MI: LIBRARY: PEOPLE: BEETHOVEN

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Dec. 17, 1770 -to- Mar. 26, 1827
transition (class.-roman.)
Piano

Johann wished to make his son a prodigy of the piano like Mozart, but to no avail. Beethoven’s career began when his first teacher, the court organist, named Beethoven his assistant. He would later study with Mozart for a short period of time until he was interrupted by the death of his mother.

Speaking of Beethoven, Mozart said, "this young man will make a great name for himself in the world." After his mother’s death, Beethoven remained in Bonn for 5 years during which time he would be taken by Hayden as a student. When Beethoven left Bonn to study with Haydn he would never return.

Beethoven had an incredible talent with the piano that allowed him to use the instrument to move an audience to tears. It was this talent that would make him so quickly famous in Vienna. Studying with Haydn, Beethoven soon realized Haydn would not be able to help him, and Beethoven began taking extra lessons in secret.

In 1795 Beethoven made his first public appearances in Vienna, performing works of Mozart, Haydn, and his own. Between this, and the publishing of his works to aristocrats, Beethoven developed a great deal of fame.

Beethoven had symptoms of deafness before 1800 but by 1802 he could no longer dismiss the fact that his hearing was failing him. The diagnosis made him contemplate suicide but he stated, "...only Art held back; for, ah, it seemed unthinkable for me to leave the world forever before I had produced all that I felt called upon to produce. . . ." by 1819 his deafness was complete and he would from there on communicate with a pen and paper.

While his deafness lessened the number of public appearances he made, he continued to compose and would spend long periods of times in a small town surrounding Vienna, composing. His ideas were born onto the paper of his sketchbooks where he would begin the creation of his musical masterpieces. His sketches became very elaborate and he often kept his initial sketches for a piece but never much of the final products. This was because, after a piece was completed, he lost interest in it.

Beethoven did have periods where he longed for a spouse, however he never found one. He was, on multiple occasions, in love and the renown Moonlight Sonata for piano was dedicated to one such love. Eventually, after many more successes... Beethoven was aged, and on returning to Vienna one trip he contracted pneumonia from which he never recovered and eventually died with cirrhosis of the liver in Vienna on March 26, 1827.

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There is something about Beethoven's music, undescribable. You always know he didn't write his music with the ease of Mozart or Bach, etc.

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1. 17 Dec is when Beethoven got baptised... 2. I think a large number of critics wrongly suppose that Beethoven 'was almost to commit suicide'... Yes, the Heillingstadt letter is filled with such a inner pain that almost produces pain in our souls; but how many times and how many moms did not say that 'only the children are those that makes her wish to live', and this does not necessarly means they were almost to commit suicide, but it means that this is the supreme goal of the life as I suppose is the case of Beethoven, too.

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Thankyou so much. I finaly found something on Beethoven for my report. Once again THANKYOU SOOO MUCH!!!

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