The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-12-15
Beethoven Anniversary.


New York, Dec. 15,-Musicians and
music.loyers the world over will pay
tribute tomorrow to the memory Of
Ludwig Won Beethoven, ON the occas-
sion Of the 150th anniversary of his
birth Beethoven will ever rank as one
of the worlds greatest musical com
posers. BY this it Is intended to indi-
cate that he'is as supreme in the realm
Of music as these other great names
are in the realm Of epic and lyric poe
try and the drama
Beethoven first saw light in Bonn,
Prussia, Dec 49, 1870. He was an
Austrian by birth, but Dutch by de
scent His musical education began at
the tender age Of A, years under his
father who was a musician in the
court band of the eector Of Cologne.
PfeifIer q tenor singer, who lodged
with the Beethovens in 1879, contribu.
ted to the young masters knowledge
of music. For ten years or more from
1871 young Beethoven filled the va
rious positions as court organist, cor
ductor of the opera band, or, as we,
call it nowaday5 orchestra. The cleo
tor finally sent him to Vienna to study
music. Then, at the age Of %, he be
gan to study under Haydn, principal.
ly in strict counterpart.
Dissatisfied by the lack of attention
given him by Haydn, whose other oc.
equations partly justified 1t. Beetho-
ven set out for England in ia and took
lessons of several masters on the
violin He published his first work,
the three trios, known as opus /, the
following year, and from then on pub
lished his compositions with regulari.
'ty.
Beethoven won many crowning
honors, but no one ever had to bear
q heavier cross. During the latter half
of his life he was entirely bereft Of
hearing the sense most necessary to
the musician This calamity began 70
oyertake him when he had passed his
25th year and in short time he was
totally deaf :;
AT the age Of 80, under the influence
of an apparently fatal illness. he pour
ed out the story ofahiss misery in
which he had been plunged by the mis-
fortune that had oyertaken him, con
fesing that he had even meditated sui
eide, but that at last he had determine
ed to live for his art.
The great composer had other sor-
rows to endure beside the supreme
grief Of the loss of his hearing. His
grandfather had been singer OF some
reputation, but his father, though a
capable musician, was a man of dis
solute hsbits. and the family, during
Beethoven's childhood sank into pOv-
erty For many years, after he had
attained manhood, Beethoven was the
support of his father and two brothers.
Beethoyens family affections were
of the most intense nature, and when
( his younger brother died and left a
son to the composers protection and
care, the great artist accepted the OBJ
/ legation as a sacred trust. He soon
centered all his affection on this boy,
who turned out however, to be a
graceless ne'erdOwell.
The mother of the hoy was woman
OF notorious morals, and would not
surrender the child until Beethoven
had gone through a tedious and ex-
pensive legal process, accompanied by
publicity which nearly broke his heart,
for he, himself, was of irreproachable
habits and extremely sensitive
The nephew constantly worried and
harassed the composer, and capped the
climax of his reckless behavior by at
tempting suicide. This nearly pros
trated Beethoven, aud was the in
direct cause OF his death, for while
travelling with the young man, who
had been ordered from Vienna, the
great composer took pneumonia, which
was followed by dropsy, and in few
months he died. The date of his
death was March 26, 1927.