Introduction


Ludwig van Beethoven
At the premier performance of his final masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven had to turn around to see the audience’s thunderous applause: he was too deaf to hear it. Despite his hearing loss, Beethoven was one of the greatest composers of all time. While his earlier works are placed squarely in the Classical vein of Mozart, he later reached out with the emotional power of the Romantic style, thus straddling the two periods as a colossus of musical composition. He also popularized instrumental music in a European culture that had a preference for vocal music such as operas. His symphonies, concertos, and sonatas are still performed in concert programs through the world.

Essential Facts

  1. Born in 1770, Beethoven performed in public by the age of seven, and while not quite the sensation that the young Mozart was, he was quickly recognized as a brilliant musical talent.
  2. Beethoven wrote 9 symphonies, 7 concertos, 17 string quartets, 32 piano sonatas, and 10 sonatas for violin and piano.
  3. There were three major periods of Beethoven’s musical life. The second period, sometimes called the “Heroic” period, lasted from 1803 to 1814 and is named for the tremendous works that express struggle and heroism. His famous Fifth Symphony was one of the many pieces of music written during this period.
  4. Beethoven began having hearing problems as early as 1802. What started as an annoying ringing in his ears worsened until he was almost totally deaf by 1816.
  5. Despite his reputation for being rude and angry, Beethoven had many friends and was well liked. More than 20,000 people attended his funeral.