about 1812 to 1816 is thought by some scholars to have been the result of depression , resulting from Beethoven's realization that he would never marry. Beethoven quarreled, often bitterly, with his relatives and others, and frequently behaved badly to other people. He moved often from dwelling to dwelling, and had strange personal habits such as wearing filthy clothing while washing compulsively. He often had financial troubles.

It is common for listeners to perceive an echo of Beethoven's life in his music, which often depicts struggle followed by triumph. This description is often applied to Beethoven's creation of masterpieces in the face of his severe personal difficulties.

Beethoven was often in poor health, and in 1826 his health took a drastic turn for the worse. His death in the following year is usually attributed to liver disease.

(See also History of sonata form , Romantic music )

Musical style and innovations

Beethoven is viewed as a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras of musical history. As far as musical form is concerned, he built on the principles of sonata form and motivic development that he had inherited from Haydn and Mozart, but greatly extended them, writing longer and more ambitious movements. The work of Beethoven's Middle period is celebrated for its frequently heroic expression, and the works of his Late period for their intellectual depth.

Personal beliefs and their musical influence

Beethoven was much taken by the ideals of the Enlightenment and by the growing Romanticism in Europe. He initially dedicated his third symphony, the Eroica (Italian for 'heroic'), to Napoleon in the belief that the general would sustain the democratic and republican ideals of the French Revolution , but in 1804 crossed out the dedication as Napoleon's imperial ambitions became clear, replacing it with 'to the memory of a great man'. The fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony features an elaborate choral setting of Schiller 's ode An die Freude ('To Joy'), an optimistic hymn championing the brotherhood of humanity.

Scholars disagree on Beethoven's religious beliefs and the role they played in his work. For discussion, see Beethoven's religious beliefs .

Beethoven the Romantic?

A continuing controversy surrounding Beethoven is whether he was a Romantic composer. As documented elsewhere, since the meanings of the word 'Romantic' and the definition of the period 'Romanticism' both vary by discipline, Beethoven's inclusion as a member of that movement or period must be looked at in context.

If we consider the Romantic movement as an aesthetic epoch in literature and the arts generally, Beethoven sits squarely in the first half, along with literary Romantics such as the German poets Goethe and Schiller (whose texts both he and the much more straightforwardly Romantic Franz Schubert drew on for songs), and the English poet Percy Shelley . He was also called a Romantic by contemporaries such as Spohr and E.T.A. Hoffman . He is often considered the composer of the first Song Cycle , and was influenced by Romantic folk idioms, for example in his use of the work of Robert Burns . He set dozens of such poems (and arranged folk melodies) for voice, piano, and violin.

If on the other hand we consider the context of musicology , where ' Romanticism ' is dated later, the matter is one of considerably greater debate. For some experts Beethoven is not a Romantic, and his being one is 'a myth'; for others he stands as a transitional figure, or an immediate precursor to Romanticism; for others he is the prototypical, or even archetypical, Romantic composer, complete with myth of heroic genius and individuality. The marker buoy of Romanticism has been pushed back and forth several times by scholarship, and remains a subject of intense debate, in no small part because Beethoven is seen as a seminal figure. To those for whom the Enlightenment represents the basis of Modernity , he must therefore be unequivocally a Classicist, while for those who see the Romantic sensibility as a key to later aesthetics (including the aesthetics of our own time), he must be a Romantic. Between these two extremes there are, of course, innumerable gradations.

• Category:Beethoven compositions
• List of works by Beethoven is a listing of most of Beethoven's works, including links to all of the works discussed in their own Wikipedia article.
• Three-key exposition

External links

• Ludwig van Beethoven: A Musical Titan  ( http://www.carolinaclassical.com/articles/beethoven.html )
• Wikiquote - Quotes by and about Ludwig van Beethoven  ( http://wikiquote.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven )
• Works of Beethoven (including some sheet music)  ( http://www.gutenberg.net/author/Beethoven,+Ludwig+van ) from Project Gutenberg
• Beethoven's Heiligenstadt Testament  ( http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/beethoven_heiligenstadt.html )
• Ludwig van Beethoven  ( http://klasyka.host.sk/en/kompozytor.php?k=beethoven ) from Encyclopedia of Composers  ( http://klasyka.host.sk/en/ )
• Piano Society.com - Beethoven  ( http://www.pianosociety.com/index.php?id=12 ) (A small biography and various free recordings)
• Beethoven's Sheet Music  ( http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?Composer=BeethovenLv&preview=1 ) by Mutopia Project
• Beethoven Haus Bonn  ( http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de ) , contains a large archive of historic and modern documents related to Beethoven
• Article about Beethoven’s study of Bach, as it relates to his music  ( http://www.schillerinstitute.org/fid_97-01/002-3bach_beethoven.html ) (and to this work)
• Beethoven Website  ( http://www.beethoven.ws ) , features Beethoven's biography, timeline and pictures.

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Ludwig van Beethoven summary

Know about the life of ludwig van beethoven and some of his famous compositions.

Ludwig van Beethoven , (baptized Dec. 17, 1770, Bonn, archbishopric of Cologne—died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria), German composer. Born to a musical family, he was a precociously gifted pianist and violist. After nine years as a court musician in Bonn, he moved to Vienna to study with Joseph Haydn and remained there for the rest of his life. He was soon well known as both a virtuoso and a composer, and he became the first important composer to earn a successful living while forsaking employment in the church or court. He uniquely straddled the Classical and Romantic eras. Rooted in the traditions of Haydn and Mozart, his art also encompassed the new spirit of humanism expressed in the works of German Romantic writers as well as in the ideals of the French Revolution, with its passionate concern for the freedom and dignity of the individual. His astonishing Third ( Eroica ) Symphony (1804) was the thunderclap that announced the Romantic century, and it embodies the titanic but rigorously controlled energy that was the hallmark of his style. He began to lose his hearing from c. 1795; by c. 1819 he was totally deaf. For his last 15 years he was unrivaled as the world’s most famous composer. In musical form he was a considerable innovator, widening the scope of sonata , symphony , concerto , and string quartet. His greatest achievement was to raise instrumental music, hitherto considered inferior to vocal, to the highest plane of art. His works include the celebrated 9 symphonies; 16 string quartets; 32 piano sonatas; the opera Fidelio (1805, rev. 1814); 2 masses, including the Missa Solemnis (1823); 5 piano concertos; a violin concerto (1806); 6 piano trios; 10 violin sonatas; 5 cello sonatas; and several concert overtures.

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Ludwig van Beethoven Biography

Born: December 16, 1770 Bonn, Germany Died: March 26, 1827 Vienna, Austria German composer

German composer Ludwig van Beethoven is considered one of the most important figures in the history of music. He continued to compose even while losing his hearing and created some of his greatest works after becoming totally deaf.

Early years in Bonn

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, on December 16, 1770. He was the eldest of three children of Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven. His father, a musician who liked to drink, taught him to play piano and violin. Young Ludwig was often pulled out of bed in the middle of the night and ordered to perform for his father's drinking companions, suffering beatings if he protested. As Beethoven developed, it became clear that to reach artistic maturity he would have to leave Bonn for a major musical center.

At the age of twelve Beethoven was a promising keyboard player and a talented pupil in composition of the court organist Christian Gottlob Neefe (1748–1798). He even filled in as church organist when Neefe was out of town. In 1783 Beethoven's first published work, a set of keyboard pieces, appeared, and in the 1780s he produced portions of a number of later works. In 1787 he traveled to Vienna, Austria, apparently to seek out Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) as a teacher. He was forced to return to Bonn to care for his ailing mother, who died several months later. His father died in 1792.

Years in Vienna

In 1792 Beethoven went back to Vienna to study with the famous composer Joseph Haydn (1732–1809). Beethoven was not totally satisfied with Haydn's teaching, though, and he turned to musicians of lesser talent for extra instruction. Beethoven rapidly proceeded to make his mark as a brilliant keyboard performer and as a gifted young composer with a number of works to his credit. In 1795 his first mature published works appeared, and his career was officially launched.

Beethoven lived in Vienna from 1792 to his death in 1827, unmarried, among a circle of friends, independent of any kind of official position or private service. He rarely traveled, apart from summers in the countryside. In 1796 he made a trip to northern Germany, where his schedule included a visit to the court of King Frederick William of Prussia, an amateur cellist. Later Beethoven made several trips to Budapest, Hungary. In 1808 Beethoven received an invitation to become music director at Kassel, Germany. This alarmed several of his wealthy Viennese friends, who formed a group of backers and agreed to guarantee Beethoven an annual salary of 1,400 florins to keep him in Vienna. He thus became one of the first musicians in history to be able to live independently on his music salary.

Personal and professional problems

Although publishers sought out Beethoven and he was an able manager of his own business affairs, he was at the mercy of the crooked publishing practices of his time. Publishers paid a fee to composers for rights to their works, but there was no system of copyrights (the exclusive right to sell and copy a published work) or royalties (profits based on public performances of the material) at the time. As each new work appeared, Beethoven sold it to one or more of the best and most reliable publishers. But this initial payment was all he would receive, and both he and his publisher had to contend with rival publishers who brought out editions of their own. As a result Beethoven saw his works published in many different versions that were unauthorized, unchecked, and often inaccurate. Several times during his life in Vienna Beethoven started plans for a complete, authorized edition of his works, but these plans were never realized.

Beethoven's deafness and his temper contributed to his reputation as an unpleasant personality. But reliable accounts and a careful reading of Beethoven's letters reveal him to be a powerful and self-conscious man, totally involved in his creative work but alert to its practical side as well, and one who is sometimes willing to change to meet current demands. For example, he wrote some works on commission, such as his cantata (a narrative poem set to music) for the Congress of Vienna, 1814.

Examining Beethoven

Beethoven's deafness affected his social life, and it must have changed his personality deeply. In any event, his development as an artist would probably have caused a crisis in his relationship to the musical and social life of the time sooner or later. In his early years he wrote as a pianist-composer for an immediate and receptive public; in his last years he wrote for himself. Common in Beethoven biographies is the focus on Beethoven's awareness of current events and ideas, especially his attachment to the ideals of the French Revolution (1789–99; the revolt of the French middle class to end absolute power by French kings) and his faith in the brotherhood of men, as expressed in his lifelong goal of composing a version of "Ode to Joy," by Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805), realized at last in the Ninth Symphony. Also frequently mentioned is his genuine love of nature and outdoor life.

No one had ever heard anything like Beethoven's last works; they were too advanced for audiences and even professional musicians for some time after his death in 1827. Beethoven was aware of this. It seems, however, he expected later audiences to have a greater understanding of and appreciation for them. Beethoven reportedly told a visitor who was confused by some of his later pieces, "They are not for you but for a later age."

For More Information

Autexier, Philippe A. Beethoven: The Composer As Hero. Edited by Carey Lovelace. New York: H. N. Abrams, 1992.

Balcavage, Dynise. Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer. New York: Chelsea House, 1996.

Solomon, Maynard. Beethoven. 2nd ed. New York: Schirmer Books, 1998.

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Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven, German Composer

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Ludwig van Beethoven (December 16, 1770–March 26, 1827) was a German composer and musician. His work embraced a range of musical styles, from the classical to the romantic; although Beethoven composed music for a variety of settings, he is best known for his nine symphonies. His final symphony—featuring the "Ode to Joy" chorus—is one of the most famous works in Western music.

