Ludwig van Beethoven
For many people, Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) represented the highest level of musical genius. His unique stature is comparable to Shakespeare's in literature and Michelangelo's in painting and sculpture. He opened new realms of musical expression and profoundly influenced composers throughout the nineteenth century.
Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770, in Bonn, Germany. Like Bach and Mozart before him, he came from family of musicians. His grandfather, also need Ludwig, was music director at the court at bomb. His father, Johann, was a tenor who held a low position in the court and who saw his talented son as a profitable prodigy like Mozart. It's told that Johann Beethoven and a musician friend would come home from the local tavern late at night, house young ludwig from sleep, ad make him practice at the keyboard until morning. At the age of eleven, Beethoven served as assistant to the court organist, and at twelve he had several piano compositions published.
Beethoven went to Vienna when he was sixteen to improvise for Mozart. Mozart reportedly said, "Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give the world something to talk about." Beethoven then return to Bonn, because his mother was critically ill. She died shortly after. His father, who had become an alcoholic, was soon dismissed from the court choir. Beethoven, at eighteen, became the legal guardian of his two younger brothers. By now, Beethoven had become a court organist and violist and was responsible for composing and performing; suddenly, he was also head of a family.
Shortly before his twenty-second birthday, Beethoven left Bonn to study with Haydn in vienna, where he spent the rest of his life, In 1792, Haydn was at the height of his fame, too busy composing to devote much time or energy to teaching, As a result, he overlooked errors in Beethoven's counterpoint exercises, and Beethoven felt forced to go secretly to another teacher. (Haydn Never learned of this). Beethoven's drive for thoroughness and mastery - evident throughout his life - is shown by his willingness to subject himself to a strict course in counterpoint and fugue even after he had composed fine works.
Beethoven's first seven years in vienna brought hard work, growing confidence, a strong sense of identity, and public praise. His letters of introduction from members of the aristocracy in Bonn opened the doors of social and cultural elite in this music-loving city. People were dazzled with his piano virtuosity and moved with his improvisations. "He knew how to produce such an impression on every listener", reports a contemporary, "that frequently there was not a single dry eye, while many broke out into loud sobs, for there was a certain magic in his expression". Beethoven rebelled against social convention, asserting that an artist deserved as much respect as the nobility. Once while playing in an aristocratic drawing room, he was disturbed by the loud conversation of a young count. Beethoven jumped up from the piano, exclaiming, " I will not play for such swine!" For a long time he was a guest of Prince Karl von Lichnowsky, who told his personal servant that if ever he and Beethoven rang at the same time, Beethoven should be served first. The same aristocrats who had allowed Mozart to die in poverty a few years before showered Beethoven with gifts. He earned good fees from piano lessons and private concerts. Publishers were quick to buy his compositions, even though some critics complained they were "bizarre" and " excessively complicated".
Disaster struck during his twenty-ninth year; Beethoven felt the first symptoms of deafness. Doctors could do nothing to halt its progress or to relieve Beethoven's physical and emotional torment. In 1801, he wrote despairingly, "For two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people ' I am deaf '. If I belonged to an other profession it would be easier, but in my profession it is a terrible handicap". On October 6, 1802, Beethoven was in Heiligenstadt, a village outside Vienna where he sought solitude during the summer. That day he expressed his feelings in what is now known as the Heiligenstadt testament, a long, agonised letter addressed to his brothers. Beethoven wrote, "I would have ended my life - it was only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed to me impossible to leave the world until I had Brought forth all that I felt was within me".
Beethoven's victory over despair coincided with an important change in his musical style. Works that he created after his emotional crisis have a new power and heroism. From 1803 to 1804, he composed the gigantic 3rd Symphony, the Eroica. a landmark in music history. At first, he planned to name it Bonaparte, after Napoleon, the first consul of the French Republic. Beethoven saw Napoleon as the embodiment of heroism and the champion of the principles underlying the French Revolution. Liberty, equality, fraternity were stirring words that expressed Beethoven's democratic ideals. But when he learned that Napoleon had proclaimed himself emperor of the French, Beethoven "flew into a rage and cried out, ' He too is nothing but an ordinary man! Now he will trampled under foot all the rights of man and only indulge his ambition. He will exalt himself above all others and become a tyrant!' "Seizing his score, Beethoven tore out the title page bearing Napoleon's name and change it into Eroica.
Beethoven went to Vienna when he was sixteen to improvise for Mozart. Mozart reportedly said, "Keep your eyes on him; some day he will give the world something to talk about." Beethoven then return to Bonn, because his mother was critically ill. She died shortly after. His father, who had become an alcoholic, was soon dismissed from the court choir. Beethoven, at eighteen, became the legal guardian of his two younger brothers. By now, Beethoven had become a court organist and violist and was responsible for composing and performing; suddenly, he was also head of a family.
Shortly before his twenty-second birthday, Beethoven left Bonn to study with Haydn in vienna, where he spent the rest of his life, In 1792, Haydn was at the height of his fame, too busy composing to devote much time or energy to teaching, As a result, he overlooked errors in Beethoven's counterpoint exercises, and Beethoven felt forced to go secretly to another teacher. (Haydn Never learned of this). Beethoven's drive for thoroughness and mastery - evident throughout his life - is shown by his willingness to subject himself to a strict course in counterpoint and fugue even after he had composed fine works.
