When was Beethoven Ludwig van born? The last years of Beethoven's life

A tiny boy with always disheveled hair and sad, anxious eyes, born into a musical family, could not even imagine that very little time would pass and the whole world would be talking about him. Moreover, even after several centuries his work has not been forgotten, and his works are remembered and appreciated in all countries. Ludwig van Beethoven was an unusual person, which is probably why his fate did not turn out as was customary at that time. He managed to make strict classical music understandable and accessible to the masses. The romanticism of his works is off the scale, touching the most hidden depths of the human soul.

Beethoven's forced music: biography of the composer "under the lash"

Contrary to popular misconceptions, the future outstanding musician, composer and organist did not suffer from hearing impairment as a child. The disease appeared later. He learned to play the harpsichord very early - his father was haunted by the glory of the brilliant Mozart. He wanted to make his son a celebrity. At the age of seven, a tiny, thin boy with a shock of unruly hair was already performing on stage on his own, and by that time he had mastered the violin and organ. Who Beethoven was was then known only in his hometown, but soon the world would start talking about him.

Despite the fact that the family did not experience great financial difficulties, the boy had to work from an early age. By the age of twelve, he worked as accompanist of the court theater and ducal organist. Around the same time, the young composer Beethoven published his first independent work - variations on a theme of Dressler's march. This made him famous in his hometown, but real fame was still far away.

Briefly about the composer Beethoven

You can relate to the music of this composer in different ways: some people like it, it brings satisfaction and joy, while others only find it irritating or boring. However, its significance does not change at all. Haydn believed that Beethoven wrote strange and even dark works. Rarely could anyone replicate this man's virtuoso performance in practice. Listeners who were lucky enough to attend his concert noted the unusual manner of performance and the strongest emotions that one could not help but experience while his fingers lightly touched the keys.

Many considered him rude, narcissistic and even dismissive of others, but this was only the first impression. This is exactly how the vulnerable soul of the composer tried to protect himself from the dangers of the surrounding world. With friends and in his home circle, he became open, friendly and kind, always ready to help. The creator’s incredible works - the Lunar and Pathétique sonatas, Christ on the Mount of Olives, the First and Second Symphonies, the Creation of Prometheus - are still loved and appreciated by descendants in the twentieth century.

At the age of thirty, he began to have hearing problems, but this could not break his iron character and indestructible will. Due to his stubborn and tough disposition, as well as his sharp tongue, he had constant problems with the authorities, but even the kings did not dare to touch the musician Beethoven. They were not allowed by the magnitude of his talent, whose unsurpassed genius sometimes pushed him to rash actions.

Ludwig's early years

Often famous people have obscure or unknown origins, making it difficult to understand their established character traits, motivations, and actions. Before understanding the life and fate of the musician, we should say a few words about his ancestors. The composer's grandfather was from the small but picturesque town of Mechelen, which is located in the hills of the Southern Netherlands. He had an incredibly low and “thick” bass, as well as an excellent ear for music, which is why he was hired as a court musician. For many years he sang chorales, sonatas and fantasies for the Prussian king, and then received the honor of becoming the leader of the singing group.

The father of the future genius, Johann, was born in the mid-eighteenth century, or rather in 1740, in the same place where Beethoven was born a few years later. The family never needed anything - the grandfather earned quite well. Little Johann himself had a pure and beautiful tenor by nature, as well as a bandmaster father, which made it possible to easily get a job in the same small musical ensemble (capella) at court. In 1967, he married the daughter of the chief court cook of the ducal castle in Koblenz, Mary Magdalene, nee Keverich. On December 17, 1770, in the family house in the town of Bonn, she gave birth to a baby, whom it was decided to name Ludwig.

The boy grew up smart, but he often got caught for mischief and mischief. True, there was no time to be especially naughty - impressed by the glory of the boy musician Mozart, the father decided to make something similar out of his son. From the age of four he began teaching the little one to play the harpsichord and violin. All this was easy for the boy, but it was not possible to turn him into a “monkey at the piano”. At the age of eight, he already gave his debut concert in Cologne. “Daddy,” meanwhile, began to drink, take friends home, and did not even hesitate to get Ludwig out of bed to please his drinking companions by playing the clavichord installed in one of the rooms.

The youth of a brave musician

A difficult childhood left an indelible mark on Beethoven’s character and lifestyle. By the age of nine, having realized that it was impossible to make money on the “phenomenal” boy, his father entrusted him to his friends. They taught him to play the violin and organ, but the best years of his childhood came when the famous composer and organist Christian Gottlob Nefe arrived in Bonn in 1980. He instantly recognized the young man’s real talent, so he took him on as a student and introduced him to the works of Handel, Bach, Haydn and Mozart, which impressed the guy so much that he even lost sleep.

At the age of eleven, Ludwig was hired as a court organist, and at twelve his first composition was published. He attended school, but when his grandfather died, his financial situation plummeted and he had to quit his studies. However, by that time the smart boy had already mastered French, Italian and Latin, and also read books avidly. He read Homer and Plutarch, Schiller, Goethe and Shakespeare, although it is quite difficult for a boy to call them interesting.

It was then that he began to actively write music, but tried not to advertise his works, which in the future he would repeatedly redo and improve. Among his children's works, which have been preserved in an unprocessed form, one can name three sonatas and a couple of simple songs. When the composer turned sixteen, no one knew who Beethoven was. In 1978, he visited Vienna for the first time, and when he heard the young Mozart’s extraordinary style of playing, he was amazed and said that a great future awaited him. It was there that he first learned about the revolution that took place in France. This event inspired Ludwig so much that he even wrote the “Song of a Free Man.”

The formation of talent: what Beethoven is famous for

In the hot summer of 1987, just when the future genius was about to go take lessons from Mozart, his mother fell ill and soon died. By that time, my father was no longer good for anything, he worked only formally, and received pitiful salaries. The death of his wife was the final, crushing blow for him. All concerns about the well-being of the family (he had younger brothers) fell on Ludwig's shoulders. He got a job in an ensemble (orchestra) as a violist. The most famous works were played here, the most famous operas were staged, so he felt “in his place.”

Around 1789, on his way from England, the great Haydn himself stopped in the composer’s hometown, whose work the young man greatly respected. Seizing the opportunity, Ludwig went straight to him and, hearing flattering assessments of his work, decided to follow him to Vienna. The renowned maestro agrees to work with a promising young musician. However, it was possible to leave Bonn only in 1992, since the whole family was hanging on it.