Fast Facts: Ludwig van Beethoven

• Known For : Beethoven is one of the most celebrated composers in the history of classical music; his symphonies are still performed throughout the world.
• Born : December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Electorate of Cologne
• Parents : Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Keverich
• Died : March 26, 1827 in Vienna, Austria

Beethoven's father Johann van Beethoven sang soprano in the electoral chapel where his father was Kapellmeister (chapel master). Johann eventually became proficient enough to teach violin, piano, and voice to earn a living. He married Maria Magdalena Keverich in 1767. Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770. Most scholars believe he was born the day before, as Catholic baptisms traditionally took place the day after birth. Maria later gave birth to five other children, but only two survived, Kaspar Anton Karl and Nikolaus Johann.

At a very early age, Beethoven received violin and piano lessons from his father. At the age of 8, he studied theory and keyboard with Gilles van den Eeden (a former chapel organist). He also studied with several local organists and received piano lessons from Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer and violin and viola lessons from Franz Rovantini. Although Beethoven’s musical genius is often compared to that of Mozart , his education never exceeded the elementary level.

Teenage Years

As a teenager, Beethoven was the assistant and formal student of Christian Gottlob Neefe, the court organist of the city of Bonn. Beethoven performed more than he composed. In 1787, Neefe sent Beethoven to Vienna for reasons unknown, but many historians agree that while he was there he met and briefly studied with Mozart. Two weeks later, he returned home because his mother was ill with tuberculosis. She died in July. His father took to drink, and Beethoven, only 19 years old, petitioned to be recognized as the head of the house; he received half of his father's salary to support his family.

Music Career

In 1792, Beethoven moved to Vienna. His father died in December that same year. Beethoven studied with Austrian composer Joseph Haydn for less than a year; their personalities were evidently not a match for each other. Beethoven then studied with Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, the most famous teacher of counterpoint in Vienna. He studied counterpoint and contrapuntal exercises in free writing, in imitation, in two to four-part fugues, choral fugues, double counterpoint at different intervals, double fugue , triple counterpoint, and canon.

After establishing himself as a composer, Beethoven began writing more complex works. In 1800, he performed his first symphony and a septet. Publishers soon began to compete for the rights to his newest compositions. While still in his 20s, however, Beethoven began to suffer from hearing loss after a fall. His attitude and social life changed dramatically, as the composer wanted to hide his impairment from the world. Determined to overcome his disability, he wrote his second, third, and fourth symphonies before 1806. Symphony 3, ("Eroica") , was originally titled "Bonaparte" as a tribute to Napoleon.

Middle Period

In 1808, Beethoven completed his fifth symphony, whose opening notes are some of the most famous in all of classical music. This success was followed by several additional symphonies as well as string quartets and piano sonatas, including Fur Elise . During this time, Beethoven also premiered an early version of his opera "Fidelio." The production received poor reviews, and the composer continued to revise the work until 1814.

Beethoven's newfound fame began to pay off, and he soon found himself prosperous. His symphonic works were celebrated as masterpieces; critics cited Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven as the greatest composers of their era. Nevertheless, Beethoven faced personal challenges during this time. He fell in love with a young countess, Julie Guicciardi, but could not marry her because he was from a lower social station. He later dedicated his "Moonlight Sonata" to her.

Beethoven's output suffered during the next decade, the result of several serious illnesses and the death of his brother Kaspar, whom Beethoven had cared for during his sickness. This was followed by a custody battle with his brother's wife over his nephew Karl. The case was eventually resolved in Beethoven's favor, and the composer became the guardian of his nephew. However, the two had a troubled relationship.

Late Period

During the last 15 years of his life, Beethoven's hearing continued to decline. Nevertheless, he did not cease work on his compositions, and in the years before his death, he finished two of his most ambitious pieces—the Missa Solemnis , a mass written for a small orchestra and mixed choir, and the Ninth Symphony, one of the earliest examples of a choral symphony. The latter features what is perhaps Beethoven's most enduring piece of music—a chorus set to words from Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy." Beethoven also wrote several additional string quartets, even as his health began to decline.

In 1827, Beethoven died of dropsy. In a will written several days before his death, he left his estate to his nephew Karl, of whom he was the legal guardian after his brother Kaspar's death.

Beethoven remains one of the most popular classical composers of all time, and his major works are frequently performed throughout the world. By introducing new musical ideas, he inspired countless composers after him; indeed, his influence is so great that it is difficult to summarize. The Voyager Golden Record—a recording placed onboard the Voyager spacecraft—contains two pieces of music by Beethoven: the opening of the Fifth Symphony and String Quartet No. 13 in B flat.

• Grove, George. "Beethoven and His Nine Symphonies." Franklin Classics, 2018.
• Lockwood, Lewis. "Beethoven: the Music and the Life." Norton, 2003.
• Swafford, Jan. "Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph." Faber and Faber, 2014.
• Beethoven's Eroica Symphony
• Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” Lyrics, Translation, and History
• The Greatest Composers of the Classical Period
• 'Fur Elise' by Beethoven
• Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
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Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven

This magazine can not be complete without a comprehensive biography of Ludwig van Beethoven! Reading this biography is highly recommended as a start, but please visit our further articles as well! We keep publishing these regularly, with focus not only on his music, but on people, events and stories shaping him, revealing his character, beliefs and values!

Birth, family Childhood End to a childhood Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands Early years in Vienna Music of the middle period – the World blown away Fate knocking – the loss of hearing Immortal Beloved Patronage – a controversy Beethoven and his nephew The last years The end

Birth, family

Ludwig van Beethoven – presumably – was born on 16 December 1770, in Bonn . What we know as a fact is the date of his baptism, which took place on the 17. at the Parish of St. Regius. Since in that era in Catholic Rhine country children were baptized on the next day following birth, this date is the best we can offer.

His mother was Maria Magdalena Keverich , daughter of a chef at the court of Trier . His father was Johann van Beethoven , son of Ludwig van Beethoven . Ludwig, the Elder, was originated from Mechelen (now Belgium) and was 21 when moved to Bonn, where he first had served as bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne , later raised to the rank of Kapellmeister (music director).

They say genes sometimes jump a generation, which is certainly true in the case of the Beethoven family. Grandfather was a talented and very well respected musician in Bonn. His son, Johann, however inherited little of the talents and all his life was a mediocre figure on the horizon of Bonn’s musical life. The famous grandson kept a portrait of his grandfather in his room all his life as a reminder of his musical roots and heritage.

Maria and Johann had seven children, sadly only three lived through infancy. Ludwig, the second, and two younger brothers, Kaspar Anton Karl and Nikolaus Johann .

The couple had a poor marriage, leaving Maria in the constant state of sadness and bitterness. Johann over the years became an alcoholic, an abusive father, a bad husband, overall a person without values. Experiencing all these Beethoven had grown to hate his father, which feeling accompanied him for the rest of his life.

More about Beethoven’s ancestry here !

As a young boy, Ludwig had a difficult life. The Beethoven house was a sad place for both parents and children. His father Johann (a court singer at the time, mainly due to the family name) started the musical education of the boy. The teaching was rather a torture with rigid and brutal sessions. He had to stand on a footstool to reach the keyboard , his father standing next to him beating him for every mistake. Johann, coming home regularly late night, heavily drunk, usually woke Ludwig and made him practice. Such late night sessions were often kept by a certain Tobias Pfeiffer, a pianist and family friend, who reportedly suffered from insomnia. Beethoven, also learned to play the organ, violin and viola. Despite the stress and suffering during the classes, he showed extraordinary talent for music early on.

The boy often escaped the troubles at home and on such occasions he visited his friends at the von Breuning house, where the mother Helene took care of the youngster. It was she who first realized that Ludwig sometimes is having seizures, his attention wondering off even in the middle of a conversation. Upon returning the boy reported hearing music during such occasions.

As the grandfather’s financial heritage was running out, Johann started to promote Ludwig as a young prodigy , trying to emulate the – financial – successes of Leopold Mozart , father of Wolfgang . He even lied about the boy’s correct age, saying he was just six at his first public concert (March 26, 1778) – just as Mozart had been at his debut for Maria Theresia .

In school , as often the case with geniuses, he was having hard time to keep up with the class. Understanding and making multiplications or divisions was beyond his skill set, even as an adult. Facing realities and the above mentioned financial difficulties, he was withdrawn from school at the age of 10.

After school, Beethoven’s most important and most influential teacher in this period was Christian Gottlob Neefe . The man was the court’s organist, who taught him keyboard, composition and even helped him to get his first unpaid and later paid employment, as his assistant organist. Equally important, Neefe shared with him the ideas of the Enlightenment , the values of the French Revolution and the philosophies of the era’s modern thinkers. Beethoven not only enjoyed the discussions, but these became his most important values in his adult life. Neefe and many others around the teenager were freemasons and members of the Bonn lodge. Although he was familiar with the teachings, he never joined the order.

Beethoven’s first composition was the Nine Variations on a march (WoO 63). He was 11 years old at the time. It was published in 1782 (or latest early 1783) by Johann Michael Götz, in Mannheim.

End to a childhood

By this time a new Elector of Bonn was named, Maximillian Francis , who was the youngest son of Empress Maria Theresia. Just as his brother Joseph in Vienna , he made important changes and reforms in Bonn. Among these was the bigger attention and budget aimed at supporting arts. The new elector promptly realized the boy’s potential and backed his studies by sending him to learn in the capital of music , Vienna.

This first Vienna trip was a short one. It is not possible to know certainly, what happened during these few weeks, whom he met and if there were any lessons taken from Mozart. There is a myth without historical evidence that Beethoven in fact met Mozart , who upon hearing him play said “ Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give the world something to talk about.” On the other side, Beethoven was not so impressed by the keyboard play of Mozart – which is just another legend without reliable background.

Beethoven, just as much as he hated his father, he loved his mother . As he learned she was ill, immediately returned to Bonn. She died of tuberculosis soon after, at age 40.

His father, never a strong character, sunk into an even deeper alcoholism, leaving young Beethoven in a position to take care of the family, especially the younger brothers. He stayed 5 years in Bonn and fulfilled his family duties in a very matured way.

During this period he earned the respect of the Court and became the most important asset in Bonn’s music repertoire. He spent more and more time at the Breuning house, escaping his father, where he taught the girls piano and he was introduced to German and classic literature. He also met influential supporters, among them most notably Count Ferdinand von Waldstein – a life long friend.

In 1789 he requested and was granted a legal order to receive half of his father’s salary paid directly to him, in order to be able to support the family. As his father was a disgrace not only to the Beethoven name, but to the whole Court of Bonn, the Elector was also willing to exile Johann to a village (we do not know with absolute certainty whether this exile has actually taken place or not). In one version of the story the father begged the son not to complete his humiliation and agreed to hand over the half salary himself. To this Ludwig agreed and his father kept his word. Johann van Beethoven died in 1792, causing great revenue fall in the liquor tax – as the Elector later joked about it cynically.

Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands

In the coming two years (1790-1792) Beethoven composed his first bigger compositions. These were not published at the time and today music lovers can find them under WoO numbers (works without opus number). His first commissioned piece came in 1790, when Joseph II . died and he was – with the recommendation of Neefe – requested to score a cantata in the emperor’s memory. Soon the next sponsored music followed for the subsequent accession of the new emperor, Leopold II . These cantatas were numbered as WoO87 and WoO88, the Emperor Cantatas . Unfortunately, at the end they were not performed and were basically unknown to the public until the 1880s.

