Ludwig van BeethovenBy: Joshua

A man of musical genius.

The last great composer of the Classical Era; the first great composer of the Romantic Era.

A man great in his life, but even greater in death.

Ludwig van Beethoven; an Introduction

Music since Birth…

Born: December 17, 1770Died: March 27, 1827

Beethoven’s Early Life

He was a child prodigy like Mozart.

He had many teachers when he was young, including his father, van den Eeden, Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer.

He performed a lot at homeand while traveling.

Trouble at Home

His mother caught Tuberculosis and so he had to return home; she died a little later.

His father got worse and worse in his alcoholism addiction.

Beethoven had to sign for ‘Head of House’ as his father was a drunk wreck.

Johann van Beethoven

Studying with Musicians

Beethoven studied with many notable musicians and composers throughout his life.

During his early to late twenties was when he spent the most time learning from them.

A couple of notable musicians he was taught be included Liszt, Schubert, Salieri, Mozart, and Haydn.

Mozart Liszt HaydnSchubert

Going Deaf

• He began to notice his hearing loss when he was about 30.

• After a while, he couldn’t hear what people were saying and so he just stayedat home as much as possible.

Deaf Through and Through

• By the age of 50 Beethoven had lost his hearing entirely.

• Even after he was completely deaf, Beethoven composed a large number of pieces, including one of his most famous symphonies.

• He might have heard them in his head when composing, but he never got to hear them out loud.

Beethoven’s Works

• Beethoven composed 9 complete symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, overtures, and numerous chamber works.

For a complete listing of his works see:

http://www.raptusassociation.org/beets_works.htm

To listen to all of his works see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Ludwig_van_Beethoven

• The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 is last symphony Beethoven completed in 1824.

• It is one of the best-known works of classical music.

• It is considered among Beethoven's greatest works and is seen as the finest piece of music ever written.

Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony

The Ninth Symphony

http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/4/4a/IMSLP279875-PMLP01607-Beethoven91.mp3

•Movement 1

•Movement 2

•Movement 3

http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/8/8a/IMSLP280019-PMLP01607-02_2_Molto_Vivace.mp3

http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/ad/IMSLP280020-PMLP01607-03_3_Adagio_Molto_e_Cantabile.mp3

Ninth Symphony Movement 4“Ode to Joy”

The 4th movement is the longest and requires the complete orchestra

It has four vocal soloists and a four voice choir and for about 25 minutes and includes the “Ode to Joy”.

Part 1

Part 2

http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/0/04/IMSLP280021-PMLP01607-04_4_Presto-Ode_to_Joy__Part_1_.mp3

http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/3/32/IMSLP280022-PMLP01607-05_4_Presto-Ode_to_Joy__Part_2_.mp3

“Ode to Joy”

“Ode to Joy” was the last symphony piece that Beethoven wrote and conducted.

He was completely deaf when he wrote it.

This was the last piece that he ever created.I listened to a variation of the “Ode to Joy”

movement which lasted 12:57.

9th Ode to Joy by BeethovenAlbum: The 100 Greatest Classical

Masterpieces of All Time

In Birth, even so in Death

• Beethoven died in Vienna, Austria on March 27, 1827.

• It was storming the night he died. • At his funeral, over 20,000 lined the streets to

pay tribute to Beethoven.• He was a beloved man, and an awe-inspiring

composer.

There is only one Beethoven.”

“What I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes…

Beethoven in Modern day• Many remixes of his pieces have been made

• Musicians today ”borrow” his motives, themes, and musical ideas

• They use his compositions to base their own work(s) on.

Here is one remix of Beethoven’s famous 5th

Symphony by the Trans-Siberian Orchestrahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q69JNbvOJWU – this is a compilation of Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Beethoven's Last Night (Beethoven’s Requiem (The Fifth) starts at 30:13).

Bibliography• Green, A. (2014). Get to Know Ludwig van Beethoven with This Quickie

Biography. A Profile and Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven. Retrieved June 29, 2014, from http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/biographies/p/beethoven.htm

• Suchet, J. (2014). Beethoven's history: 1770 - 1802. Classic FM. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.classicfm.com/composers/beethoven/guides/beethovens-life-timeline-part-1/

• Budden, J. (2014). Ludwig van Beethoven (German composer). Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved June 29, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/58473/Ludwig-van-Beethoven

• Bourne, M. (2014). Ludwig van Beethoven. Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Ludwig_van_Beethoven.aspx#1

• Nelson, D. (2012, August 2). The Unique Story of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony - In Mozart's Footsteps - Uncommon Musical Travel. In Mozarts Footsteps Uncommon Musical Travel. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://inmozartsfootsteps.com/2472/the-unique-story-of-beethovens-ninth-symphony/ >.