When understanding what Beethoven played, where he played it, and who gave him lessons, we should not forget about Haydn. Later, the composer himself said that these classes gave him nothing as a student, and only irritated his mentor. The master was never able to fully get used to and understand the strange, sometimes overly gloomy, music of his charge. It seemed unpopular and even wild. He once wrote to him that he was too gloomy, and this could not but affect his music.

A little time passed, and Haydn decided to return to London, and “dumped” his student on the famous organist Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. But he soon also withdrew, realizing that he could not teach the talented young man anything. Then Ludwig decided to choose a teacher for himself and went to Antonio Salieri, who had an excellent reputation.

Features of the genius of Beethoven

As soon as he moved to Vienna, his fame spread throughout the city. He was known as a magnificent pianist, capable of incredible things. However, by his appearance it was difficult to identify a virtuoso in him - an unkempt and unironed dress, always half-crazy eyes, a gloomy look and disheveled hair sticking out in different directions. At the same time, he had quite enough conceit. Ludwig could calmly get up and leave if someone in the hall began to whisper only slightly. There was even a semi-legendary story about the philanthropist and Count Karl Alois Lichnowsky, to whom the composer wrote that there were thousands of aristocrats, but there was only one Beethoven. His music was truly different from anything that had been done before.

• In the early Viennese years, Beethoven fearlessly combined extreme registers, used the pedal, and introduced massive chord harmonies everywhere. It was at this stage that he actually created the updated and original piano style as we know it today. Then the famous Moonlight Sonata (No. 14), as well as its predecessors, was written. Over the first ten years, several dozen sonatas for clavichord, piano, violin, a couple of major concerts, numerous quartets, complex oratorios and even ballets were written here.
• By the age of 76, the composer suffered a catastrophe - he developed an inflammatory process in the middle ear (tinnitus), which is why he began to rapidly go deaf. But the man continues to work hard, having moved, on the recommendation of doctors, to the quieter and calmer town of Heiligenstadt. Here he begins to write the Heroic Third Symphony, which he intended to dedicate to Napoleon. However, when he declared himself emperor, Beethoven was sharply disappointed in him.
• The third stage in the work of the brilliant composer can be called the late and last years, when he began writing his one and only opera, called Fidelio. However, the success of this work came much later, when Ludwig could no longer hear it.

In 1814, the creator's last major work was staged in Vienna, then in Prague, and only after that it reached Berlin, where the famous Carl Maria von Weber himself was at the conductor's stand.

Pedagogical activity and fans of creativity

In short, Beethoven's life was eventful, even if it did not last long. While still living in Bonn, he had already begun giving lessons to support his family. It was there that he first met Stefan Breuning, who would remain his faithful friend and assistant until the end of his days. One of the most famous pianists in Germany at that time, the enigmatic Dorothea Ertmann, also took lessons from the great maestro when he was almost a boy. At the end of 1801, Ferdinand Ries became Ludwig’s student, who gave his mentor constant “shake-ups”, but still remained touchingly loved.

At the same time as Rhys, another student appeared in Beethoven’s house - a nine-year-old boy, Karl, the son of the famous Wenzel Czerny, who, when he first saw his future teacher, mistook him for Robinson Crusoe. He studied with the master for five years, and then (the only one of all!) even received a certificate - a document confirming the completion of his studies personally signed by the composer. He had not only an extraordinary talent, but also an excellent memory, which allowed him to keep a colossal number of notes and scores in his head.

In the twenty-second, a man came to Cherny and brought his son, who had little idea of ​​the rules of playing the piano, or any other instruments. However, he immediately saw the young man’s talent, and after a year and a half his first concert was organized, which included Beethoven. After finishing, he came up and kissed young Franz Liszt, and it was he, on the top of his head, which he never allowed himself to do with others. It was this young man who inherited Beethoven's original style of performance. Later, with his own money received from concerts, he would build a beautiful monument to his great inspirer in Bonn.

Personal life of a lover of music

While in Vienna, the composer often stayed at the Brunswick house. There he met a lovely young girl, a relative of the owners named Juliet Guicciardi. In 1801, he spent the whole summer in this house, captivated by a tender and quivering beauty with an angelic voice (soprano). He dedicated his brilliant Moonlight Sonata to her and even decided to get married. However, the girl had a poor understanding of men, and, as it turned out, even worse of music. Therefore, I chose the proposal of the count and composer Wenzel Robert von Gallenberg, who was later often accused of terrible plagiarism. But he was a socialite, always immaculately dressed, stately, handsome and gallant, unlike the “boor” Ludwig.

But the composer Beethoven was not broken by this failure, especially since he never suffered from low self-esteem, and considered the talent bestowed by providence to be his due to his merits and earned labor. The beautiful Juliet's cousin, Theresia Brunswik, brightened up his subsequent years. At first he didn’t notice the girl at all, then their relationship became warmer, but the proposal never came. Many believe that the aristocratic origins of the countess and baroness did not allow such a marriage. The relationship between them forever remained friendly, almost family.

After such a shake-up, Ludwig became interested in Theresia’s young sister, Josephine. Serious passions flared up between them, but the girl’s parents said a firm no. Some historians attribute her birth of a baby (girl Minona) out of wedlock in 1813 to being directly related to the composer, but there is no reliable information about this. The child died in infancy. A little later, Bettina von Arnim, née Brentano, appeared in Beethoven’s life. The woman was married and held extremely puritanical views, so the composer’s love can be interpreted as feelings of a platonic nature. He never married and left no offspring.

A huge loss for the whole world: in memory of a great musician

In the mid-twenties of the nineteenth century, the composer's brother unexpectedly died, and he took care of his nephew. The man placed him in the best educational institution in Vienna, wanting him to become a scientist, artist or expert. But he was only interested in money, cards, billiards and women with a bad reputation. Once he even tried to put a bullet in his forehead, and even then unsuccessfully. All this affected Beethoven, whose health suddenly deteriorated significantly.

Ludwig van Beethoven died at the fifty-seventh year of his life on March 26, 1827 from a strange liver disease (cirosis?). Many experts believe that he had already suffered from this disease since the age of twenty and that lead poisoning was to blame. Hearing loss is probably also one of the symptoms. Modern scientists checked the master's hair and nails and were convinced that the norm was exceeded by more than a hundred times. Perhaps the composer liked to drink from a lead mug, and the water pipes themselves were then made of this metal. According to another version, the attending physician applied an ointment containing the substance to the punctures that he made in the peritoneum to remove fluid.