As Haydn was recently freed from the service of the Esterházys , he was longing to visit London and make himself a fame and some considerable amount of money. On his way to Britain he stopped at Bonn and the two men were introduced. Haydn stopped again at the return journey and during this second time arrangements were made by the Elector and Count Waldstein, to send Beethoven to Vienna once more in order to learn music from the old master . Papa Haydn, as he was called by his students, was known for having a gentle and gracious heart to everyone, especially talented young musicians, agreed to this scholarship. He had no idea what he was getting into…as later Beethoven turned out to be an inpatient and ungrateful student.

In 1792 the time had come to say goodby and start the next chapter in his life. Beethoven had many entries in his friendship book, but by far the most famous was written by Count Waldstein: “Dear Beethoven! You go to realise a long-desired wish: the genius of Mozart is still in mourning and weeps for the death of its disciple. (…) By incessant application, receive Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands .”

Early years in Vienna

Before looking at his first years in Vienna, it is important to consider the background he is bringing with himself to the capital of the Empire. During the reign of Maximillian Francis, Bonn was transformed from a provincial town to a flourishing and cultured capital city. The city was under strong French revolutionary influence in every possible way, including music. Another strong music influence was the so called Mannheim School and their approach to orchestra and music in general. Both had determinative power on Beethoven for the rest of his life. In fact Ludwig van Beethoven is to be considered the last and fines representative of the Mannheim School – though even during his early lifetime the importance and influence of the school in Europe was already going weak.

With this spiritual background and his unshakable faith in his calling and talents, he was going to go to Vienna not to be a wing-man, a second violin, a runner up, but the one to beat and raise above even the heavy weights of the time: Haydn and Mozart!

Upon arriving in Vienna with some serious recommendation letters, especially from Count Waldstein, he first found a room to rent, bought a new set of clothing and an entry level piano . He was financially supported by the Elector of Bonn with the condition to learn music from Haydn – and one day return to his Court.

There never was a better time for a musician to be in Vienna ! The city was full of professional and amateur musicians, the population was hungry for music. Music then was a limited commodity, unlike today, when listeners can buy, stream, download music and carry them even on their phone. If a Viennese wanted to hear music, had to attend a live concert at a wealthy friend’s or buy the score and play it him-, or herself.

In this vibrant atmosphere Beethoven had taken root quickly. Being a piano virtuoso, surpassing even Mozart in improvisation and technique, he was a celebrated guest among Viennese aristocracy. In this era, when feelings became fashionable in arts, this young man could make the audience cry, whenever he wanted to. He even participated in piano contests , where a short random theme had to be taken and developed into a long improvisation. No one stood the ground against him!

Being the student of Haydn was to be considered a great honor. Joseph Haydn was a musician superstar all over Europe, so much so, that contemporary British newspapers were openly proposing a plan to kidnap Haydn from Esterháza and bringing him to London – thus giving him the freedom he deserves . He was no prisoner, of course, but a loyal person to Prince Nikolaus Esterházy , serving him almost 30 years.

The young and arrogant Beethoven was not impressed, he – unfairly –  said “learns nothing from Haydn” . He parallel started taking lessons from Johann Georg Albrechtsberger , who was the organist at St.Stephen Cathedral ; and also from Antonio Salieri , the imperial Kappellmeister. As the French had occupied Bonn (and the Elector fled), Hayden decided to go to London again in 1795, unexpectedly the student-era came to an end. Beethoven would not return to Bonn, but became independent for the first time in his life.

1795 marked his first public concert , where he played his Piano concerto No.2 (opus 19). Subsequently, he published the Three piano trios , which was his first work with opus number, opus 1 (dedicated to Prince Lichnowsky ). This also marked his first notable financial success, covering his living for more-or-less, a year. In the next three years he occasionally traveled for concert tours from Berlin to Prague . As the new millennial drew closer, after the first period , it was time for a new chapter: his middle period .

Music of the middle period – the World blown away

Some consider the beginning of the middle period starting from 1802, the birth of the Heilgenstadt Testament . In this letter – intended to his brothers – Beethoven finally sheds light on the reasons of his withdrawal from society: his permanent and progressive illness in his ears . In this testament he reveals the desperation and sorrow he faces on daily basis, even considering ending of his life. He concludes the letter by a strong commitment to live on in order to share the music he feels inside with humanity.

By this act he becomes the Messianic figure of music, a human being who devotes his whole and complete life to music, in order to serve humanity. This newly found calling and bursting energy makes the next decade unequaled in terms of productivity and quality. Under this evil time pressure – fearing the fast approaching deafness – he frees himself from the stylistic boundaries of the 18th-century, creating something very new and changing music forever . Beethoven said, “ I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on I intend to take a new way. ” This new way is also called his heroic phase .

The first and most important milestone in this new way was the Third Symphony , also known as the Eroica (heroic). This work was larger in scope, longer in time and more difficult to comprehend than any other symphony the world has ever seen until then! In fact this was the first musical work that required the audience to hear it more times, even studying the score to grasp the richness of it. Just the first movement alone is longer than any of the symphonies that were written by Haydn or Mozart.

Without aiming for completeness here, the middle period gave the world the symphonies from III-VIII., the Emperor concerto (surpassing Mozart’s piano concertos), five string quartets, Violin concerto (op.61), many piano trios, including the Archduke Trio , piano sonatas like the Waldstein , Apassionata or Beethoven’s only opera, the Fideilo .

Fate knocking – the loss of hearing

One day in 1798 Beethoven had a visitor. After showing him to the door he sat down at his piano to continue composing. A bit later there was a knock at the door. The composer got very angry for interrupting him, jumped up to rush to the door. As he took a step, fall over his chair with face to the ground. Immediately his ears started to buzz.

This was the day and the time from which Beethoven originated his struggle with his ears. There were periods, when his hearing got better, but never recover. Gradually, he would lose his hearing, first the higher notes, then by 1814 completely.

There are many theories concerning the reason of this illness, some are more comic than scientific. This magazine chooses to believe that Beethoven had a Paget’s disease  (abnormal bone regeneration in the skull resulting bones thicker than normal) and there was nothing to be done by and with contemporary doctors or medical science.

As the loss of hearing advanced Beethoven started to ignore social interactions. He considered it a great shame for a musician and assumed that his reputation would suffer if truth got out. His days as piano virtuoso were numbered. More and more often public concerts as a pianist were compromised by his failing hearing. There is uncertainty concerning Beethoven’s last concert, by some sources it was in 1811 with the Emperor concerto (no.5), others claim it was 1814, the Archduke Trio .

As communication became more and more difficult he introduced a conversation book, where people could write a question and he would answer orally. Approximately 400 such books exited, many allegedly destroyed later by his secretary, Anton Schindler .

Immortal Beloved

Beethoven’s love life was a disaster. He constantly fell in love with his piano students, often dedicating them compositions, but he was fishing in the wrong pond. The laws of aristocracy allowed the marriage between classes, but a noble woman marrying with a commoner would result in losing her title forever. Although, many was in love with Beethoven, often rather with the genius than the real man, no one was devoted enough to give up the title for love. Thus, at the end of all these loves, heartbreak awaited Beethoven .

Among the many, some stand out as more serious relationships. In 1801 countess Giulietta Guicciardi , to whom the Moonlight sonata (Op. 27) was dedicated. Josephine Brunsvik , another pupil who at the end refused him, partly because of the pressure from her family. Around 1810 another dedication the Für Elise to Therese Malfatti , which is yet another love that did not come to fruition.

Finally, the most important one the Immortal Beloved . After Beethoven’s death a letter was found among his personal belongings. This is a 10 small pages long love letter, without date, place and any name or indication who the addressee might be. The analysis of the letter is going on for almost 200 years without any final conclusion. What is certain is that the letter was written in summer 1812, at the spa town of Teplitz . In 1972 Maynard Solomon published a book in which – after some serious detective work – he names Antonie Brentano as the Beloved. This work is to be considered the most comprehensive in the subject and thus the conclusion is the most likely solution.

There are two schools concerning Beethoven’s sexual life. One school believes Beethoven died as a virgin, simply because his strong and high moral values would not allow sexual affairs. The other group is convinced he was a regular guest at brothels, something that made him deeply divided. The second group has a strong support from one of Beethoven’s letters, in which he confesses that such experiences make his body satisfied, but his soul disgusted.

Regardless which school is right, it is a sad fact that all his life it was only his mother , the only woman from whom Beethoven received full acceptance and love.

Patronage – a controversy

Having an early baptism in the ideas of enlightenment Beethoven had an ambivalent relationship with the nobility. On one hand he strongly despised the aristocracy and the idea of having a social hierarchy based on birth and family rights. There is this famous letter from 1808 he wrote to one of his friends and early patrons , Prince Lichnowsky , who tried to force – and presumably threatened – him to play in front of his French soldier guests. The two had a very nasty row, Beethoven leaving the house in rainy weather and never forgiving him (raindrops still visible today on the original Appassionata score, on which he was working during his stay). The letter says “ Prince, what you are, you are through chance and birth; what I am, I am through my own labor. There are many princes and there will continue to be thousands more, but there is only one Beethoven. ” This quote shows faithfully how he was thinking about birth right privileges.

On the other hand, Beethoven was the musician of connoisseurs, like it or not, the aristocracy of that time. He also depended financially on these patrons. He gave them private performances, many compositions were commissioned by them. Such important patrons were Prince Lobkowitz , Count Razumovsky and the most important Archduke Rudolph , the youngest son of Emperor Leopold II .

Beethoven was always anxious concerning his daily bread, thus in 1808 he decided to accept the invitation from Napoleon’s brother Jérôme Bonaparte , king of Westphalia , to be his Kapellmeister at the court in Cassel. This would have been a well paid and stable position. Upon hearing the news, Archduke Rudolph, Prince Lobkowitz and Prince Kinsky begged him to stay in Vienna and for exchange they pledged to pay him a yearly 4 000 florins. Personal tragedies, inflation and the war with France finally eroded this income source with no new patronage coming forward.

Beethoven and his nephew

This episode of Beethoven’s life is by far the most disturbing. Stepping in his father’s shoes so early, being guardian of his brothers and the breadwinner of the house, made him a very protective and intruding big brother. Apart from the physical well being he was evenly interested in their moral acts.

His brother, Kaspar had been very ill in 1815 and despite Beethoven’s efforts paying and bringing good doctors to attend him, he died from tuberculosis (just as their mother ). In his deathbed giving in to the pressure from his brother, he signed a will and in it giving sole custody of his 9 years old son Karl, to Beethoven. Johanna , his wife and the mother, upon realizing this act, begged to his husband to change it, which he did to shared custody. Beethoven would have none of it! He absolutely opposed this marriage in the first place, seeing Johanna as morally unfit for the family and parenthood, calling her the queen of the night (she later had an illegitimate child and also was convicted of theft). After Kaspar’s death a 5 years long bitter custody battle started that eventually had devastating results for all of them.

Beethoven was first awarded sole guardianship on the Landrechte (court for the nobility), but later as it became clear that the ‘van’ in his name has nothing to do with German nobility’s ‘von’, his case was transferred to the commoner’s civil court, where he lost. This revelation alone was a big blow to him, as until that day Vienna was convinced, he was a noble . Beethoven appealed and regained sole guardianship again. As a last desperate attempt, Johanna made an appeal to the Emperor himself, who decided not to interfere in the case.