Beethoven's first seven years in vienna brought hard work, growing confidence, a strong sense of identity, and public praise. His letters of introduction from members of the aristocracy in Bonn opened the doors of social and cultural elite in this music-loving city. People were dazzled with his piano virtuosity and moved with his improvisations. "He knew how to produce such an impression on every listener", reports a contemporary, "that frequently there was not a single dry eye, while many broke out into loud sobs, for there was a certain magic in his expression". Beethoven rebelled against social convention, asserting that an artist deserved as much respect as the nobility. Once while playing in an aristocratic drawing room, he was disturbed by the loud conversation of a young count. Beethoven jumped up from the piano, exclaiming, " I will not play for such swine!" For a long time he was a guest of Prince Karl von Lichnowsky, who told his personal servant that if ever he and Beethoven rang at the same time, Beethoven should be served first. The same aristocrats who had allowed Mozart to die in poverty a few years before showered Beethoven with gifts. He earned good fees from piano lessons and private concerts. Publishers were quick to buy his compositions, even though some critics complained they were "bizarre" and " excessively complicated".
Disaster struck during his twenty-ninth year; Beethoven felt the first symptoms of deafness. Doctors could do nothing to halt its progress or to relieve Beethoven's physical and emotional torment. In 1801, he wrote despairingly, "For two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people ' I am deaf '. If I belonged to an other profession it would be easier, but in my profession it is a terrible handicap". On October 6, 1802, Beethoven was in Heiligenstadt, a village outside Vienna where he sought solitude during the summer. That day he expressed his feelings in what is now known as the Heiligenstadt testament, a long, agonised letter addressed to his brothers. Beethoven wrote, "I would have ended my life - it was only my art that held me back. Ah, it seemed to me impossible to leave the world until I had Brought forth all that I felt was within me".
Beethoven's victory over despair coincided with an important change in his musical style. Works that he created after his emotional crisis have a new power and heroism. From 1803 to 1804, he composed the gigantic 3rd Symphony, the Eroica. a landmark in music history. At first, he planned to name it Bonaparte, after Napoleon, the first consul of the French Republic. Beethoven saw Napoleon as the embodiment of heroism and the champion of the principles underlying the French Revolution. Liberty, equality, fraternity were stirring words that expressed Beethoven's democratic ideals. But when he learned that Napoleon had proclaimed himself emperor of the French, Beethoven "flew into a rage and cried out, ' He too is nothing but an ordinary man! Now he will trampled under foot all the rights of man and only indulge his ambition. He will exalt himself above all others and become a tyrant!' "Seizing his score, Beethoven tore out the title page bearing Napoleon's name and change it into Eroica.
For more information about Beethoven 3rd Symphony "Eroica" :
In 1812, Beethoven met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German poet he had long worshipped. He played for Goethe, and the two artist walked and talked together, shortly after this meeting, Goethe described Beethoven to a friend as "an utterly untamed personality". To his wife, the poet wrote, "Never before have I seen an artist with more power of concentration, more energy, more inwardness". Despite such description by people who know him, Beethoven remains a mystery. He was self-educated and had read widely in Shakespeare and the ancient classics, but he was weak in elementary arithmetic. He claimed the highest moral principles, but he was after unscrupulous in dealing with publishers. Although orderly and methodical when composing, Beethoven dressed sloppily and lived in incredibly messy apartments. During his thirty-five years in vienna, he changed dwelling about forty times.
Beethoven fell in and out of love with several women, mostly of noble birth, but was never able to form a lasting relationship. He wrote a passionate letter to a woman refereed to as the "immortal beloved"; it was found in a drawer after his death. Only recently has a Beethoven scholar established her identity as the Viennese aristocrat Antonie Brentano. Beethoven took consolation from nature for disappointments in his personal life. Ideas came to him while he walked through the Viennese countryside. His 6th Symphony, the Pastoral, beautifully expresses his recollections of his life in the country.
Beethoven was never in the service of the Viennese aristocracy. A growing musical public made it possible for him to earn a fairly good income by selling compositions to publishers. His stature was a great that when he threatened to accept a position outside Austria in 1809, three nobles made a special arrangement to keep him in Vienna. Prince Kinsky, Prine Lobkowitz, and Archduke Rudolf - the emperor's brother and Beethoven's pupil - obligated themselves to gove Beethoven an annual income. Their only condition was that Beethoven continue to live in the Austrian capital - an unprecedented arrangement in music history.
As Beethoven's hearing weakened, so did his piano playing and conducting. By the time he was forty-four, this once brilliant pianist was forced to stop playing in public. But he insisted on conducting his orchestral works long after he could do it efficiently. The players would become confused by his wild gesture on the podium, and performances were often chaoctics. his sense of isolation grew with his deafness. Friends had to communicate with him through an ear trumpet, and during his last eight years he carried notebooks in which people would write questions and comments.
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