Many artists subsequently repeatedly turned to the image of Beethoven. Romain Rolland in his work “Jean Christophe” depicted the image of the famous composer as the main character. For him he received the Nobel Prize in 1915. The poem by Pencho Slaveykov and the novel by Antonina Zgorza also tell the story of the great master of “auditory shades”. There are many feature and documentary films telling the story of the composer’s life. American musician Chuck Berry dedicated a song to him, which was included in the top five hundred hits of humanity according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Ludwig van Beethoven was forced to drop out of school at the age of eleven. That's why he never had time to learn how to multiply. When he needed to do this, he used addition, and when this was pointed out to him, he became angry and even offended.

Due to the fact that after thirty years the famous master became deaf, he continued to write music “from memory” and also “listen” to it.

Ludwig's worst nightmare since early childhood was combing his hair. The process seemed extremely painful to him, which is why in adulthood he really didn’t like it and tried to do it less often.

Beethoven had poor health from an early age. He managed to overcome all childhood diseases, and on top of that, smallpox and typhoid. In adulthood, he suffered from rheumatic pain and suffered from anorexia because he could not eat.

The composer had his own point of view on politics, states and rulers. He was never shy about expressing his “socialist” ideas. Probably because of his great talent, seditious speeches went unpunished.

One of the most respected and performed composers in the world. He wrote in all genres that existed in his time, including opera, ballet, music for dramatic performances, and choral works. The most significant works in his legacy are considered to be instrumental works: piano, violin and cello sonatas, piano and violin concertos, quartets, overtures, symphonies.

Biography

The house where the composer was born

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 1770 in the city of Bonn into the family of a musician. The exact date of birth has not been established; only the date of baptism is known - December 17. His father was a singer in the court chapel, and his grandfather served as bandmaster there. The grandfather of the future composer was from Holland, hence the prefix “van” before Beethoven’s surname. The composer's father was a gifted musician, but a weak man and also a drinker. He wanted to make a second Mozart out of his son and began teaching him how to play the harpsichord and violin. However, he soon cooled down to his studies and entrusted the boy to his friends. One taught Ludwig to play the organ, the other taught him to play the violin and flute.

In 1780, organist and composer Christian Gottlieb Nefe arrived in Bonn. He became Beethoven's real teacher. Nefe immediately realized that the boy had talent. He introduced Ludwig to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and the works of Handel, as well as the music of his older contemporaries: F. E. Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Thanks to Nefa, Beethoven's first work, Variations on a Theme of Dressler's March, was published. Beethoven was twelve years old at that time, and he was already working as an assistant to the court organist.

After the death of the grandfather, the family’s financial situation worsened, the father drank and brought almost no money home. Ludwig had to leave school early, but he wanted to supplement his education: he learned Latin, studied Italian and French, and read a lot. Having already become an adult, the composer admitted in one of his letters:

“There is no work that would be too learned for me; Without pretending in the slightest degree to be learned in the proper sense of the word, I have nevertheless, since childhood, striven to understand the essence of the best and wisest people of each era.”

Among Beethoven's favorite writers are the ancient Greek authors Homer and Plutarch, the English playwright Shakespeare, and the German poets Goethe and Schiller.

At this time, Beethoven began to compose music, but was in no hurry to publish his works. Much of what he wrote in Bonn was subsequently revised by him. From the composer’s youthful works, two children’s sonatas and several songs are known, including “Marmot”.

Already in the first years of his life in Vienna, Beethoven gained fame as a virtuoso pianist. His performance amazed the audience. They compared it to a volcanic eruption, and Beethoven himself to Napoleon.

Beethoven at 30

In the early years, in the person of the composer one could find some resemblance to the young revolutionary general, but his contemporaries had something else in mind: a manner of performance that violated all previous rules. Beethoven boldly contrasted the extreme registers (and at that time they played mostly in the middle), made extensive use of the pedal (and it was also rarely used then), and used massive chord harmonies. In fact, it was he who created piano style far from the exquisitely lacy manner of harpsichordists.

This style can be found in his piano sonatas No. 8 - Pathétique (title given by the composer himself), No. 13 and No. 14, both of which have the author's subtitle: "Sonata quasi una Fantasia" (in the spirit of fantasy). The poet Relshtab subsequently called Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight,” and although this name fits only the first movement and not the finale, it was forever attached to the entire work.

Beethoven also amazed with his appearance. Casually dressed, with a mane of black hair, with sharp, angular movements, he immediately stood out among the graceful ladies and gentlemen.

Beethoven did not hide his feelings. On the contrary, as soon as he noticed the slightest disrespect for himself, he stated it directly, without choosing expressions. One day, while he was playing, one of the guests allowed himself to speak to the lady; Beethoven immediately interrupted the performance: “I won’t play with such pigs!”. And no amount of apology or persuasion helped.

Beethoven's works began to be widely published and enjoyed success. During the first Viennese decade, a lot was written: twenty piano sonatas and three piano concertos, eight violin sonatas, quartets and other chamber works, the oratorio “Christ on the Mount of Olives,” the ballet “The Works of Prometheus,” the First and Second Symphonies.

Teresa Brunswik, Beethoven's faithful friend and student

In 1796, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He develops tinitis, an inflammation of the inner ear that leads to ringing in the ears. On the advice of doctors, he retires for a long time to the small town of Heiligenstadt. However, peace and quiet do not improve his well-being. Beethoven begins to understand that deafness is incurable. During these tragic days, he writes a letter that will later be called the Heiligenstadt Testament. The composer talks about his experiences, admits that he was close to suicide. “It seemed unthinkable to me to leave the world,” writes Beethoven, “before I had fulfilled everything to which I felt called.”

In Heiligenstadt, the composer begins work on a new Third Symphony, which he will call Heroic.

As a result of Beethoven's deafness, unique historical documents have been preserved: “conversation notebooks”, where Beethoven’s friends wrote down their remarks for him, to which he responded either orally or in a response note.

Later years: 1802-1812

In piano work, the composer's own style is noticeable already in the early sonatas, but in symphonic music maturity came to him later. According to Tchaikovsky, only in the third symphony “for the first time, all the immense, amazing power of Beethoven’s creative genius was revealed.”<

Due to deafness, Beethoven is separated from the world and deprived of sound perception. He becomes gloomy and withdrawn. It was during these years that the composer created his most famous works one after another. During these same years, the composer worked on his only opera, Fidelio. This opera belongs to the genre of “horror and salvation” operas. Success for Fidelio came only in 1814, when the opera was staged first in Vienna, then in Prague, where it was conducted by the famous German composer Weber, and finally in Berlin.

