Ludwig van Beethoven

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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), 1804 Buy this Giclee Print at AllPosters.com

Ludwig van Beethoven was a classical composer who was baptized on December 17, 1770 and died on March 26, 1827. Many people believe Beethoven was the single greatest composer of all time. He is undoubtedly one of the best known and most loved. His most famous works include his 5th Symphony, 9th Symphony, Für Elise, and the Moonlight Sonata.

Biography

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany. His mother was Magdalena Keverich and his father was Johann Beethoven. They named their son after his grandfather. Beethoven's musical talent manifested itself early, and his father attempted, unsuccessfully, to exploit the boy as a prodigy.

He joined the Elector of Cologne's orchestra at Bonn. In 1787 he had lessons from Mozart in Vienna, and in 1792 returned to that city for good, apart from a few excursions. Beethoven moved to Vienna when he was 22, where he studied under Franz Joseph Haydn.

He first joined Prince Lichnowsky's household and studied under Haydn, Albrechtsberger, and possibly Salieri. In Vienna he earned a reputation as a piano virtuoso and improvisor, and began publishing his own compositions soon after. By the early 1800s he had established his reputation as a great and daring composer.

His music is usually divided into three periods:

In the first (1792-1802), which includes the first two symphonies, the first six quartets, and the 'Pathétique' and 'Moonlight' sonatas, his style gradually develops its own individuality. His second period (1803-12) begins with the 'Eroica' symphony (1803), and includes his next five symphonies, the difficult 'Kreutzer' sonata (1803), the Violin Concerto, the 'Archduke' trio (1811), and the 'Razumovsky' quartets.

His third great period begins in 1813, and includes the Mass, the 'Choral' symphony (1823), and the last five quartets. Beethoven was tolerated by Vienna society despite his physical unattractiveness and arrogance. Just as he was developing a reputation as a composer, he began to go deaf, but stoically accepted the fact. None of this stopped him from falling in love with his pupils, including Giulietta Guicciardi and Josephine von Brunswick.

Beethoven began to lose his hearing at least by 1801. He continued composing nonetheless, and his 9th Symphony, amongst many other works, was composed after he had become totally deaf. This may have been due to lead poisoning.

From 1812 he was increasingly assailed by health, business, and family worries, which included prolonged litigation to obtain custody of his dead brother's son, Karl. His last work was completed at Gneixendorf in 1826, where he developed a severe chill (exacerbated by returning to Vienna in an open chaise), from which he died.

Musical Style and Innovations

Beethoven is viewed as a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras of musical history. He continued a trend towards larger orchestras that has persisted through the history of classical music. In his 5th Symphony he introduced a striking motif in the very opening bar, which he echoed in various forms in all four movements of the symphony. He also ran the third movement into the fourth without interruption. Both features were innovations. His 9th Symphony included a chorus in the 4th movement for the first time.

He wrote one opera, Fidelio. It has been said that he wrote beautiful choral music without regard for the limitations of human singers, treating the voice as if it were a symphonic instrument.

In contrast to Mozart, he labored visibly over his work, leaving intermediate drafts that provide considerable insight into his creative process. Early drafts of his 9th Symphony used rough vertical marks on the score in place of actual notes, to indicate the structure he had in mind for the melody.

Personal Beliefs and their Musical Influence

Beethoven was much taken by the ideals of the Enlightenment. He initially dedicated his third symphony, the Eroica, to Napoleon in the belief that the general would sustain the democratic ideals of the French Revolution, but later crossed out the dedication as Napoleon's imperial ambitions became clear. The fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony is a setting of Schiller's poem Ode to Joy, an optimistic hymn championing the brotherhood of humanity.

List of works with opus numbers

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