Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Created by Jack Sircus
Beethoven's Life
Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 in Bonn, Germany. He was one of seven children, but only three survived to become adults. Even from an early age, Beethoven was known to figure out things that would make a somewhat musical noise. For example, he used to turn the iron handle of the window shutters to hear the musical noise it emitted. Beethoven's parents, Johann and Maria, were quite different. His father was hard-drinking and rough, while his mother was gentle. Unfortunately, on March 26, 1827, lightning struck Beethoven in his room while he was busy composing music. With his fist raised high his last words were "I shall hear in heaven!" He fell back dead.
Map of bonn germany
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770. He lived here until 1787 when he made his trip to Vienna, Austria. He there played the piano even for Mozart, another great composer.
Beethoven, Symphony 5
Beethoven's Music
Beethoven's music is extremely popular now that people recognize he composed most of them while he was deaf. Symphony No. 5 (Above) is best known for the beginning. Most people describe it as "da da da daaaaaah, da da da daaaaaaaaah."
Other facts
Beethoven was not always deaf. He became deaf when he got older. When he was completely deaf, he had to cut off the legs of the piano so it would be on the ground. Then he would put his head to the ground while playing music so he could feel the vibrations. He memorized the vibrations of the notes so that he would "hear" the music in his mind.
Citations
1. BEETHOVEN Ludwig van Ludwig.. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 9 Dec 2015.
http://quest.eb.com/search/113_904942/1/113_904942/cite
http://quest.eb.com/search/113_904942/1/113_904942/cite
2. Beethoven, Symphony 5. YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2015. <https://youtu.be/rRgXUFnfKIY>.