Giulietta Guicciardi, to whom the composer dedicated the Moonlight Sonata

Shortly before his death, the composer handed over the manuscript of Fidelio to his friend and secretary Schindler with the words: “This child of my spirit was born in greater torment than others, and caused me the greatest grief. That’s why it’s dearer to me than anyone else..."

Last years

After 1812, the composer's creative activity declined for a while. However, after three years he begins to work with the same energy. At this time, piano sonatas from the Twenty-eighth to the last, the Thirty-second, two cello sonatas, quartets, and the vocal cycle “To a Distant Beloved” were created. Much time is also devoted to adaptations of folk songs. Along with Scottish, Irish, Welsh, there are also Russians. But the main creations of recent years have been Beethoven's two most monumental works - the Solemn Mass and the Ninth Symphony with choir.

The Ninth Symphony was performed in 1824. The audience gave the composer a standing ovation. Beethoven stood with his back to the audience and did not hear anything, then one of the singers took his hand and turned him to face the audience. People waved scarves, hats, and hands, greeting the composer. The ovation lasted so long that the police officials present demanded that it stop. Such greetings were allowed only in relation to the person of the emperor.

In Austria, after the defeat of Napoleon, a police regime was established. The government, frightened by the revolution, persecuted any free thought. Numerous secret agents penetrated all levels of society. In Beethoven's conversation books there are warnings every now and then: "Quiet! Be careful, there's a spy here! And probably after some particularly bold statement from the composer: “You will end up on the scaffold!”

Beethoven's grave in the central cemetery of Vienna, Austria.

However, Beethoven's fame was so great that the government did not dare touch him. Despite his deafness, the composer continues to keep abreast of not only political but also musical news. He read (that is, listens with his inner ear) the scores of Rossini's operas, looks through a collection of Schubert's songs, and gets acquainted with the operas of the German composer Weber "Free Shooter" and "Euryanthe". Arriving in Vienna, Weber visited Beethoven. They had breakfast together, and Beethoven, usually not given to ceremony, looked after his guest. After the death of his younger brother, the composer took care of his son. Beethoven placed his nephew in the best boarding schools and entrusted his student Czerny to study music with him. The composer wanted the boy to become a scientist or artist, but he was not attracted to art, but to cards and billiards. Enmeshed in debt, he attempted suicide. This attempt did not cause much harm: the bullet only slightly scratched the skin on the head. Beethoven was very worried about this. His health deteriorated sharply. The composer develops a serious liver disease.

Beethoven's funeral.

Beethoven at work at home (note the surroundings)

Czerny studied with Beethoven for five years, after which the composer gave him a document in which he noted “the exceptional success of the student and his amazing musical memory.” Cherny's memory was truly amazing: he knew by heart all of his teacher's piano works.

Czerny began his teaching career early and soon became one of the best teachers in Vienna. Among his students was Theodor Leschetizky, who can be called one of the founders of the Russian piano school. From 1858, Leshetitsky lived in St. Petersburg, and from 1862 to 1878 he taught at the newly opened conservatory. Here he studied with A. N. Esipova, later a professor at the same conservatory, V. I. Safonov, professor and director of the Moscow Conservatory, S. M. Maykapar, whose works are known to every student of the music school.

Czerny was an unusually prolific composer, he wrote more than a thousand works in various genres, but his etudes brought him the widest fame. It is difficult to count how many generations of musicians were brought up in these “schools of finger fluency” that are mandatory for every pianist. Czerny's credit also includes editing the sonatas of Giuseppe Scarlatti and Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.

In 1822, a father and a boy came to Czerny, who had come from the Hungarian town of Doboryan. The boy had no idea about the correct position or fingering, but the experienced teacher immediately realized that in front of him was not an ordinary, but a gifted, perhaps a genius, child. The boy's name was Franz Liszt. Liszt studied with Czerny for a year and a half. His success was so great that his teacher allowed him to speak in public. Beethoven was present at the concert. He guessed the boy's talent and kissed him. Liszt kept the memory of this kiss all his life. It is Liszt who can be called a true student of Beethoven.

Neither Rhys nor Czerny, but he inherited Beethoven's style of playing. Like Beethoven, Liszt interprets the piano as an orchestra. While touring Europe, he promoted Beethoven's work, performing not only his piano works, but also symphonies that he adapted for the piano. At that time, Beethoven's music, especially symphonic music, was still unknown to a wide audience. In 1839 Liszt arrived in Bonn. They had been planning to erect a monument to the composer here for several years, but progress was slow.

Liszt made up the shortfall with proceeds from his concerts. It was only thanks to efforts that the monument to the composer was erected.

Causes of death

Studies of hair and bone matter allowed archaeopathologists to establish that Beethoven suffered from lead poisoning long before his death. Doses of lead entered his body regularly - presumably either through wine or in the baths he took. This resulted in incurable liver disease, which was confirmed by autopsy.

You know a pregnant woman who already has 8 children. Two of them are blind, three are deaf, one is mentally retarded, and she herself has syphilis. Would you advise her to have an abortion?

If you advised an abortion, you just killed Ludwig van Beethoven.

Beethoven's parents married in 1767. In 1769, their first son, Ludwig Maria, was born, who died 6 days later, which was normal for that time. There is no information on whether he was blind, deaf, mentally retarded, etc. In 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, was born. In 1774, a third son, Caspar Carl van Beethoven, was born. In 1776, the fourth son, Nikolaus Johann, was born. In 1779, a daughter, Anna Maria Francisca, was born; she died four days later. No information has been preserved on whether she was blind, deaf, mentally retarded, etc. In 1781, his brother, Franz Georg, was born (died two years later). In 1786 his sister, Maria Margarita, was born. She died a year later, when Ludwig was 17 years old. That same year, his mother dies of tuberculosis, which was completely normal at that time.

Works

• 9 symphonies: No. 1 (-), No. 2 (), No. 3 “Heroic” (-), No. 4 (), No. 5 (-), No. 6 “Pastoral” (), No. 7 (), No. 8 ( ), No. 9 ().
• 11 symphonic overtures, including Coriolanus, Egmont, Leonora No. 3.
• 5 concertos for piano and orchestra.
• 32 piano sonatas, many variations and small pieces for piano.
• 10 sonatas for violin and piano.
• concerto for violin and orchestra, concerto for piano, violin and cello and orchestra (“triple concerto”)
• 5 sonatas for cello and piano.
• 16 quartets.
• Ballet "Creations of Prometheus".
• Opera "Fidelio".
• Solemn Mass.
• Vocal cycle “To a distant beloved”.
• Songs based on poems by various poets, adaptations of folk songs.

