Anna

Ludwig van Beethoven








Ludwig van Beethoven was born in a town called Bonn, located in
Germany. His exact date of birth is unknown since there are no actual records, however it is estimated that he was born on December 16, 1770. The reason for this date is determined from a registry of his baptism which was found. Back in those times and being from Roman Catholic families,families baptized their children the day after birth.
Ludwig was the second born to Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Kaverich. He had a total of six brothers and sisters. Only three survived infancy. His surviving brothers was Casper Anton Carl younger than him who was born on April 8, 1774 and Nikolaus Johann, who was the youngest, born on October 2nd, 1776.
Beethoven wasraised around music. His first teacher was his own father. It is said but not documented that he was very harsh with his son and tried to exploit him as a child prodigy when Ludwig was seven years old. Beethoven had other teachers in his early life such as a family friend named Tobias Pfeiffer who thought him the piano and Franz Rovantini a relative who thought him the violin and the viola. In1779, or thereafter, Beethoven started to study with one of his most important teacher who thought him composition, his name was Christian Gottlob Neefe.
Beethoven wrote his first composition under the teachings of Neefe. He become Neefe’s assistant organist, his first three years were unpaid and then Beethoven was put on payroll.
It is said that Beethoven traveled to Vienna in 1787 butafter hearing of his mother’s severe illness returned home. His mother passed away in a short period of time after his return home and is father turned to alcoholism. At the age of seventeen, Beethoven became responsible for the care of his two younger brothers.
During the following years Beethoven thaught piano to some children of the von Breuning family and fell in love and married one oftheir daughters . In July of 1792 it is determined that Beethoven made arrangement to study with the old master Joseph Haydn. Beethoven moved to Vienna and shortly after , while on abroad learned of his father’s death.






Beethoven wrote many compositions which were published as early as 1793. his first public appearance was in Vienna in March of 1795.
Beethoven wasregarded as one of the most important composers following Haydn and Mozart. Beethoven’s First Symphony was held in the

Burgtheater on April 2nd, 1800. His premiere included works by Haydn and Mozart, as well as his Septet, the First Symphony and one of his piano
concertos. By the end of the year his music was much in demand from patrons and publishers.
In may 1799 Beethoven falls inlove with one of the daughters of a Hungarain Countess named Anna Brunsvik. Her name was Josephine. She however married Count Josef Deym and had 4 children. In 1804 Count Josef Deym suddently dies and Josephine’s and Beethoven’s relationship grows stronger.
In 1800 and 1802 Beethoven produces more works such as the piano sonata known as the “Moonlight Sonata”. Beethoven also completed theCreatures of Prometheus, a ballet. Beethoven had a success at the ticket booth charging three times the cost of a typical concert ticket.
By the age of twenty six, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He suffered from a severe form of tinnitus, a “ringing” in his ears that made it hard for him to hear music.Stipulations say that his deafness was attributed to typhus and even his habit ofimmersing his head in cold water to stay awake.
In 1801, Beethoven describes his symptoms and the difficulties his deafness was causing in both his professional and social life. By the recommendations of his physician Beethoven lived in a small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt just outside of Vienna. Here is where Beethoven writes his testament, a letter addressed to his two brothers about his...