Karl was confused emotionally, not only loosing a father, but being in the middle of a custody battle. Beethoven forbade him to see his mother, but the boy frequently disobeyed him and run away – even skipping school – to be with her. Although Beethoven did everything to raise the child the best possible way, Karl grew up unhappy.

From this agony, being trapped in his uncle’s overbearing love, he finds only one way out. He buys a pistol, climbs to the Rauhenstein ruins and attempts suicide. He misses first, with the second he fractures his temple. When he is found, he asks to be taken to his mother. The failure of Beethoven as a father was complete.

After recovery, Karl leaves on the 2 of January, 1827 to join the army. He would never see his uncle again.

In this very sad story all actors lose. Beethoven lost his reputation in Vienna, the public considering him a monster and a madman. Johanna lost a child and lived with a mudded reputation all her life. Karl, his life and personality wounded forever. Finally, the audience, who lost a lot of unborn compositions, as Beethoven would not write a single note for years, during this emotionally draining period.

Karl was the only child from the three Beethoven sons. Two generations later, the already American born Karl Julius van Beethoven died without a son, thus the Beethoven name died out .

The last years

Just as the legal battles over Karl began to settle Beethoven entered his third and final phase of his creative life. As productivity compared to his previous periods had declined, a new even more refined creative energy emerged through his hands. The two main influences on this new direction is his increasing and slowly complete deafness; and the rediscovery of the works of J.S.Bach and Handel .

As his hearing loss became complete his boundaries from the physical world disappeared. There was no longer any feedback coming from the hearing, just the limitless imagination. Losing this sense also made him more focused and meticulous in his writing.

In his social life he became even more withdrawn. Communication was possible only through conversation books. In these the questions were written down and he would answer them orally. He also became somewhat more content with his household keep, Nanette Streicher managed to tame the beast and continued to provide for him even in his illnesses.

From 1818 he began to work on important works such as the Hammerklavier Sonata  (op. 106), the Missa Solemnis  (op. 123) and Diabelli Variations  (op. 120). A long time desire to put Friedrich Schiller ’s poem the  Ode to joy  into music, also started to shape in the form of the epic Ninth symphony . A former student  Ferdinand Ries , who settled in London and became a founder member of the Philharmonic Society of London , raised interest in the works of Beethoven. Although the Ninth was premiered in Vienna (1824) and the printed edition was dedicated to Frederick William III , king of Prussia , the London Society has a hand written first movement dedicated to them by Beethoven. The public opinion considers the Ninth to be commissioned by London.

As archduke Rudolf was to become archbishop of Olmütz in 1820, Beethoven began to work on Missa Solemnis for the installation ceremony. The piece was not finished in time (1820), in fact not until three years later that the complete manuscript was sent to the archbishop. This composition is considered by many the most important religious work ever written in the history of music.

In 1824 the Ninth was premiered in Vienna in the Kärntnertor Theatre . Beethoven himself supervised the preparations and was sitting next to the conductor during the performance. Being unaware of the applause at the end it was the soloist who made him turn and face the audience. He was hailed five times in the age, when the Emperor usually received three! This was his last work for large scale orchestra.

His final commission came from the Russian prince Nikolai Galitzin , who asked for three string quartets. These became part of the Late Quartets , music that was so difficult, labeled unplayable by the musicians and incomprehensible for the audience. The Fourteenth Quartet (op. 131) was Beethoven’s favorite, which he considered his most perfect work. This was dedicated to baron von Stutterheim, the military officer who took care of Karl in the army.

Beethoven was born in a body that was the complete opposite of his music. Most woman considered him ugly, short and shabby. His face was scarred from smallpox he had contracted in his childhood. His entrails were giving him constant inconveniences and suffering in the form of vomiting and diarrhea . Once he almost lost a finger due to infection. His liver was under stress due to his (sometimes heavy) drinking. Apart from these specifics he was often stricken with all kinds of sicknesses. His last months and days were spent in serious illness and in bed.

Beethoven spent the summer of 1826 with Karl at his only remaining brother’s estate, Nikolaus Johann. It was after the suicide attempt of Karl, and his uncle decided that the countryside will have good effect on the young man. As months passed Johann suggested to Beethoven that it would be beneficial for young Karl to do something useful already, as idle time will not heal him any further. Beethoven, as usual, reacted in an overheated, emotional way jumping on an open coach (!) leaving right away without proper winter clothing. During the journey he contracted a pneumonia, which was a fatal blow to his body’s immune system and finally lead to his death months later.

On his deathbed doctors conducted four operations addressing his abdominal swelling, from one of them an infection developed. Soon, it was clear that he would not recover and the end is near. His last recorded words were Pity-pity – it is too late! – as he was told a publisher sent him twelve bottles of wine.

It is not possible to know what exactly happened during his final hours, there are many different reports of the events. What seems to be exact is that his friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner and a woman was present. Some reports say it was Johanna van Beethoven, his old despised enemy, which seems to be unlikely. The woman must have been Sali, his maid. It was the end of March, weather still cold and a thunderstorm was gathering above Vienna. Legend has it that after an awful thunder the dying man raised his head, stretched his right arm and shook with anger, then fall back and was dead.

Ludwig van Beethoven died in his Schwarzspanierhaus apartment in Vienna, 26 March 1827. He died at the age of 56.

The autopsy performed by Dr. Johann Wagner the next day revealed liver disease. A shrunken liver could be the result of alcoholism, but also Hepatitis A , which was common in the 19th century. Analysis later showed significant amount of lead in his hair, which may be the direct consequence of cheap wine consumption, that was commonly sweetened with lead sugar , despite being banned all over Europe.

The funeral was held on 29 of March and an estimated 20 000 people attended. First, he was buried in Wahring cemetery, but in 1888 his remains were moved to Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof, where he remains even today.

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Beethoven: Compositions, biography, siblings and more facts

He reinvented the symphony, reshaped string quartets, and redefined piano sonatas - but there's much more to learn about Ludwig van Beethoven, the deaf composer who changed music forever.

1. When is Beethoven's birthday?

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in December 1770… but no one is sure of the exact date! He was baptised on 17 December, so he was probably born the day before. His birthplace (pictured) is now the Beethoven-Haus museum.

2. Beethoven's father creates a child prodigy

Never mind the exact date, the year of Beethoven’s birth is sometimes questioned, and for years the composer thought he was born in 1772, two years too late. This may have been a deliberate deception on the part of his father (pictured) to make the musical prodigy seem younger – and therefore, more advanced for his age – than he actually was.

3. Beethoven's siblings

Beethoven had seven sibings: Kaspar Anton Karl, Nikolaus Johann (pictured), Ludwig Maria, Maria Margarita, Anna Maria Francisca and Franz Georg van Beethoven, and Johann Peter Anton Leym.

4. Beethoven on the violin

As a young boy, Beethoven played the violin, often enjoying improvisation rather than reading the notes from a score. His father once asked: “What silly trash are you scratching together now? You know I can’t bear that – scratch by note, otherwise your scratching won’t amount to much.” How wrong he was…

5. Beethoven's first composition

There’s some speculation about when the young composer started setting his ideas on paper, but the only piece to date from as early as 1782 is a set of nine variations for piano. Beethoven set himself apart as a musical maverick even at the age of 12 – the music is in C minor, which is unusual for music of the time, and it’s fiendishly difficult to play!

6. Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart

After the death of Mozart in 1791, musicians in his hometown of Vienna were in need of a new genius. The Viennese Count Waldstein (pictured) told the young Beethoven if he worked hard enough he would receive ‘Mozart’s spirit through Haydn’s hands’. No pressure then.

7. Beethoven in Vienna

Finding a wig maker? Noting the address of a dance teacher? Oh, and finding a piano, of course. Beethoven kept a diary of his day-to-day activities when he moved to Vienna in 1792, giving us insights into his personality.

8. Beethoven and Bach

By 1793, aged just 22, Beethoven often played the piano in the salons of the Viennese nobility. He often performed the preludes and fugues from Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier and quickly established himself as a piano virtuoso.

9. Was Beethoven deaf?

Composing anything at all is a challenge, even for a musical genius. So when you consider Beethoven started to go deaf around 1796, aged just 25, it’s a wonder he managed to write any music at all. He communicated using conversation books, asking his friends to write down what they wanted to say so he could respond.

10. Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 – a musical joke?

Beethoven was 30 when his first symphony was first performed in the Burgtheater in Vienna (pictured), and it went where no symphony had ever gone before. Symphonies were seen to be pretty light-hearted works, but Beethoven took this one step further with the introduction, which sounds so musically off-beam it’s often considered to be a joke!

11. Deafness and despair: The Heiligenstadt Testament

Despite his increasing deafness, by 1802 Beethoven was almost at breaking point. On a retreat to Heiligenstadt, just outside Vienna, he wrote: “I would have ended my life – it was only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed to me impossible to leave the world until I had brought forth all that I felt was within me.” It’s known as the ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’, and was published in 1828.

12. Beethoven’s three musical periods: early period

It's hard to split Beethoven’s music up into sections, but it’s generally agreed there are three different periods with three broad styles. The first is his early period, ending around 1802 after the Heiligenstadt Testament, and includes the first and second symphonies, a set of six string quartets, piano concerto no. 1 and 2, and around a dozen piano sonatas – including the 'Pathétique' sonata.

13. Beethoven’s three musical periods: ‘heroic’ middle period

After his personal crisis, it’s perhaps no surprise that Beethoven’s middle period works are more emotional. A lot of the music from this period expresses heroes and struggles – including Symphony No. 3, the last three piano concertos, five string quartets, Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, and piano sonatas including the ‘Moonlight’, ‘Waldstein’ and ‘Appassionata’.

14. Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata

It’s one of Beethoven’s great piano works, but he never knew the piece as the ‘Moonlight’ Sonata. He simply called it Piano Sonata No. 14, and it wasn’t given its poetic nickname until 1832, five years after Beethoven’s death. German poet Ludwig Rellstab said the first movement sounded like moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne, and the name stuck.

15. Beethoven’s temper and Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’

Beethoven admired the ideals of the French Revolution, so he dedicated his third symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte… until Napoleon declared himself emperor. Beethoven then sprung into a rage, ripped the front page from his manuscript and scrubbed out Napoleon’s name. Some modern reproductions of the original title page have scrubbed out Napoleon’s name to create a hole for authenticity’s sake!

16. Beethoven’s opera: Fidelio

If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing properly. He may have only composed one opera, but Beethoven poured blood, sweat, and tears into revising and improving it. He reworked the whole opera over a ten year period, giving us the two act version performed today – the older version is sometimes known as Leonore.

17. Beethoven’s three musical periods: late period

Symphony No. 9 with its choral finale, the Missa Solemnis, late string quartets, and some of his greatest piano music including sonatas and the Diabelli variations – Beethoven’s late period is jam-packed with musical genius. Much of the music is characterised by its intellectual intensity, but it sounds just as wonderful to beginners and Beethoven-lovers alike.

18. Beethoven at the movies

The moving music from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 is a perfect soundtrack to 2010 blockbuster smash, The King’s Speech, as George VI makes his address to the nation. You’ll also find hints of his fifth symphony in unexpected places, if you listen carefully – have you watched Saturday Night Fever recently…?

19. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the 'Ode to Joy'

Symphony No. 9 is often nicknamed the ‘choral’ symphony, but it’s only the finale that features a choir. Using singers in a symphony was a wild idea at the time, but it seems to have paid off – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony changed the face of classical music forever, and continues to inspire listeners and composers to this day!

20. When and how did Beethoven die?

We all like a tipple, but Beethoven may have been more partial to a pint than most. He was once arrested for being a tramp by an unsuspecting policeman who didn’t recognise him! After his death in 1827, his autopsy revealed a shrunken liver due to cirrhosis.

21. Famous last words?

Just like Beethoven’s birth, his last words are also a bit of a mystery. It’s often thought his last words were ‘applaud friends, the comedy is ended’ (in Latin!) but his parting gift to the world was far less cerebral. After a publisher bought Beethoven 12 bottles of wine as a gift, the dying composer’s final words were: ‘Pity, pity, too late!’

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Born december 16, 1770, died march 26, 1827, born in germany, classical period: 1750 - 1827.

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Ludwig van beethoven: the ultimate biography and resource.

Beethoven, Ludwig van 1770-1827

Ludwig van Beethoven: A Glimpse into the Life of a Genius

Born in 1770 in the city of Bonn, Ludwig van Beethoven was destined to be one of the greatest composers the world has ever known. From an early age, his prodigious talent was evident, and he soon moved to Vienna, the epicenter of musical innovation. Overcoming a series of personal trials, including the tragedy of progressive deafness, Beethoven crafted compositions that are celebrated for their emotion, depth, and revolutionary spirit. His works, spanning from intimate piano sonatas to powerful symphonies, not only reflect his own struggles and joys but also resonate with universal human experiences.

Throughout his life, Beethoven remained a figure of fascination, admiration, and at times, controversy. Yet, his undying commitment to his art and his indomitable spirit have inspired countless generations of musicians, scholars, and music lovers around the globe.

Your Resource for Everything Beethoven

This website is dedicated entirely to Ludwig van Beethoven and the rich tapestry of his life and works. Delve deeper and explore:

The Definitive Ludwig van Beethoven Biography

Covering all of the most significant events and contributions of the the masterclass Composer that defined an era.

Music & Masterpieces

A comprehensive library of his celebrated compositions.

Books & Literature

Reviews and insights into the best books about Beethoven.

Family Tree

Trace the lineage and uncover the history of the Beethoven family .

Historical Timeline

Key events that shaped the life and times of the maestro.

Portrait Gallery

A visual journey through the many faces of Beethoven.

Philatelic Collection

Rare stamps and postal memorabilia commemorating Beethoven’s influence on culture.

… and so much more!

Join us as we celebrate the life, music, and legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven, a luminary who continues to inspire the world.

What’s new?

Make sure to check out our recently updated section on Beethoven Music . Includes comprehensive guides to all of Beethoven’s most beloved Symphonies, Sonatas, Piano Concerto’s, and more!

We are also in the process of updating and expanding our section on Beethoven Films . We provide comprehensive guides to all of the most acclaimed films that portrayed Beethoven’s extraordinary impact on the world.

Beethoven – Did you know?

One of the most beloved musical geniuses of all-time, Beethoven remains one of the most popular people (albeit deceased) in the world.

• Beethoven began losing his hearing in his late 20s, and by the age of 49, he was almost completely deaf, yet he continued to compose groundbreaking music.
• He was baptized on December 17, 1770, in Bonn, Germany, but his exact birthdate remains unknown.
• Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” was dedicated to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, with whom he fell in love.
• Despite his fame, Beethoven often struggled financially and was supported by a group of wealthy patrons.
• His Symphony No. 9 was the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony.
• Beethoven was known for his fiery personality and frequent mood swings, often reflected in his music.
• He never married, but his Immortal Beloved letters suggest he had a mysterious, intense love affair.
• Beethoven’s “Für Elise,” one of his most famous pieces, was discovered and published 40 years after his death.
• He was a crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western music.
• Beethoven’s last words were reportedly “Pity, pity—too late!”, as he was told of a gift of wine from his publisher.
• His Ninth Symphony’s “Ode to Joy” is the anthem of the European Union.
• Beethoven often dipped his head in cold water before composing, believing it stimulated his creativity.
• He wrote only one opera, “Fidelio,” which was revised multiple times and premiered in its final form in 1814.
• As a child prodigy, Beethoven gave his first public performance at the age of 7½.
• His “Heiligenstadt Testament,” a letter written to his brothers, reveals his thoughts on his growing deafness and his resolve to continue living through his art.
• Beethoven’s compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, and 16 string quartets.
• He was known to have a messy living space and a disheveled appearance, often focusing so intensely on his work that he neglected his surroundings.
• Beethoven was a great admirer of Napoleon until Napoleon declared himself Emperor, after which Beethoven famously scratched out Napoleon’s name from the dedication of his “ Eroica ” Symphony.
• His music was influenced by his love of nature, often taking long walks in the countryside for inspiration.
• Beethoven’s funeral in Vienna in 1827 was attended by an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 people, reflecting his immense popularity.

The Musical Kinship between Beethoven and Franz Joseph Haydn

Ludwig van Beethoven stands as one of the most towering figures in the realm of Western classical music. When we think of his dramatic symphonies, expressive piano sonatas, and intricate string quartets, it is easy to envision him as a solitary genius who changed the course of music history solely through his unparalleled talent. However, like any great artist, Beethoven

The Lesser-Known Contemporaries of Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven is a name synonymous with some of the most revered compositions in classical music. Born in 1770, in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven’s journey as a composer was marked by innovation, emotional depth, and an indomitable spirit despite his personal struggles, including his infamous struggle with deafness. He is celebrated for works like the Ninth Symphony, the Moonlight Sonata,

Legacy of Carl Czerny: Beethoven’s Pupil & Eminent Composer

Ludwig van Beethoven, a name synonymous with classical music, has left an indelible mark on the history of Western music. Renowned for his innovative compositions and emotive expressions, Beethoven remains a central figure of study for music enthusiasts and scholars alike. One of the significant aspects of his legacy is his role as a mentor to numerous upcoming musicians, most

Muzio Clementi – A Contemporary and Counterpart of Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most influential composers of all time, lived through an era rich in musical experimentation and innovation. Among the many towering figures of his time was Muzio Clementi, a composer and pianist whose achievements were overshadowed by the colossal presence of Beethoven. Despite this, Clementi’s work remains significant, as he not only contributed greatly to

Luigi Cherubini – Beethoven’s Respected Contemporary in Opera

Ludwig van Beethoven is often celebrated as one of the most transformative and influential figures in classical music. Known for his symphonies, sonatas, and chamber music, Beethoven’s compositions exemplify the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras. However, in the shadows of his monumental achievements stand the figures of his time, many of whom had a significant impact on his

Louis Spohr: A Contemporary Perspective on Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, the iconic composer, whose music has resounded through the annals of time, stands as a towering figure in the pantheon of classical music. Born in Bonn in 1770, Beethoven carved a niche for himself with his prodigious talent and innovative compositions. Yet, understanding his legacy isn’t complete without considering the views and influences of his contemporaries. One

Frequently Asked Questions about Ludwig van Beethoven

Yes, Beethoven began to lose his hearing in his late twenties, and it deteriorated progressively over time. By his late 40s, he was almost completely deaf. Despite this significant challenge, many of Beethoven’s most celebrated works were composed during the period when he was experiencing profound hearing loss.

For more thorough information on Beethoven’s Deafness check out this comprehensive article we wrote on the topic – “ Beethoven’s Deafness: Triumph of Creativity .”

There is no solid evidence to support the claim that Beethoven was black. The majority of historical records and portraits depict him as a European man of Caucasian descent. Over the years, there have been debates and speculations about his heritage, but there’s no concrete evidence to counter the widely accepted view of his ethnicity. Some of the debates arise from descriptions of Beethoven’s darker complexion, but this can be attributed to various reasons, including his health and the standards of description at the time.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770, in Bonn, a city in what is now Germany.

For more information check out our comprehensive Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven .

Beethoven passed away on March 26, 1827, in Vienna. The exact cause of his death is not definitively known. Over the years, various theories have been proposed, including lead poisoning, syphilis, and autoimmune disorders. During an autopsy, significant amounts of lead were found in Beethoven’s hair, lending support to the lead poisoning theory. However, the true cause of his death remains a subject of debate among historians and researchers.

Check out our comprehensive Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven for more information on this topic.

You may also want to check out Beethoven’s Family Tree .

Ludwig van Beethoven composed a total of 9 symphonies.

Visit (and listen) to Beethoven’s Symphonies and Music .

Also check out Beethoven’s Biography .

Use LVBeethoven.com as a resource to learn more about this extraordinary many.

Beethoven passed away on March 26, 1827.

For thorough information on the life of Ludwig van Beethoven check out Beethoven’s Biography.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, which is located in present-day Germany.

Here is a Chronology of Beethoven’s life – https://lvbeethoven.wpenginepowered.com/biography/chronology-of-beethovens-life/

Beethoven began to experience hearing loss in his late twenties. This hearing loss worsened progressively over the years, and by the time he was in his late 40s, he was almost completely deaf.

For the most comprehensive treatise on Beethoven’s Deafness check out “ Beethoven’s Deafness: Triumph of Creativity .”

No, Beethoven was not blind. He is famously known for his hearing impairment, but there are no records or evidence to suggest that he suffered from blindness.

For a comprehensive look at the life of Ludwig van Beethoven check out his BIO .

Yes, Ludwig van Beethoven was German. He was born in Bonn, a city in the Electorate of Cologne, which was a part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time of his birth. This region is now in modern-day Germany.

Here are a few helpful links to learn more about Ludwig van Beethoven:

LVBeethoven.com is your comprehensive resource for information about the impeccable Ludwig van Beethoven.

Perhaps the most famous piece by Ludwig van Beethoven is the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, often referred to as the “Choral” Symphony. This masterpiece is notable not just for its musical brilliance but also because it was the first time a major composer used voices in a symphony. The final movement of this symphony incorporates Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” sung by a chorus and soloists. This movement has since become an anthem for unity and fraternity. Moreover, the symphony’s structure, themes, and the sheer emotional power it exudes make it a groundbreaking work in the history of classical music. Today, the “Ode to Joy” theme is recognized worldwide and has been adapted for various purposes, including being the anthem of the European Union.

Check out our section dedicated to Beethoven’s Music .

Ludwig van Beethoven was a prolific composer, and throughout his lifetime, he composed a vast number of works across various musical genres. While it’s challenging to pinpoint an exact number due to variations in counting (some pieces have multiple parts, or movements), Beethoven wrote 9 symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 1 opera (“Fidelio”), and many other compositions including sonatas for various instruments, overtures, choral works, and chamber music pieces. In total, he composed well over 200 individual works. His influence in shaping the Classical and Romantic eras of music is monumental, with many of his compositions being staples in the repertoires of orchestras, chamber groups, and soloists around the world.

BTW – you can learn more about Beethoven through Films and Literature .

While Beethoven wrote numerous renowned pieces throughout his lifetime, the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, also known as the “Choral” Symphony, stands out as one of his most celebrated. The piece’s final movement is particularly famous for its incorporation of Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” performed by a choir and soloists. This inclusion of a choral element was revolutionary for symphonic works at the time. The symphony as a whole, and especially its final movement, is emblematic of Beethoven’s vision for music as a powerful force for unity and shared humanity. It encapsulates his masterful ability to convey profound emotions and ideals through musical expression. This symphony’s enduring popularity is a testament to its universal appeal and its representation of Beethoven’s genius.

