Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Presented By: Jeffrey Chen
Beethoven's Early Life
Ludwig Van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 (or possibly a day earlier), in the city of Bonn. He had six other siblings, only three survived into adulthood. He loved his gentle, kind mother, Maria. He disliked his father, Johann, who drinked heavily and was extremely demanding. His father sometimes gave music lessons to children, and when he found out Beethoven had a great musical capability, he nurtured it heavily. Very heavily, as he saw Beethoven as a source of income. When Beethoven turned seventeen, he made his first trip to Vienna, where he met Mozart. Mozart replied after Beethoven played the piano for him, "You will make a big noise in the world."
Beethoven's Home (Second)-Vienna
Beethoven's second home was in Vienna, Austria. Beethoven was actually born in Bonn, Germany. He first visited Vienna in 1787 when he was seventeen, there he briefly met Mozart. After his father died in 1792, Beethoven officially moved to Vienna. There, he met a number of composers and musicians. Including Franz Joseph Haydn, and Mozart's rival, Antonio Salieri. Salieri and Beethoven got along well, Beethoven even dedicated three violin sonatas to him. Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827, after he caught pneumonia from traveling from his brother's estate. He died at the age of fifty-seven.
Beethoven - Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 - Thielemann
Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)
Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven is the world's most popular symphony. It was created from 1804 to 1808. You may have heard its opening tune, the famous "da-da-da-daaah". It is and intense, powerful four-note rhythmic cell, full of amazing, concentrated energy. This makes it very difficult to hum along to it, and still get the complete feeling of the song. This symphony was most likely created when Beethoven was progressing in his continuously serious deafness. That is quite a feat as it is very hard to compose without being able to properly hear what you are playing.
Beethoven's Famous Musical Pieces
- Symphony No. 5
- Symphony No. 9 "Choral" (Ode to Joy)
- Für Elise
- Moonlight Sonata
Beethoven's Legacy
Beethoven was definitely one of the most popular, famous, and gifted composers of all time. His most famous musical pieces are his nine symphonies, namely No. 5 and No. 9. However, his most amazing feat is being able to compose while deaf. Beethoven started to lose his hearing at around the age of twenty-eight, he completely lost it near the last decade of his life. Beethoven had an amazing audiation skill. In order to compose he cut off the legs of his piano so he could feel its vibrations through the ground. He even conducted his Symphony No. 9 while deaf, however, he didn't know when the orchestra stopped, so he continued to conduct even after they finished playing.
Citations
Classical Vault 2. “Beethoven - Symphony No 5 in C minor, Op 67 - Thielemann.” YouTube, 5 Aug. 2013, youtu.be/7jh-E5m01wY. Accessed 13 Oct. 2016.
Ludwig van Beethoven.. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016.
http://quest.eb.com/search/113_908591/1/113_908591/cite. Accessed 11 Oct 2016.
Map Of Vienna, Austria, 1899. Photo. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016.
http://quest.eb.com/search/300_213639/1/300_213639/cite. Accessed 11 Oct 2016.