Musical fragments

Attention! Music fragments in Ogg Vorbis format

• Ode to Joy (small fragment, light file)(info) (file information)
• Moonlight Sonata (info) (file information)
• Concert 4-1 (info) (file information)

Monuments to Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven - a brilliant composer, was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn, died on March 26, 1827 in Vienna. His grandfather was court conductor in Bonn (d. 1773), his father Johann was a tenor in the Electoral Chapel (d. 1792). Beethoven's initial training was supervised by his father, and he subsequently passed on to many teachers, which in subsequent years caused him to complain about the insufficient and unsatisfactory training he received in his youth. With his piano playing and free imagination, Beethoven aroused general surprise early on. In 1781 he made a concert tour of Holland. By 1782-85. refers to the appearance of his first works in print. In 1784, at the age of 13, he was appointed second court organist. In 1787, Beethoven went to Vienna, where he met Mozart and took several lessons from him.

Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven. Artist J. K. Stieler, 1820

Upon returning from there, his financial situation improved, thanks to the fate that Count Waldstein and the von Brüping family took in him. In the Bonn court chapel, Beethoven played the viola, improving at the same time in playing the piano. Beethoven's further attempts as a composer date back to this time, but works from this period did not appear in print. In 1792, with the support of Elector Max Franz, brother of Emperor Joseph II, Beethoven went to Vienna to study with Haydn. Here he was a student of the latter for two years, as well as of Albrechtsberger and Salieri. In the persons of Baron van Swieten and Princess Likhnovskaya, Beethoven found ardent admirers of his genius.

Beethoven. A story about the composer's life

In 1795 he made his first public appearance as a complete artist: both as a virtuoso and composer. Beethoven had to soon stop the concert trips he had undertaken as a virtuoso, due to his increasingly weakened hearing that appeared in 1798, which subsequently ended in complete deafness. This circumstance left its mark on Beethoven’s character and influenced all of his future activities, forcing him to gradually abandon public performance on the piano.

From now on, he devotes himself almost exclusively to composing and partly to teaching. In 1809, Beethoven received an invitation to take the post of Westphalian Kapellmeister in Kassel, but at the insistence of friends and students, of whom he had no shortage, especially in the upper strata of Vienna, and who promised to provide him with an annual annuity, he remained in Vienna. In 1814 he was once again the subject of general attention at the Congress of Vienna. From that time on, increasing deafness and a hypochondriacal mood, which did not leave him until his death, forced him to almost completely abandon society. This, however, did not dampen his inspiration: the late period of his life includes such major works as the last three symphonies and the “Solemn Mass” (Missa solennis).

Ludwig van Beethoven. Best works

After the death of his brother, Karl (1815), Beethoven took over the duties of guardian of his young son, who caused him a lot of grief and trouble. Severe suffering, which gave his works a special imprint and resulted in dropsy, put an end to his life: he died at 57 years of age. His remains, interred at the Wehring cemetery, were then transferred to an honorary grave at the central cemetery in Vienna. A bronze monument to him adorns one of the squares in Bonn (1845); another monument was erected to him in 1880 in Vienna.

For information about the composer’s works, see the article Beethoven’s Works – Briefly. For links to essays about other outstanding musicians, see below, in the “More on the topic...” block.

The content of the article

BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG VAN(Beethoven, Ludwig van) (1770–1827), German composer, often considered the greatest composer of all time. His work is classified as both classicism and romanticism; in fact, it goes beyond such definitions: Beethoven's works are, first of all, an expression of his genius personality.

Origin. Childhood and youth.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, probably on December 16, 1770 (baptized on December 17). In addition to German blood, Flemish blood also flowed in his veins: the composer’s paternal grandfather, also Ludwig, was born in 1712 in Malines (Flanders), served as a choirmaster in Ghent and Louvain and in 1733 moved to Bonn, where he became a court musician in the chapel of the Elector-Archbishop of Cologne . He was an intelligent man, a good singer, a professionally trained instrumentalist, he rose to the position of court conductor and enjoyed the respect of those around him. His only son Johann (the other children died in infancy) sang in the same chapel from childhood, but his position was precarious, since he drank heavily and led a disorderly life. Johann married Maria Magdalena Lime, the daughter of a cook. To them were born seven children, of whom three sons survive; Ludwig, the future composer, was the eldest of them.

Beethoven grew up in poverty. The father drank away his meager salary; he taught his son to play the violin and piano in the hope that he would become a child prodigy, a new Mozart, and provide for his family. Over time, the father's salary was increased in anticipation of the future of his gifted and hardworking son. Despite all this, the boy was not confident in his use of the violin, and on the piano (as well as on the violin) he liked to improvise more than to improve his playing technique.

Beethoven's general education was as unsystematic as his musical education. In the latter, however, practice played a big role: he played the viola in the court orchestra and performed as a performer on keyboard instruments, including the organ, which he managed to quickly master. K. G. Nefe, Bonn court organist from 1782, became Beethoven’s first real teacher (among other things, he went through the whole Well-tempered clavier J.S.Bach). Beethoven's responsibilities as a court musician expanded significantly when Archduke Maximilian Franz became Elector of Cologne and began to show concern for the musical life of Bonn, where his residence was located. In 1787, Beethoven managed to visit Vienna for the first time - at that time the musical capital of Europe. According to stories, Mozart, having listened to the young man’s play, highly appreciated his improvisations and predicted a great future for him. But soon Beethoven had to return home - his mother was dying. He remained the sole breadwinner of a family consisting of a dissolute father and two younger brothers.

The young man's talent, his greed for musical impressions, his ardent and receptive nature attracted the attention of some enlightened Bonn families, and his brilliant piano improvisations provided him with free entry into any musical gatherings. The Breuning family did especially a lot for him, taking custody of the clumsy but original young musician. Dr. F. G. Wegeler became his lifelong friend, and Count F. E. G. Waldstein, his enthusiastic admirer, managed to convince the Archduke to send Beethoven to study in Vienna.

Vein. 1792–1802.

In Vienna, where Beethoven came for the second time in 1792 and where he remained until the end of his days, he quickly found titled friends and patrons of the arts.

