Ludwig van Beethoven

**Ludwig van Beethoven** (baptized 17 December 1770 in Bonn – 26 March 1827 in Vienna; pronounced *LUD-vig vahn BAY-TOH-ven*) was a German composer. He wrote classical music for the piano, orchestras and different groups of instruments. His best-known works are his third (*Eroica*), fifth, sixth (*Pastorale*) and ninth (*Choral*) symphonies, the eighth (*Pathetique*) and fourteenth (*Moonlight*) piano sonatas, two of his later piano concertos, his opera *Fidelio*, and also the piano piece *Für Elise*. Beethoven lived when the piano was still a new instrument, and when he was a young man, he was a talented pianist. Beethoven was popular with the rich and important people in Vienna, Austria, where he lived.

However, in 1801, he began to lose his hearing. His deafness became worse. By 1817, he was completely deaf. Although he could no longer play in concerts, he continued to compose. During this time he composed some of his greatest works. He is said to be one of the greatest classical composers who has ever lived. When Beethoven died, he was surrounded by friends on his death bed. His funeral was held at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Between 10,000 and 30,000 people are estimated to have attended. Franz Schubert was a pall bearer at his funeral, even though the two were never close.

Beethoven was the first Romantic composer.

## Early years 
Very little is known about Beethoven’s childhood. He was baptized on December 17, 1770 and was probably born a few days before that. Beethoven's parents were Johann van Beethoven (1740 in Bonn – December 18, 1792) and Maria Magdalena Keverich (1744 in Ehrenbreitstein – July 17, 1787). Magdalena's father, Johann Heinrich Keverich, had been Chief at the court of the Archbishopric of Trier at Festung Ehrenbreitstein fortress opposite to Koblenz. His father was a fairly unimportant musician who worked at the court of the Elector of Cologne. This court was in Bonn and it was here that he lived until he was a young man. His father gave him his first lessons in piano and violin. Beethoven was a child prodigy like Mozart, but while Mozart as a little boy was taken all over Europe by his father, Beethoven never traveled until he was 17. By that time, his piano teacher was a man called Neefe who had learned the piano from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian Bach. Neefe said to the Elector that the young Beethoven should be given the chance to travel, so he was allowed to go to Vienna. There, he might have had one or two lessons from Mozart, but then Beethoven got a letter saying that his mother was dying, so he hurried back to Bonn. They expected him to return after a while. However, Beethoven never left Vienna. He stayed there for the rest of his life.

## Middle period 
Beethoven seems to have tried to forget these bad thoughts by working very hard. He composed a lot more music, including his Third Symphony, called the *Eroica*. Originally he gave it the title *Bonaparte* in honour of Napoleon whom he admired.

Beethoven continued to write compositions: a Violin Concerto, symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets and chamber music. Two of his greatest symphonies were produced in 1806: *Symphony No. 5* and *Symphony No. 6 "Pastorale"*. The first one was known for its dark and deep tone, especially in its first movement. The second was famous for its depiction of the countryside. He also wrote *Piano Concerto No. 4* and *Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"*. He earned money by pleasing the aristocrats, dedicating works to them in return for fees, and by selling his music to publishers. Occasionally he earned money from concerts. It was not a regular income. He would have liked the job of Kapellmeister to the emperor. He was not able to get this, but in 1809 three rich aristocrats: the Archduke Rodolph, Prince Lobkowitz and Prince Kinsky gave him an income for the rest of his life on condition that he stayed in Vienna. This meant that Beethoven did not have to worry so much about money. He was asked to write music for *Egmont*, a play by Goethe. As recalled by his student, Carl Czerny, he also had a Walter piano. Beethoven's last instrument was a fortepiano from a Viennese piano builder Conrad Graf. After the composer's death, it was sold to Wimmer family and now is displayed at the Beethovenhaus in Bonn.

## Legacy 
Beethoven’s music is usually divided into three periods: Early, Middle and Late. Most composers who live a long time develop as they get older and change their way of composing. Of course, these changes in style are not sudden, but they are quite a good way of understanding the different periods of his composing life.

His first period includes the works he wrote in his youth in Bonn, and his early days in Vienna up to about 1803. His middle period starts with the Eroica Symphony and includes most of his orchestral works. His last period includes the Ninth Symphony and the late string quartets.

Beethoven is probably the most famous of all composers, and the most written about. He had a wild personality and this was something that the Romantics in the 19th century always expected from great artists. The Romantics thought that the artist was somehow a person with exaggerated qualities who was not like normal people. Beethoven had a very strong personality. He lived in the time of the French Revolution and had strong views on independence and ways of living free from tyranny. This made him a hero in many people’s eyes.

His music was so famous that many composers in the 19th century found it quite hard to compose because they thought they would be compared to him. For example, Johannes Brahms, took a long time to write his First Symphony. He thought that everyone was expecting him to be the next Beethoven. It was only towards the end of the 19th century that Gustav Mahler wrote several symphonies which include singing, although he does this very differently to Beethoven.

## References
## Further reading
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*  ISBN 1-904341-03-9 (h). ISBN 1-904341-00-4 (p).
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*  ISBN 0-393-04020-8 (hc). ISBN 0-393-31712-9 (pb).
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*  ISBN 0-521-58074-9 (hc). ISBN 0-521-58934-7 (pb).
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## Other websites
* English homepage of big Beethoven website
* Beethoven’s Personality and Music: The Introverted Romantic 
* nhdbeethoven