Don’t miss the Beethoven Biography for a thorough education on everything Beethoven.

Ludwig van Beethoven is buried in Vienna, Austria. Initially, he was interred at the Währing Cemetery, but in 1888, his remains, along with those of Franz Schubert, were moved to the Zentralfriedhof (Central Cemetery) in Vienna, one of the largest cemeteries in the world. The Zentralfriedhof is notable for its numerous graves of famous composers, making it a significant site for music enthusiasts and historians. Beethoven’s grave attracts countless visitors each year, who come to pay their respects to one of the greatest composers in the history of music. The grand monument marking his final resting place is a testament to the profound impact he left on the world of classical music and his enduring legacy.

Check out the chronology of Beethoven’s life .

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Beethoven Biography – History of Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig Van Beethoven is a well known musical virtuoso who conquered the musical world. His effects and contributions to the musical world are still felt even though he departed from this world and went ahead to dance with the angels.

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Read also: Interesting Beethoven Facts, Best of Beethoven

Early Life And Family

This musical legend was a German composer as well as a pianist. His baptism was performed in 1770, December 17th. It has been suggested that his date of birth could be 16th December 1770 because in those days a child used to be baptized a day after their birth as decreed by the Catholic Church. For this reason, a lot of scholars are settled on this being the birth date of Ludwig Van Beethoven and especially because his parents used to celebrate his birthday on this date. His birth date that was marked with joy and celebrations little did the parents know that a legend has been born. Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn which was then a capital of Electorate of cologne.

Ludwig Van Beethoven was named after his grandfather who was also a musician. His grandfather was from Mechelen town located in the Flemish region which is currently Belgium. When he attained the age of 21 years, he relocated to Bonn. As a musician, his first job was as a bass singer working in the Elector of Cologne Court and by 1761 he was made the director of music. Soon after he became one of the ‘big fish’ in the music industry and he thrived.

Ludwig’s grandfather only had one son, Johann who was born in 1740 and lived up to 1792. He was also a talented musician. Contrary to his father, he was a tenor and also worked at the Elector of Cologne court. As a way to increase his income, he also taught piano and violin lessons. It is noted that he had alcohol issues as he just could not resist it. When Johann was of age, he married Maria Magdalene Keverich in the year 1767. Mary was known to be very gentle as well as very warm at heart; qualities that made her a great mother judging from how much she was loved. The product of this union was Ludwig Van Beethoven and his siblings .

Johann and Maria had a total of seven children and out of the seven only three survived. It is s unfortunate that Ludwig Van Beethoven had the misfortune of witnessing some of them die. The siblings were; Kaspar Anton Karl Van Beethoven, Johann Peter Anton Laym, Anna Maria Francisca Van Beethoven, Nikolaus Johann Van Beethoven, Franz Georg Van Beethoven and Maria Margarita Van Beethoven , in no particular order. While four dies, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Kaspar Anton Karl, and Nikolaus Johann lived to see better days.

From the family background highlighted above, we clearly get to see where Ludwig Van Beethoven got his musical talent. Born in a family of musicians, there was bound to be a musical genius, a virtuoso from among the kids. Lucky enough the talent laid heavily of Ludwig Van Beethoven. The two brothers also were talented but it could not compare to how good Ludwig was and the impact he made in the society even up to date.

As a young boy, Ludwig Van Beethoven was sickly and throughout his life, he suffered the following. He suffered from rheumatism, jaundice, rheumatic fever, ophthalmic, inflammatory degeneration of the arteries, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, skin disorders, Syphilis, infectious hepatitis, a number of infections, obsesses, typhus, just but to mention a few.

Personal Life and Character

Ludwig Van Beethoven was thought to be bipolar. He became irritable in his twenties and this was thought to be because of the abdominal pains he had. More often than not he was described to be irascible. At one particular time, he contemplated suicide but did not attempt. He always displayed strength in his personality. He had a deep dislike for authority and social rank. He always demanded respect for himself and his work. At some occasions, he refused to perform when called to because of a chatty audience. He always required the total attention of people in the audience before he could go on.

Ludwig Van Beethoven is not known to have a very active love life throughout his life. This can mostly be attributed to the class difference between him and the ladies that he fancied. For some ladies, he was handsome and very attractive yet some other described him as ugly and repulsive. All the ladies he wanted were simply out of his social league.

In the year 1801, Ludwig fell in love with a lady, Countess Julie Guicciardi whom he met while he was teaching Josephine Brunsvik how to play the piano. Even so, he had no intentions of marrying her because of the difference in social class. It was just not going to happen no matter how bad he wanted to. He composed his Sonata no. 14 and dedicated it to her.

Later, after Josephine Brunsvik’s husband passed on, Ludwig and Josephine has a mutual attraction but these feelings never amounted to much as she was later married off to Baron Von Stackelberg. This is because she would have lost custody of her kids had she married a commoner. He, later on, fell in love with another lady called Therese Malfatti who was dedicated to Fur Elise and even went ahead to propose to her. Unfortunately, he was turned down and this can be linked t the fact that he was a commoner.

Education and Musical Training

Ludwig Van Beethoven became the best pianist as well as a composer of his time through hard work and a love for music. As a young child, he only attended school for a short while. While at the age of 11 years, Ludwig had to drop out of school (formal school) so that he can offer a helping hand to his father and consequently increase the income of the family. His father was constantly under the influence of alcohol and the family was left to suffer. This was such a noble gesture even though no child should ever have to sacrifice school for the well-being of their family.

The school is very important and vital in the development of a child. It is a funny thing to note that Ludwig actually never got to learn about multiplication or division which is basic math. Some people say that if he had to do any multiplication, the best way out for him was to put down all the numbers and add them together so as to arrive at an answer. This is what lack of education can do to a person. Even so, this was not a factor to keep him from developing his talent. If anything, it was a door swung open for him by the heavens.

As a young kid, Ludwig Van Beethoven had a very noticeable musical talent as he showed a lot of interest in music. His father noticed this and become his very first teacher who would teach him all about music when he came from work on the court. In an era which Mozart dominated the music industry, Johann, his father sought to make Ludwig a prodigy. While his tuition began at the age of five, he faced a lot of difficulties trying to be the best his father needed him. More often than not, the tuition regime was always harsh and very intense. For a child his age, this could have been seen as child abuse as most of the times he would end up in tears because of what he went through. There were instances where he would be dragged out of bed and taken to play the keyboard at a very ungodly hour of the night. This was simply too much for a kid of his age. Well-being father wanted to make a music prodigy and he would do it regardless of the cost.

While he was seven and a half years, on March 26th, 1778, Ludwig was ready for his very first performance out in the open for a large number of people at Cologne. In this time, his father introduced him to the public as a six-year-old boy and this actually messed up Ludwig’s mind when it came to his age. He ended up thinking he was younger than he was thanks to his father. Even to the time when he saw his certificate of baptism copy, he still had a tough time believing it was his. He thought it belonged to his older brother who dies shortly after his birth.

Other than his father, Ludwig Van Beethoven has several other teachers that included Gilles Van Den Eeden who worked at the court as an organist, Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer who was a good friend to the family and taught Ludwig all about the keyboard, and Franz Rovantini who was a relative that instructed Ludwig on how to play the violin and the viola. All these teachers did well in giving his good ground to start his musical journey as a young talented kid. Other than them, he also had training by some of the best musicians in that time. These well-known teachers opened him up to a whole new world that made him the virtuoso we still talk about up to date.

Christian Gottlob Neefe was one of the great teachers that Ludwig Van Beethoven passed through in his journey to success. He was the organist of the court as appointed in that year, 1779. He probably was the first teacher that taught Ludwig about the composition of music. After teaching him and training him for a few years, Ludwig started working as Gottlob’s assistant in the office of an organist, appointed after being recommended by him. Even so, he was not paid as from the year 1781 but later on; he became a paid employee in the year 1784. After working with Gottlob for a while, Gottlob helped him to write his first composition as well as getting it published. This composition was simply a variation set of the keyboard, these variations were in C minor and they were nine in total; this was in the year 1783.

With all the talent that Ludwig had, Gottlob went ‘all in’ for him , and made study materials from the works of renowned philosophers available to him. These works were from ancient philosophers as well as the modern ones who were trending at that time. This massive knowledge played a great role in molding Ludwig into the excellent composer he was. Because he managed to impress Gottlob with his talent, Gottlob could help but mention in a musical magazine that if Ludwig continued the way he did, he will definitely be the new Mozart of his age. It is exciting to note that what Ludwig’s father, Johann, saw in his, Gottlob also saw the same thing; a boy who would grow to be just like Mozart, a music virtuoso, a music genius.

While working at the Court as an assistant organist, Ludwig composed piano sonatas that were three in number and he called them “Kurfurst” (Elector). These piano sonatas were dedicated to Maximilian Friedrich who was the Elector and they were published in the year 1783. What a noble gesture from Ludwig to Freidrich and this made Maximilian notice the massive talents that Ludwig had. He, therefore, decided to subsidize and also encourage the young man to keep up with his study of music .

After the death of Freidrich, he was succeeded by Maximilian Francis as the Elector of Bonn. He came with changes that were positive and would later be very beneficial in the life of Ludwig. These changes were based on what his Brother Joseph had implemented in Vienna. Maximilian Francis a type of reform that would see to it that the support for education and the arts was increased in Bonn and this reform was on the basis of Enlightenment Philosophy. The ideas that came with this reform impressed Ludwig that he was definitely influenced by them at one level or the other. At around this time also, ideas connected to freemasonry had also taken root among some of the elite members of the society as most of them took part as members of the order of Illuminati. Since Gottlob was part of this group of people and many other people who were within the circle of Beethoven’s associates, he was influenced by the ideas also at some points.

In the year 1787, Prince Maximilian Franz had noticed the great talent that Ludwig had and therefore sent him to Vienna so that he can get the chance to further his musical study under Mozart who was the very best in the industry. Vienna was practically the heart of music and culture and this would have been a great opportunity for Ludwig. What happened after Ludwig got to Vienna is something that is really not clear. Even so, it was noted by other that Ludwig Van Beethoven has an appointment and was scheduled to perform in front of Mozart . Up to date no one really knows how the meeting went down but speculations go round that Mozart made a comment that implied that people should watch out for Ludwig Van Beethoven as he would give them something to talk about. In the event that this is true, then it means that Mozart was impressed with what he saw that day.

It was not so long after Ludwig had been in Vienna that he got a letter that called him back to Bonn as his mother was ailing and the odds of her living for a long time were very little. For this reason, Ludwig Van Beethoven had to go back home . On July 17th, 1787, Ludwig’s dear mother passed on and this took a toll on him because he loved his mother so much that at one point he said she was his best friend. This was a hard blow for him but even so, he survived the pain. His father, however, did not take the news as expected. His wife’s death led him to indulge in alcohol even more. He became less of a father to his children as he could no longer support them in anything including financially and soon enough Ludwig had to fit the shoes of a ‘father figure’ for his siblings. He stayed in Bonn for five years so as to provide for his siblings.