People who met the young Beethoven described the twenty-year-old composer as a stocky young man with a penchant for panache, sometimes brash, but good-natured and sweet in his relationships with his friends. Realizing the inadequacy of his education, he went to Joseph Haydn, a recognized Viennese authority in the field of instrumental music (Mozart had died a year earlier) and for some time brought him counterpoint exercises for testing. Haydn, however, soon lost interest in the obstinate student, and Beethoven, secretly from him, began to take lessons from I. Schenck and then from the more thorough I. G. Albrechtsberger. In addition, wanting to improve his vocal writing, he visited the famous opera composer Antonio Salieri for several years. Soon he joined a circle that united titled amateurs and professional musicians. Prince Karl Lichnowsky introduced the young provincial into the circle of his friends.

The question of how much the environment and the spirit of the time influence creativity is ambiguous. Beethoven read the works of F. G. Klopstock, one of the predecessors of the Sturm und Drang movement. He knew Goethe and deeply revered the thinker and poet. The political and social life of Europe at that time was alarming: when Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, the city was agitated by news of the revolution in France. Beethoven enthusiastically accepted revolutionary slogans and praised freedom in his music. The volcanic, explosive nature of his work is undoubtedly the embodiment of the spirit of the time, but only in the sense that the character of the creator was to some extent shaped by this time. The bold violation of generally accepted norms, the powerful self-affirmation, the thunderous atmosphere of Beethoven's music - all this would have been unthinkable in Mozart's era.

Nevertheless, Beethoven's early works largely follow the canons of the 18th century: this applies to trios (strings and piano), violin, piano and cello sonatas. The piano was then Beethoven’s closest instrument; in his piano works he expressed his most intimate feelings with utmost sincerity, and the slow movements of some sonatas (for example, Largo e mesto from sonata op. 10, no. 3) were already imbued with romantic longing. Pathetic Sonata op. 13 is also an obvious anticipation of Beethoven's later experiments. In other cases, his innovation has the character of a sudden invasion, and the first listeners perceived it as obvious arbitrariness. Six string quartets op. published in 1801. 18 can be considered the greatest achievement of this period; Beethoven was clearly in no hurry to publish, realizing what high examples of quartet writing were left by Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven's first orchestral experience was associated with two concertos for piano and orchestra (No. 1, C major and No. 2, B-flat major), created in 1801: he, apparently, was not sure about them either, being well acquainted with the greats Mozart's achievements in this genre. Among the best-known (and least provocative) early works is the septet op. 20 (1802). The next opus, the First Symphony (published at the end of 1801) is Beethoven's first purely orchestral work.

Approaching deafness.

We can only guess to what extent Beethoven's deafness influenced his work. The disease developed gradually. Already in 1798, he complained of tinnitus; it was difficult for him to distinguish high tones and understand a conversation conducted in a whisper. Horrified at the prospect of becoming an object of pity - a deaf composer, he told his close friend Karl Amenda about his illness, as well as doctors, who advised him to protect his hearing as much as possible. He continued to move in the circle of his Viennese friends, took part in musical evenings, and composed a lot. He managed to hide his deafness so well that until 1812 even people who often met him did not suspect how serious his illness was. The fact that during a conversation he often answered inappropriately was attributed to a bad mood or absent-mindedness.

In the summer of 1802, Beethoven retired to the quiet suburb of Vienna - Heiligenstadt. A stunning document appeared there - the “Heiligenstadt Testament”, the painful confession of a musician tormented by illness. The will is addressed to Beethoven's brothers (with instructions to read and execute after his death); in it he talks about his mental suffering: it is painful when “a person standing next to me hears a flute playing from afar, inaudible to me; or when someone hears a shepherd singing, but I cannot distinguish a sound.” But then, in a letter to Dr. Wegeler, he exclaims: “I will take fate by the throat!”, and the music that he continues to write confirms this decision: in the same summer the bright Second Symphony, op. 36, magnificent piano sonatas op. 31 and three violin sonatas, op. thirty.

Second period. "New way".

According to the “three-period” classification proposed in 1852 by one of the first researchers of Beethoven’s work, W. von Lenz, the second period approximately covers 1802–1815.

The final break with the past was more a realization, a continuation of the trends of the earlier period, than a conscious “declaration of independence”: Beethoven was not a theoretical reformer, like Gluck before him and Wagner after him. The first decisive breakthrough towards what Beethoven himself called the "new way" occurred in the Third Symphony ( Heroic), work on which dates back to 1803–1804. Its duration is three times longer than any other symphony written previously. The first movement is music of extraordinary power, the second is a stunning outpouring of sorrow, the third is a witty, whimsical scherzo, and the finale - variations on a jubilant, festive theme - is far superior in its power to the traditional rondo finales composed by Beethoven's predecessors. It is often asserted (and not without reason) that Beethoven first dedicated Heroic Napoleon, but upon learning that he had proclaimed himself emperor, he canceled the dedication. “Now he will trample on the rights of man and satisfy only his own ambition,” these are, according to stories, Beethoven’s words when he tore up the title page of the score with the dedication. In the end Heroic was dedicated to one of the patrons - Prince Lobkowitz.

Works of the second period.

During these years, brilliant creations came out of his pen one after another. The composer's main works, listed in the order of their appearance, form an incredible stream of brilliant music; this imaginary sound world replaces for its creator the world of real sounds that is leaving him. It was a victorious self-affirmation, a reflection of the hard work of thought, evidence of the rich inner life of a musician.

We can name only the most important works of the second period: violin sonata in A major, op. 47 ( Kreutzerova, 1802–1803); Third Symphony, op. 55 ( Heroic, 1802–1805); oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, op. 85 (1803); piano sonatas: Valdshteinovskaya, op. 53; F major, op. 54, Appassionata, op. 57 (1803–1815); Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 (1805–1806); Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, op. 72 (1805, second edition 1806); three “Russian” quartets, op. 59 (dedicated to Count Razumovsky; 1805–1806); Fourth Symphony in B flat major, op. 60 (1806); violin concerto, op. 61 (1806); Overture to Collin's tragedy Coriolanus, op. 62 (1807); Mass in C major, op. 86 (1807); Fifth Symphony in C minor, op. 67 (1804–1808); Sixth Symphony, op. 68 ( Pastoral, 1807–1808); cello sonata in A major, op. 69 (1807); two piano trios, op. 70 (1808); Piano Concerto No. 5, op. 73 ( Emperor, 1809); quartet, op. 74 ( Harp, 1809); piano sonata, op. 81a ( Parting, 1809–1910); three songs on poems by Goethe, op. 83 (1810); music for Goethe's tragedy Egmont, op. 84 (1809); Quartet in F minor, op. 95 (1810); Eighth Symphony in F major, op. 93 (1811–1812); piano trio in B-flat major, op. 97 ( Archduke, 1818).

