LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN BIOGRAPHY

(1770-1827)

By: Haylee MellenIntro. to Music:1010-55

•Beethoven was a rugged and short man with raven hair and an olive complexion. •The intensity of his gaze will always be remembered. •He had a strong pair of hands with short fingers, but that wasn’t a disadvantage at all when it came to playing the piano.•He was the only one in his family that had any interest in the composition of music.[1]

[1]Cooper. Beethoven. Pg.1

EARLY LIFE• Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770. [1]

• His father was a strict man and would force Beethoven to practice the violin and piano for hours which would sometimes bring the young Beethoven to tears. [2]

• Beethoven was appointed count vice organist at the age of only 14.[3]

13 year old Beethoven below:

[1]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.3 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.9 [3]Bergamini.Beethoven and the

Classical Age.Pg.9

FAMILY LIFE

• Beethoven’s grandfather Ludwig van Beethoven (1712-1773) was a choirmaster from 1761-1773. [1]

• His father Johann(1740-1792) was also a court musician in 1764. Johann married Maria Magdalena Keverich (1746-1787) in Bonn on November 12, 1767. [2]

•Beethoven had two younger brothers, Johann and Caspar Carl and became mainly responsible for them shortly after their father became an alcoholic. [3]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.9 [2]Cooper.Beethoven.Pgs.1-2

[3]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.9

EDUCATION

• He attended the University of Bonn to study philosophy. [1]

• On Friday November 2, 1792 at 6:00 a.m. Beethoven left for Vienna to work and study under the Austrian composer, Haydn through 1793.[2]

• Shortly after, he moved in with Karl Licknowsky the prince and Maria Christine Thun his wife. Haydn then began to give him lessons on composition with about 300 different exercises as he promised.[3]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.9 [2]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.40

[3]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.43

EDUCATION

•He was a student of Haydn(1732-1809) a father of classical style, where he studied the rules of the classical style of music. Beethoven eventually became bored with the lessons after about 6 months.[1]

• From 1794, Beethoven improved his composition practice by studying under Albrechtsbeger, a choirmaster at Saint Stephen. Haydn was leaving Vienna and had arranged Albrechtsbeger to take over as Beethoven’s teacher, but Albrechtsbeger was strict and methodical.[2]

[1]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.44 [2]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.49

INFLUENCES• Beethoven was the first musician to consider his own music as an educated art that required a huge commitment by the composer and by the listeners as well. Mozart and Haydn would never come to suggest something like this.

• The country air and meadows helped contribute to his imagination. In Pastoral, his sixth symphony, composed in Vienna around 1807-1808 his great love for nature was expressed in it.[1]

• Luigi Cherubini from Italy was a French composer and was a principal proponent of French Revolution opera. Beethoven looked at his operas as inspiration and framework.[2]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.29 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and

the Classical Age.Pg.32

CAREER

• At 14 Beethoven was made organist and was paid 150 florins a year. He occasionally would play the cymbals in the court theater.[1]

• In 1800 he organized his first public symphony. From 1800-1806 Prince Lichnowsky had Beethoven perform in his home, and paid him 600 florins annually. [2]

• Prince Lobkowitz was one of Beethoven’s most generous benefactors. In 1809 he offered Beethoven a salary through a contract, which for musicians is extremely fortunate.[3]

• Right around the age of 30, Beethoven had succeeded in executing the symphonic genre.

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.8 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and the

Classical Age.Pg.25 [3]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical

Age.Pg.14

CAREER

• Beethoven also composed stage music; even competed in it. He composed Coriolan in1807 for Joseph von Collins. Then in 1809 he composed Egmont for Goethe.[1]

• On November 15, 1815 his brother Caspar passed away. Beethoven became the sole guardian of Karl his nephew in 1820 after the court dispute between him and Caspar’s wife. Caspar wanted both his wife and Beethoven to take care of Karl, but Beethoven still went to court and wanted to be the sole guardian.[2]

•Beethoven and Karl did not grow any closer afterwards and consequently Karl would constantly run away from home. Which later leads to Karl’s attempted suicide on August 6th 1826.[3]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.42 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and

the Classical Age.Pg.30 [3]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical

Age.Pg.30

KARL BEETHOVEN IN CADET’S UNIFORMKarl departed for military

service on January 2, 1827 at the age of 21 and after that

he never saw his uncle Beethoven again.[1]

[1]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.359

END OF LIFE

• At the young age of 27 he started to experience the symptoms of deafness and it continually got worse in 1802 when he was only 32 years old.[1]

• In addition to the deafness in 1802 he began to have thoughts of suicide but overcame it and composed his 3rd symphony.[2]

• In 1816 when Beethoven was 45 he began using ear trumpets to assist his hearing, but eventually had to resort to notebooks in order to communicate with others.[3]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.28 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and

the Classical Age.Pg.28 [3]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical

Age.Pg.55

END OF LIFE

• Beethoven moved around a lot and had about 32 different homes. In 1825 he made his last move into the House of the Black Spaniards. [1]

• In December 1826 he became ill with severe chill and pneumonia. In 1827 his health had just gotten worse because of his liver damage. He went through 4 different operations but all had failed.[2]

• On March 24 1827 he lost consciousness and on March 26 he passed away at 5:45 p.m. during a thunderstorm.[3]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.54 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and

the Classical Age.Pg.61 [3]Cooper.Beethoven.Pg.357

END OF LIFE

• The funeral was said to be a grand event that showed the real fame of Beethoven, and approximately 20,000 people attended the service. [1]

• He rests at the central Cemetery of Vienna.[2]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.61 [2]Bergamini.Beethoven and

the Classical Age.Pg.61

END OF LIFE

Beethoven’s Funeral Invitation

CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC

•Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven works all appealed most to the Viennese.

• Beethoven also made music for special occasions and for entertainment.

• Beethoven was really looked up to as a composer especially for his great capacity of improvise.

• Beethoven had organized 11 exhibitions just for his own benefit. [1]

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.20

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Beethoven was considered one of the most fascinating composers on the Viennese musical scene.

• Beethoven had at least 50 notebooks where he would record all of his musical ideas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• The Diabelli Variations was Beethoven’s last piano work which he worked on for 4 years from 1819-1823. He at first refused to work on it but because of financial difficulties he changed his mind. The Diabelli Variations contains Beethoven’s final quartets.[1]

• Beethoven had composed 9 symphonies.

[1]Bergamini.Beethoven and the Classical Age.Pg.60

SYMPHONIES• No. 1 in C Major(1800)• No. 2 in D Major(1801-2)• No. 3 in E Flat Major(1803-4)• No. 4 in B Flat Major(1806)• No. 5 in C Minor(1807-8)• No. 6 in F Major(1808)• No. 7 in A Major(1812)• No. 8 in F Major(1812)• No. 9 In D Minor(1823-4)• Beethoven’s 9th symphony was considered the masterpiece of his maturity.[1]

[1]Cooper.Beethoven.Pgs.361-362

[1]Goodreads Inc. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/40589.Ludwig_van_Beethoven.

QUOTE

“Music is… A higher revelation than all Wisdom & Philosophy. [1]

Ludwig Van Beethoven

REFERENCES

• Bergamini, Andrea. Masters of Music Beethoven and the Classical Age. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. 1999. Print.

• Cooper, Barry. Beethoven. Stanley Sadie. Oxford University Press Inc. New York. Print.

• Goodreads Inc. Web. 16 February 2014. https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/40589.Ludwig_van_Beethoven.