In the year 1789, Ludwig was forced to take a legal action against his father as the responsibilities dumped on him were too much. He managed to get the court to order that half of what his father makes be paid to him directly so that he can take care of his siblings in a better way. To supplement what he was getting from his father, Ludwig used to play the violin as part of the Court’s orchestra. In this period, Ludwig benefited a lot as he got to hear a lot of different operas and he familiarized himself with them. Some of the operas were Mozart’s works and they used to be performed at the court giving him a great opportunity to familiarize with Mozart’s works.

As from 1779, Ludwig had a great opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greatest people in the society as well as the music world. He was introduced to a number of people who contributed a lot into who he became in life. The influences these people had in his life was just amazing and it built him up to a wholesome in depended individual; a music virtuoso. One of the people that he met and became great friends with was a young medical student called Franz Wegeler who presented him with an amazing opportunity when he introduced him to the Van Breuning family. Ludwig managed to secure a position as a piano teacher to the children of that family. He also met a man who later became his long life friend as well as one of the people who offered him financial support when he needed it. This friend was Count Ferdinand Von Waldstein .

Musical Development

In the year 1790 up to the year 1792, Beethoven had put his knowledge in composition to work and composed a number of works that were simply great. Even so, they were never published for one reason or the other. Currently, these musical works that he came up with are listed in the ‘works without opus number’. This works demonstrated just how he had grown and matured musically.

In 1792, Ludwig Van Beethoven went back to Vienna after he had received a grant from the Prince Elector . This grant was for two years and this meant that in those two years, Ludwig had to grasp all he could from the masters that he would later come into contact with. His friend Waldstein wrote to him telling him that “he should receive Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands” as he was the one who trained and nurtured Mozart. Also in a farewell note by Count Waldstein, he wrote to Ludwig telling him, “Through uninterrupted diligence, you will receive Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands”. These words were exactly the kind of words that Ludwig needed to strengthen him.

As history has it, the very first encounter between Ludwig and Joseph Haydn was in the year 1790 when Haydn was traveling to London and stopped in Bonn in December when it was Christmas time. In July 1792, the two had another encounter that resulted with Ludwig being Haydn’s student.

When he had just arrived in Vienna following the grant he had been awarded, he learned that his father had died . His death did not affect him as much as that of his mother did. This is probably because of the influence each parent had on him and his life. He also learned that Mozart was no more. Over the following years, the feeling that Ludwig was the successor of Mozart in the music world grew so much as he displayed the talents and mannerist in terms of music as Mozart displayed. After all, he was under training by the master that trained the deceased.

In Vienna, Ludwig did not really indulge deeper into composition but did more of studying and performing. He particularly desired to gain mastery over Counterpoint under the leadership of his master, Haydn. Ignaz Schuppanzigh was also his teacher and under his leading and instructions, he was able to master the violin and improve on the skills he had. Between the years 1802 and the year 1809, Ludwig established a relationship with Antonio Salieri who instructed him on a number of occasions concerning Italian Vocal style of composition.

At around 1794, Haydn departed to England and the Elector expected that he would return home, at Bonn. After all, the study grant was to cover two years. Even so, this did not happen as Ludwig had other plans that would grow his musical talent as well as musical career. His study on Counterpoints continued under Johann Albrechtsberger and some other well-known teachers. With the financial support from some of the elite Viennese members who had recognized the great talent he had, Ludwig was able to stay in Vienna without necessarily struggling. Some of these supporters were Prince Joseph Franz Lobkowitz, Prince Karl Lichnowsky, and even Gottfried Van Swieten.

By the year 1793, Ludwig had begun making a name for himself around Vienna because of his exquisite music that most of the noble people in the society loved and enjoyed. In this very year, he was known as Vienna’s piano virtuoso and a publisher by the name Nikolaus Simrock, who was also his friend, started publishing his works. Not much of his work was published in this year and the reason being that they would have a greater effect and a bigger impact when they get published later.

In the year 1795, Ludwig had his first performance in Vienna organized. In this concert, he performed one of his Piano Concertos. His works had a very closely knit tie to Mozart and Haydn works but what made them unique is the fact that they were described to be overly extravagant and to a greater extent risqué. Shortly after this, he went ahead to publish the first of his compositions and he assigned an Opus number as well as his three piano trios, opus 1 . These published works were in honor of Prince Lichnowsky and were consequently dedicated to him. They were a great success and they opened financial doors for Ludwig, something that was simply amazing because he could now live comfortable for a year in Vienna without having to depend on anyone for help.

Ludwig’s first symphony was premiered in the year 1800 and his second symphony in the year 1803. These two made him gain a wider recognition than before such that he was regarded to be one of the most influential as well as one of the most important composers of his generation at his age right after Haydn and Mozart. His compositions had characters of strength, they had a very deep emotional root, had the sense of originality such that you would just know he is the composer by just listening and they also had great manipulation of their tone. In his entire life, the Septet was one of his greatest works that he completed in the year 1799.

To premiere his First Symphony, Burg Theater was hired to bring to life the works of Ludwig on stage. This was in the year 1800. During this premiere, Ludwig staged his Septet as well as famous works by Mozart and Haydn. The influence of these two could be felt in Ludwig’s works but even so, his personal touch was what set him apart from the influence. His musical melodies, the development of the music, the modulation of the music, the texture of the music and the emotional characteristics his music bore set him apart from the rest. By the end of that year, the demand for Ludwig and his work grew as more people became accustomed to his works as well as his musical features that set him apart from Mozart and Haydn. Thereafter, Ludwig has some other concert performances that had great financial returns that he was even able to charge thrice the amount he usually charged for his tickets.

Just like his teachers, Ludwig was not selfish with the massive knowledge he had gotten over the years, he became a music teacher to many people including Countess Anna Brunsvik’s daughters who was from Hungary. He also taught other students like Ferdinand Reis and Carl Czerny who went ahead to do great works like teaching and composing music. His students also had a great impact in the music industry in those times.

From the year 1802, he published more of his works as his relationship with publishers improved. This can be credited to the efforts of his brother Carl who played a great role in the financial management of Ludwig’s affairs.

Ludwig Van Beethoven grew to become one of the great people when it comes to classical music . He was greatly known for his improvisation and he was really good. Some of his greatest works were his nine symphonies, his piano sonatas, the violin sonata, string quartets, the piano concerto and many other compositions. To get the full list of his music, visit imslp.org and you will get all his works .

His Role in His Brother’s Life

In the year 1812, Ludwig went to visit his brother (Johann) with the main agenda of convincing him to drop his relationship with Theresa Obermayer for a simple fact that she had an illegitimate child and had also been convicted of theft but his plan failed as the two married.

After a while, his brother fell ill. He was suffering from tuberculosis and therefore Ludwig was obliged to take care of him and his family. Due to the expenses, he had to incur while doing all these, he was financially drained. In the year 1815, his brother Carl died leaving his family under the care of Ludwig.

Custody Battle

Now that Carl had left the parenting of his young son to Ludwig and his wife, Ludwig sought to get complete custody of his nephew. He always though Carl’s wife to be immoral and consequently unfit to take care his nephew, Karl. He wanted to be named the sole guardian of the boy. For a while, he had troubles because Carl’s will have outlined that the two should have joint custody over baby Karl. Even so, in the year 1816, he managed to get Karl from the mother and the case got fully resolved in 1820.

During the fight, Ludwig tried all he could to ensure that he got the custody. He even went as far as disguising the fact that ‘Van’ as in his name denoted a commoner, unlike Von which denoted a member of a noble family. For a period of time, he had an influence on the court because of his supposed nobility but when he could not prove that he was from a noble family to the Landrechte, his case was thrown back to the magistracy and lost the battle in 1818. Even so, he did not faint. He appealed and he later got sole custody.

As his nephew lived with him, he felt like Ludwig always interfered with his life and this had a negative influence on him that he contemplated suicide. In the year 1826, Karl attempted to kill himself by aiming at his head and pulling the trigger. It seemed that the pressure was simply too much. Even so, he survived the ordeal and was taken to his mother’s place where he fully recovered from the injury. Karl later insisted on joining the army and the last time he saw his uncle was in the year 1827.

Illnesses, Deafness, and Death

In the year 1811, Ludwig Van Beethoven was struck down by a serious illness . He suffered from severe headaches and very high fever. He was advised by his doctors to take a trip and spend some time in Bohemian spa town found in Teplitz. After this period he seemed better. This was during spring. The following winter he fell ill again when he was working on his seventh symphony. He was then ordered to spend the following spring back at the spa. While in the spa, he wrote a beautiful letter hat spoke his love to his ‘immortal beloved’. There have been speculations that this letter was meant for either of the women he had fallen in love with. These are Julie Guicciardi, Therese Malfatti, and Josephine Brunsvik. Even so, there is no concrete evidence to support whom it was meant for.

While Ludwig Van Beethoven was 27 years old, he started hearing a constant bussing sound in his ears. While at the age of thirty he wrote to his doctor friend letting him know what was happening to him and particularly that his h earing has been growing weaker and weaker by the day. He had been having troubles hearing the orchestra while in theaters unless he got really close. He also had troubles hearing the high notes as well as the voices of the singers. If people spoke in low tones and softly, he also had a tough time hearing them.

For a while, he tried to keep this devastating news to himself because if it got out, his musical career would have suffered a great deal. The fear in him would not let him tell people of the problem he was going through. He had developed a habit of secluding himself and avoiding social gatherings so as to minimize the chances of people noticing his persistent hearing problems. Up until 1812, Ludwig Van Beethoven was able to hear some speech as well as music. Even so, when he got to the age of 44 years, things have gotten so bad that he almost could not hear any kind of sound be it speech or music.

The main reason that led to his deafness has been a real source of controversies . A times it is attributed to a fall he had that led to him going deaf , a times it is attributed to syphilis, some other times Ludwig attributed it to gastrointestinal problems, other theories have it that it was lead poisoning or the constant plunging of his head in very cold water in an attempt to keep himself awake or maybe typhus. Regardless of all these, when an autopsy was carried out after his death, it was found that his inner ear was distended and that there was a lesion which developed over time.

This deafness affected him a great deal both in his personal life as well as his career. This problem even brought him troubles while raising his brother’s son, Karl as he had difficulties communicating with a child.

Before Beethoven died, he had been bedridden for a number of months. His cause of death has been thought to be due to excessive consumption of alcohol, syphilis, infectious hepatitis, Whipple’s disease, sarcoidosis and lead poisoning; same causes that are suspected to lead to his deafness. Even so, the autopsy also revealed that his liver was badly damaged by the excessive alcohol he took.

Finally, on March 26th, 1827, Ludwig Van Beethoven died . A funeral procession was done in his honor and there was a total of approximately 20, 000 people in attendance. Franz Schubert was one of his torchbearers and he later died and was buried next to Beethoven. He was buried in a Wahring cemetery where he had a dedicated grave and in 1862, the remains were exhumed for the purposes study purposes.

Some of Beethoven’s Great Works

Symphony No. 5

Moonlight Sonata

Symphony No. 9

References:

Biography.com

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Beethoven: the astonishing force of nature who dragged music into the Romantic era

John Suchet profiles Ludwig van Beethoven - the composer who sparked a musical revolution

Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images

BBC Music Magazine

The music and, indeed, the personality of Ludwig van Beethoven bestrides the story of classical music like a colossus. The story of this most wonderful artform would be profoundly different without his influence. Of course, Beethoven had a huge impact on the story of classical music, helping to usher in the Romantic era. Much more than that, though, he was perhaps without parallel in the art of translating emotion into music.