The second period includes Beethoven's highest achievements in the genres of violin and piano concertos, violin and cello sonatas, and operas; The piano sonata genre is represented by such masterpieces as Appassionata And Valdshteinovskaya. But even musicians were not always able to perceive the novelty of these compositions. They say that one of his colleagues once asked Beethoven whether he really considered one of the quartets dedicated to the Russian envoy in Vienna, Count Razumovsky, to be music. “Yes,” the composer answered, “but not for you, but for the future.”

The source of inspiration for a number of compositions were the romantic feelings that Beethoven felt for some of his high-society students. This probably refers to the two sonatas “quasi una Fantasia”, Op. 27 (published in 1802). The second of them (later named “Lunar”) is dedicated to Countess Juliet Guicciardi. Beethoven even thought about proposing to her, but realized in time that a deaf musician was not a suitable match for a flirtatious social beauty. Other ladies he knew rejected him; one of them called him a “freak” and “half crazy.” The situation was different with the Brunswick family, in which Beethoven gave music lessons to his two older sisters - Teresa (“Tesi”) and Josephine (“Pepi”). It has long been discarded that the addressee of the message to the “Immortal Beloved” found in Beethoven’s papers after his death was Teresa, but modern researchers do not rule out that this addressee was Josephine. In any case, the idyllic Fourth Symphony owes its conception to Beethoven's stay at the Brunswick Hungarian estate in the summer of 1806.

Fourth, Fifth and Sixth ( Pastoral) symphonies were composed in 1804–1808. The fifth, probably the most famous symphony in the world, opens with a brief motif about which Beethoven said: “Thus fate knocks at the door.” The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies were completed in 1812.

In 1804, Beethoven willingly accepted the commission to compose an opera, since in Vienna success on the opera stage meant fame and money. The plot in brief was as follows: a brave, enterprising woman, dressed in men's clothing, saves her beloved husband, imprisoned by a cruel tyrant, and exposes the latter before the people. To avoid confusion with a pre-existing opera based on this plot - Leonora Gaveau, Beethoven's work was called Fidelio, after the name the heroine takes on in disguise. Of course, Beethoven had no experience composing for the theater. The climactic moments of the melodrama are marked by excellent music, but in other sections the lack of dramatic flair does not allow the composer to rise above the operatic routine (although he very much strived for this: in Fidelio there are fragments that were redone up to eighteen times). Nevertheless, the opera gradually won over listeners (during the composer’s lifetime there were three productions of it in different editions - in 1805, 1806 and 1814). It can be argued that the composer did not put so much effort into any other composition.

Beethoven, as already mentioned, deeply revered the works of Goethe, composed several songs based on his texts, music for his tragedy Egmont, but met Goethe only in the summer of 1812, when they ended up together at a resort in Teplitz. The refined manners of the great poet and the harsh behavior of the composer did not contribute to their rapprochement. “His talent amazed me extremely, but, unfortunately, he has an indomitable temper, and the world seems to him a hateful creation,” says Goethe in one of his letters.

Friendship with Archduke Rudolf.

Beethoven's friendship with Rudolf, the Austrian Archduke and half-brother of the Emperor, is one of the most interesting historical stories. Around 1804, the Archduke, then 16 years old, began taking piano lessons from the composer. Despite the huge difference in social status, teacher and student felt sincere affection for each other. Appearing for lessons at the Archduke's palace, Beethoven had to pass by countless lackeys, call his student “Your Highness” and fight his amateurish attitude towards music. And he did all this with amazing patience, although he never hesitated to cancel lessons if he was busy composing. Commissioned by the Archduke, such works as a piano sonata were created Parting, Triple Concerto, the last and most grandiose Fifth Piano Concerto, Solemn Mass(Missa solemnis). It was originally intended for the ceremony of the Archduke's elevation to the rank of Archbishop of Olmut, but was not completed on time. The Archduke, Prince Kinsky and Prince Lobkowitz established a kind of scholarship for the composer who had brought glory to Vienna, but received no support from the city authorities, and the Archduke turned out to be the most reliable of the three patrons. During the Congress of Vienna in 1814, Beethoven derived considerable material benefit from communicating with the aristocracy and kindly listened to compliments - he managed to at least partially hide the contempt for the court “brilliance” that he always felt.

Last years.

The composer's financial situation improved noticeably. Publishers hunted for his scores and ordered works such as large piano variations on a theme of Diabelli's waltz (1823). His caring friends, especially A. Schindler, who was deeply devoted to Beethoven, observing the musician’s chaotic and deprived lifestyle and hearing his complaints that he had been “robbed” (Beethoven became unreasonably suspicious and was ready to blame almost everyone around him for the worst ), could not understand where he was putting the money. They didn’t know that the composer was putting them off, but he wasn’t doing it for himself. When his brother Kaspar died in 1815, the composer became one of the guardians of his ten-year-old nephew Karl. Beethoven's love for the boy and his desire to ensure his future came into conflict with the distrust that the composer felt towards Karl's mother; as a result, he only constantly quarreled with both, and this situation colored the last period of his life with a tragic light. During the years when Beethoven sought full guardianship, he composed little.

Beethoven's deafness became almost complete. By 1819, he had to completely switch to communicating with his interlocutors using a slate board or paper and pencil (the so-called Beethoven conversation notebooks have been preserved). Completely immersed in work on such compositions as the majestic Solemn Mass in D major (1818) or the Ninth Symphony, he behaved strangely, causing alarm to strangers: he “sang, howled, stamped his feet, and generally seemed as if he was engaged in a mortal struggle with an invisible enemy” (Schindler). The brilliant last quartets, the last five piano sonatas - grandiose in scale, unusual in form and style - seemed to many contemporaries to be the works of a madman. And yet, Viennese listeners recognized the nobility and greatness of Beethoven's music; they felt that they were dealing with a genius. In 1824, during the performance of the Ninth Symphony with its choral finale to the text of Schiller's ode To Joy (An die Freude) Beethoven stood next to the conductor. The hall was captivated by the powerful climax at the end of the symphony, the audience went wild, but Beethoven did not turn around. One of the singers had to take him by the sleeve and turn him to face the audience so that the composer bowed.

