Beethoven

A great composer

Those of you who are interested in music may have heard of the great German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He is one of the most famous composers in the history of music, and is occasionally referred to as one of the "three Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms).

He was an important figure in the period when Western classical music underwent a transition, from Classical in the 18th Century to Romantic in the 19th Century.

Beethoven and his music inspired many generations of composers, musicians, and audiences. Although he was better known as a composer, he was an excellent pianist as well.

Although Beethoven's exact date of birth is not known, he was baptised on December 17, 1770 (most believe his birthday to be December 16). He was born in Bonn, to Johann van Beethoven, a musician of Flemish ancestry, and Maria Magdalena Keverich. He was one of seven children, of whom only he and two younger brothers survived past infancy.

Young Beethoven first learnt music under his father, a tenor in the service of the Electoral Court at Bonn. His father later engaged a friend, Tobias Pfeiffer, to continue the boy's training, and it is said that Johann and his friend would come home late at times and pull the young boy out of bed to practise until morning.

Beethoven's teachers recognised his talent rather early and by 1778, he was studying the organ, violin, viola and piano. Christian Gottlob Neefe was his most important teacher at the time.

Beethoven travelled to Vienna in 1787, where he played for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (whom the Junior Observer has already featured). His mother died of tuberculosis in 1787, when Beethoven was 16, and due to this and his

father's alcohol addiction, the boy had to take the responsibility of raising his two younger brothers.

Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792, where he started studying with Joseph Haydn, and started acquiring a reputation as an excellent pianist. Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (renowned Viennese instructor) and Antonio Salieri were some of his other instructors.

By 1793, Beethoven had established a reputation in Vienna as a master pianist. Beethoven was also one of the first composers to work freelance - arranging concerts, selling his compositions to publishers, and gaining financial support from wealthy patrons (one who sponsors or aids artists) - instead of being permanently employed in a church or royal court.

A tragic development that happened in his late twenties, around 1796, was that he started losing his hearing. This was caused by a severe form of tinnitus, a "ringing" in his ears, and made it hard for him to understand and appreciate music. Despite this, he continued to come out with masterpieces, even after he had become almost totally deaf.

A well-known story says that, at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around to see the overwhelming applause of the audience, and that hearing nothing, he started weeping. However, his hearing impairment(weakness or damage) resulted in him keeping conversation books discussing music and other issues, and giving an insight into his thoughts, which have today been preserved as unique historical records.

Despite attaining greatness in music, Beethoven had a troubled personal life. He never married and often quarrelled with his relatives as well as other people; he is said to have treated others rather badly.

Despite all this, he had a close and devoted circle of friends throughout his life, and they are said to have helped

 him cope with illness and his deafness, later in life.

It is also said that he would stop a performance halfway if the audience chattered among themselves without paying their full attention to him, and also that he wouldn't perform at gatherings if his hosts suddenly called upon him to do so without any advance warning.

His work was wide and varied; he composed outstanding pieces for symphonies, concerti, piano sonatas, other sonatas (including for violin), string quartets and other chamber music, masses, an opera, lieder, and many other types of music. This outstanding musician and composer died on March 26, 1827 at the age of 57.

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Beethoven's work

Beethoven's career composing music could be divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods.

In the Early period, he followed great composers before him like Haydn and Mozart, while at the same time exploring new directions and gradually expanding the scope and ambition of his work.

Some outstanding pieces from this era are the first and second symphonies, the first six string quartets, the first three piano concertos, and the first twenty piano sonatas, including the famous 'Pathetique' and 'Moonlight' sonatas.

The Middle period is centred around his personal problems, highlighted by approaching deafness.

This period is noted for large-scale works expressing heroism and struggle, and include many of his most famous works such as six symphonies (Nos. 3-8), the fourth and fifth piano concertos, the triple concerto, violin concerto, five string quartets (Nos. 7-11), the next seven piano sonatas (including the 'Waldstein' and 'Appassionata'), and his only opera, Fidelio.

The Late period began around 1816 and its works are characterised by intellectual depth, intense and highly personal expressions and formal innovation. The String Quartet, Op. 131, the Ninth Symphony, 'Missa Solemnis', the last five string quartets and the last five piano sonatas are some of the examples from this era.