Read on for our guide to the life and music of perhaps the most influential composer in the history of classical music: Ludwig van Beethoven.

Who was Beethoven and why was he so crucial?

Beethoven was not only one of the greatest composers of all time - but also something of a revolutionary. Not just in the obvious sense that his compositions took music in a new direction.

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No, much more than this: he was an artist imbued with the idea of revolution. Crucial to a full appreciation of Beethoven’s music is a knowledge of the times in which he lived, an understanding of the tumultuous events sweeping across Europe, bringing with them new orders and new ideas.

When and where was Beethoven born?

Bonn, where Beethoven was born in December 1770 , was an outpost of the Habsburg Empire . It was small, prosperous and sophisticated due to the fact that it was the seat of the Elector of Cologne and Münster. On the surface it was also conservative.

But Vienna – capital city of the Holy Roman Empire, formal and proper, with a growing network of spies, where dissent was not tolerated – was 500 miles and several days’ coach ride away. And so the burghers of Bonn, not to mention the elector, were prone to making decisions almost calculated to upset those at the heart of government.

Where did Beethoven grow up?

The young Beethoven remained in the town of his birth, Bonn, until the age of 21.

The first of these to have a lasting impact on the young musical prodigy in Bonn was the employment as court organist not only of an outsider, from Saxony, but a man of the wrong religion too. A Protestant, no less, who wasted no time in joining the proscribed organisation of like-minded dissidents, the Illuminati .

No one knows what persuaded the largely incapable and alcoholic Johann van Beethoven to employ Christian Gottlob Neefe as teacher to his son Ludwig, but it was an inspired choice. It does not take too much imagination to see Neefe, as well as encouraging his young pupil’s first attempts at composition, filling his head with ideas of religion, philosophy and politics. Neefe radicalised Beethoven.

An early breakthrough

Before Beethoven was ten, the old order passed with the death of Empress Maria Theresa . Emperor Joseph put in place immediate reforms, stripping the clergy of much of their power, introducing a measure of freedom of worship, and pushing through emancipation of the peasantry before he died, just 48, in 1790.

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That was when the musical establishment of Bonn took a truly extraordinary decision. They decided to commission a work to commemorate Joseph’s death, which would set to music words by a local poet, which in lauding Joseph’s break with the past were political dynamite, as well as a second piece to mark the accession of the new emperor.

And instead of choosing one of the several senior and respected musicians at court, they awarded the commission to the 19-year-old Ludwig van Beethoven. No matter that the orchestra refused to perform the pieces because they considered them unplayable, from these two Cantatas on, Beethoven would always be a political composer.

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When did Beethoven arrive in Vienna?

He left Bonn for Vienna in November 1792, never to return. At the time, Paris was undergoing the single most cataclysmic event of the age. Three years earlier the people had stormed the Bastille , initiating the French Revolution. Louis XVI and his Queen were under arrest. The King would go to the guillotine within two months, Marie Antoinette a matter of months after that. It was not long before the French set about exporting their revolution, a task made easier by the fortune that one of their citizens was on his way to becoming the greatest military commander in history. Vienna was steeped in old-world tradition and was therefore most vulnerable to the new French Revolutionary Army. It was a city living in fear.

While lauding the aims of the French Revolution, Beethoven condemned outright the violence and bloodletting it had led to. He also deplored the French occupation of Bonn and the Rhineland. But this revolutionary young composer had found a hero in the First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte , to whom he dedicated the Eroica Symphony , the work that famously propelled music into the 19th century.

The great Eroica is being performed at the  2024 BBC Proms . That's on Friday 13 September, for Prom 72 , when it is being performed alongside the Third Symphony by the underrated French composer Louise Farrenc , plus Mozart's First Symphony.

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Napoleon and the Eroica

When Napoleon appointed himself Emperor, Beethoven withdrew the dedication, declaring him to be nothing more than a tyrant after all. Still, Beethoven could not help admiring Napoleon. The title page of the first edition bore the words: Sinfonia Eroica... per festeggiare il sovvenire di un grand Uomo [Heroic Symphony... to celebrate the memory of a great man], and Beethoven wrote to his publisher that ‘the title of the symphony is really Bonaparte ’.

The influence of the Revolution stayed with Beethoven. The French composer Méhul, much admired by the revolutionaries, composed five symphonies in this period. All four movements of his First Symphony bear striking stylistic similarities to Beethoven’s Fifth – regarded as the epitome of revolutionary musical writing – and both were composed in the same year.

Beethoven and Méhul

Who influenced whom? One suspects that if you suggested to Beethoven that he was influenced by Méhul, he would probably agree, and say that the revolutionary theme of his only opera, Fidelio , was also influenced by themes used by Méhul in his operas.

Several times in adult life, Beethoven actively contemplated a move to Paris – surely a desire to experience revolutionary times at first hand. In fact in 1808, an annus horribilis for him, plans for the move were well advanced. It never, of course, happened. After Napoleon’s final defeat and exile, Vienna, with the autocratic Metternich running things, was more or less shut down. There were secret police everywhere.

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Beethoven, by now deaf, had only one outlet for his ideas, and that was music. No wonder his compositions gave a new meaning to the world ‘revolutionary’. There had never been a piano sonata like the Hammerklavier . No composer had ever used voices in a symphony, as Beethoven would in his Ninth . The final Piano Sonata, Op. 111 shows his radical approach to form and his revolutionary brilliance stands out in every movement of his five Late Quartets, simply the greatest body of music ever composed.

When and why did Beethoven go deaf?

It is believed that Beethoven began to lose his hearing in his mid twenties. The cause of his hearing loss remains something of a mystery, though modern analysis of the composer's DNA has revealed some health issues - including large amounts of lead in his system.

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Beethoven later claimed that his deafness had its origins in a quarrel with a singer, back in 1798. In 1801, he wrote to friends describing his symptoms and how they were making life difficult for him, both as a composer and in society.

Then came the famous Heiligenstadt Testament . Beethoven spent around six months of the year 1802 in the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt , just outside Vienna, on the advice of his doctor. This was where he wrote his famous Testament: a letter to his brothers, in which he reveals that his deafness has made him consider suicide, but that he has resolved to continue living through his art. Never sent, the letter was found among the composer's papers after his death.

Did Beethoven marry?

No. He did meet a young countess, Julie Guicciardi, for whom he developed strong feelings: he writes about his love for her in a letter written to a friend in November 1801.

Sadly, though, the young Beethoven was from humbler origins than Julie, and this class difference meant that a union would have been out of the question.

Then there was Antonie Brentano - a philanthropist, arts patron, and close friend of the composer. While he was at the spa resort of Teplitz in 1812, Beethoven wrote a ten-page love letter to his 'Immortal Beloved' - but the letter was never sent and the addressee never revealed. The identity of the 'Immortal Beloved' has been much discussed, but the musicologist Maynard Solomon has convincingly demonstrated that the intended recipient must have been Antonie Brentano.

When did Beethoven die?

Beethoven died on 26 March 1827 at the age of 56. Some 10,000 people attended his funeral procession six days later - including a young Franz Schubert .

What did Beethoven die of?

The precise cause of Beethoven's death is not known for certain, although cirrhosis of the liver and infectious hepatitis are among those causes put forward.

What were Beethoven's final words?

You may hear the story told that Beethoven's final deathbed words were 'applaud friends, the comedy is ended' (spoken in Latin, no less). In fact, however, we believe that his final words came after a publisher had sent the dying composer 12 bottles of wine as a gift. Beethoven's reaction (and last words)? 'Pity, pity, too late!'.

Did Mozart and Beethoven meet?

The young Ludwig van Beethoven intended to study with Mozart and, in 1787, when Beethoven was 16 and Mozart was 31, the younger composer travelled to Vienna to meet his would-be mentor, However, shortly after his arrival in Vienna, Beethoven's mother fell ill, meaning that he had to return to his hometown of Bonn in Germany.

Beethoven stayed in Bonn for five years, looking after his younger siblings. When he was finally able to undertake the trip to Vienna the great Mozart was, sadly, dead.

What are Beethoven's most famous pieces?

With such an incredible output to his name, this becomes a very thorny question in Beethoven's case. However, we'd certainly nominate the Third, Fifth , and Ninth Symphonies (although the Sixth and Seventh follow close behind, and to be honest all nine are masterpieces).

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On the concerto front, the Violin Concerto and the final two Piano Concertos are probably the best known.

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Among Beethoven's large and deeply impressive chamber music output, we'd have to single out the 'Archduke' Piano Trio, as well as the late String Quartets mentioned above.

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Most famous Beethoven sonatas

The best known Beethoven Piano Sonatas include the 'Hammerklavier' Sonata, the 'Moonlight' Sonata , the 'Waldstein' Sonata and the 'Pathétique' Sonata. Scared music lovers, meanwhile, will want to sample Beethoven's great choral work, the Missa Solemnis .

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How did Beethoven change music?

Like his forebear Bach, and more so than his immediate predecessors Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven had a profound impact on the direction that classical music was taking. Under his influence, some essential classical forms such as the sonata, the concerto, the string quartet and most obviously the symphony became bigger and wider in their ambitions.

Take Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, for example, which both rearranged the formal structure of a Classical symphony, and features - totally originally - the human voice in its final movement. Innovations such as these make Beethoven one of the earliest and best Romantic composers .

Or take the extraordinary 'Hammerklavier' Sonata: no other piano sonata covers such a vast ground, both musical and emotional. The final movement is a vast fugue, a mindblowingly complex composition that makes huge demands on the performer.

• Ten great Beethoven performers

Lastly, Beethoven's final five String Quartets attain a quality of transcendent beauty and emotional eloquence that was, quite simply, without precedent in the chamber music world.

Read reviews of the latest Beethoven recordings here

John Suchet

And... can't get enough Ludwig van? Some great lesser-known Beethoven works to discover

Wellington’s victory.

Originally written for a panharmonicon, an automatic orchestral organ, the piece marked the victory at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813.

Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II, Wo0 87

Written for a memorial service by a 19-year-old Beethoven, it was premiered in 1884.

King Stephen, Op. 117

The overture is played today but the vocal movements that follow are forgotten. This 1811 piece refers to the first king of Hungary.

Three Equale for Four Trombones, Wo0 30

Written for All Soul’s Day in Linz Cathedral, 1812. Vocal arrangements were heard at Beethoven’s funeral .

• 10 Beethoven references in popular culture

Andante favori in F, Wo0 57

Rejected as the Waldstein Sonata’s second movement for being overlong, it took on its own life when published in 1805.

Waldstein Variations

Written for the same Count Ferdinand von Waldstein of sonata fame, this is one of Beethoven’s earliest piano duets.

• 10 of the best arrangements of Beethoven's music

Grosse Fugue for piano duet

Demand for a four-hand piano arrangement of this work for string quartet led to Beethoven making his own.

Organ Fugue, Wo0 31

Published in the 19th century, Beethoven’s ‘complete’ works included three organ pieces. This fugue is his earliest.

British folk songs

These 179 arrangements of folk tunes were a money-spinner for Beethoven, thanks to publisher George Thomson.

Sextet for horns and string quartet, Op. 81b

Published in 1810, but written in the 1790s, this E flat chamber piece tests the two horn players’ technique.

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