The fate of other later works was more complicated. Many years passed after Beethoven's death, and only then did the most receptive musicians begin to perform his last quartets (including the Grand Fugue, Op. 33) and the last piano sonatas, revealing to people these highest, most beautiful achievements of Beethoven. Sometimes Beethoven's late style is characterized as contemplative, abstract, in some cases neglecting the laws of euphony; in fact, this music is an endless source of powerful and intelligent spiritual energy.

Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827 from pneumonia, complicated by jaundice and dropsy.

Beethoven's contribution to world culture.

Beethoven continued the general line of development of the symphony, sonata, and quartet genres outlined by his predecessors. However, his interpretation of known forms and genres was distinguished by great freedom; we can say that Beethoven expanded their boundaries in time and space. He did not expand the composition of the symphony orchestra that had developed by his time, but his scores require, firstly, a larger number of performers in each part, and secondly, the performing skill of each orchestra member, incredible in his era; in addition, Beethoven was very sensitive to the individual expressiveness of each instrumental timbre. The piano in his works is not a close relative of the elegant harpsichord: the entire expanded range of the instrument, all its dynamic capabilities, are used.

In the areas of melody, harmony, and rhythm, Beethoven often resorts to the technique of sudden change and contrast. One form of contrast is the contrast between decisive themes with a clear rhythm and more lyrical, smoothly flowing sections. Sharp dissonances and unexpected modulations into distant keys are also an important feature of Beethoven's harmony. He expanded the range of tempos used in music and often resorted to dramatic, impulsive changes in dynamics. Sometimes the contrast appears as a manifestation of Beethoven's characteristically somewhat crude humor - this happens in his frantic scherzos, which in his symphonies and quartets often replace a more sedate minuet.

Unlike his predecessor Mozart, Beethoven had difficulty composing. Beethoven's notebooks show how gradually, step by step, a grandiose composition emerges from uncertain sketches, marked by a convincing logic of construction and rare beauty. Just one example: in the original sketch of the famous “fate motif” that opens the Fifth Symphony, it was assigned to the flute, which means that the theme had a completely different figurative meaning. Powerful artistic intelligence allows the composer to turn a disadvantage into an advantage: Beethoven contrasts Mozart’s spontaneity and instinctive sense of perfection with unsurpassed musical and dramatic logic. It is she who is the main source of Beethoven's greatness, his incomparable ability to organize contrasting elements into a monolithic whole. Beethoven erases traditional caesuras between sections of form, avoids symmetry, merges parts of the cycle, and develops extended constructions from thematic and rhythmic motifs, which at first glance do not contain anything interesting. In other words, Beethoven creates musical space with the power of his mind, his own will. He anticipated and created those artistic movements that became decisive for the musical art of the 19th century. And today his works are among the greatest, most revered creations of human genius.

Name: Ludwig van Beethoven

Age: 56 years old

Place of Birth: Bonn, Germany

A place of death: Vienna, Austria

Activity: composer, violinist, pianist, conductor

Family status: wasn't married

Ludwig Van Beethoven - biography

The most unusual composer who learned to play the violin and piano and managed to conduct an entire orchestra while being completely deaf.

Childhood, family

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, during a harsh winter. The fate of both his grandfather and father was connected with music, so the entire biography of the successor of the Beethoven family was deliberately determined. The older men from the family of the famous composer had excellent vocal abilities, which they used in their work. The men found use for their talent in the chapel at court. Ludwig's father often came home drunk, drinking half of what he earned. And the rest of the money was not enough to provide for the family.

Music

Father Johann immediately noticed that the child had an excellent ear for music and certain abilities. Amadeus Mozart became the standard for the envious head of the family. He planned to make a genius out of his son. Every day the boy practiced violin and piano. The father needed to know which musical instrument nature, having endowed his son with talent, preferred. Ludwig had a wide choice: organ, harpsichord, viola, violin and flute. Punishments followed for every mistake in playing music. The teachers that Johann hired were untalented.

Mother in the composer's life

The father craved easy money at the expense of his gifted child. At the chapel, his salary was increased, but all his efforts were in vain, since all the money was spent on alcohol. Ludwig gave his first concert at the age of 6. Cologne listeners liked his performance, but they didn’t make much money from the concert.

Comprehensive development of Beethoven

In the newly appointed director of the chapel, Louis found a teacher. Christian Gottlobu noticed the boy's talent and began to teach him everything he knew. Music alone is not enough to write good music; it is necessary to draw feelings and emotions from literature, from ancient languages ​​with their melodiousness, and philosophy. Ludwig reads Goethe and Shakespeare, listens to Bach, Handel, Mozart.

Mozart

Still, Ludwig Beethoven came to Vienna and met the great genius of music. Wolfgang listened to the young man's improvisations. Mozart predicted Louis' worldwide fame. The composer promised to give several lessons. His mother suddenly fell ill, and Ludwig hastily left the one to whom he had strived all his youth.

The mother died, leaving children and a drunkard father. Ludwig was forced to turn to the prince for help. The family began to receive benefits. The young man managed to obtain permission to attend musical meetings. The future composer gave private lessons. One of these families helped Beethoven. Their daughter was a student of a talented musician.

Vein

It was difficult for him to communicate with the Austrian luminaries of science. Handel could not find a common language with Ludwig. I enjoyed studying with young Beethoven and even introduced him to titled musicians and noble persons.

The most fruitful moment of creativity

The fear of going deaf finally developed the composer’s incredible performance and soaring creativity. The second symphony, “Pastoral Symphony,” was written. During this period, Beethoven began to spend more time in nature, going to remote places. In this solitude with nature, real masterpieces of music were born. The theater management invited the composer to write music for Goethe's drama. The music was created, and at the same time there were rehearsals for the performance, at which the maestro was present.

Ludwig Van Beethoven - biography of personal life

Ludwig never accepted the nobility, which means he could not marry a girl from high society. The young man fell passionately in love with the young countess, who did not share his feelings and soon married a man of her circle. The composer’s “Moonlight Sonata” became a hymn to all unexpressed and unrequited feelings.

Beethoven's next love for the widow of Count Deym also ended in failure; in a fit of feelings he proposed to a third girl - and again refused. The composer is disappointed and decides not to offer his hand and heart to anyone for the rest of his life. Ludwig decides to take in the child of his deceased brother. The child inherited an addiction to alcohol from his mother, which causes a lot of trouble for his uncle.

Beethoven's last years

His hearing begins to disappear completely, but Beethoven does not lose hope of hearing and composing music. He recognizes sound by vibration.