Created by: Tyler Thompson In Affiliation With: Laura Matthews, Kevin Caudill, Nathan HANGIN’ WITH MR. BEETHOVEN

BIG B’S CHILDHOOD Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most influential composers of all time, was born in Bonn, Germany in His father and grandfather were both musicians, with his grandfather holding the post of Kapellmeister in Bonn, and his father having lesser accomplishments. There were seven children born to his parents, but only three survived, and of these, he was the eldest.

BECOMING A GOD Beethoven received piano and violin lessons at a young age, but his father seems to have been a tyrannical teacher, if the stories of young Ludwig standing at the piano in tears are true His first public performance was at age seven on the clavier. He subsequently had more keyboard instruction, as well as music theory, as well as violin and viola lessons, but his general schooling did not extend past elementary school.

YEP, STILL BECOMING A GOD By 1782, when Beethoven was 11 and a half, he was already a published composer and substituting for the court organist, from whom he was also receiving instruction in piano and composition and who predicted that he was potentially a second Mozart. In 1789, at age 18, Beethoven petitioned for half his father’s salary to be turned over to him to be used primarily for the support of his brothers, and with the granting of this request, he became, in effect, the head of his family. In 1792, he moved to Vienna, where he would make his home until his death, in order to be instructed by (Franz) Joseph Haydn.

Beethoven did not immediately set out to establish himself as a composer, but rather devoted himself to study and performance. By 1793, Beethoven established a reputation as an improviser in the salons of the nobility, often playing the preludes and fugues of J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. By 1793, he had established a reputation in Vienna as a piano virtuoso, but he apparently withheld works from publication so that their publication in 1795 would have greater impact. Beethoven's first public performance in Vienna was in March 1795, a concert in which he debuted a piano concerto. It is uncertain whether this was the First or Second. Documentary evidence is unclear, and both concertos were in a similar state of near-completion. Shortly after this performance, he arranged for the publication of the first of his compositions to which he assigned an opus number, the piano trios of Opus 1. THINGS START HAPPENING

Piano Sonata No. 21 – Known as “Waldstein.” Dedicated to Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein of Vienna Piano Sonata No. 21 Piano Sonata No. 14 – More popularly known as “Moonlight Sonata.” Was completed in Dedicated to his pupil, Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, whom Beethoven was in love with. Piano Sonata No. 14 Piano Sonata No. 23 – Known as “Apassionata.” Completed in Dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick. Piano Sonata No. 23 FAMOUS COMPOSITIONS

DEAFNESS In around 1796, intimations of the deafness that would later become quite severe began to manifest. By 1802, despite the intervention of doctors, Beethoven’s deafness was pronounced. This affliction had a decided affect on the course of Beethoven’s life. The cause of Beethoven's deafness is unknown, but it has variously been attributed to syphilis lead poisoning, typhus, auto-immune disorder (such as systemic lupus erythematosus), and even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake.syphilis

Beethoven was bedridden for most of his remaining months, and many friends came to visit. He died on Monday, 26 March 1827, during a thunderstorm. His friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who was present at the time, claimed that there was a peal of thunder at the moment of death. An autopsy revealed significant liver damage, which may have been due to heavy alcohol consumption. BEETHOVEN BITES IT

LETTER TO HIS BROTHERS KARL AND JOHANN ‘ For the last six years I have been afflicted with an incurable complaint, made worse by incompetent doctors. From year to year my hopes of being cured have gradually been shattered... I must live like an outcast; if I appear in company, I am overcome by a burning anxiety, a fear that I am running the risk of letting people notice my condition.... How humiliated I have felt if somebody standing beside me heard the sound of a flute in the distance and I heard nothing.... I have such a sensitive body that any sudden change can plunge me from the best spirits into the worst of humors....’ ‘ When I am dead, request on my behalf Professor Schmidt, if he is still living, to describe my disease, and attach this written document to his record, so that after my death at any rate the world and I may be reconciled.... ‘

THE END SOURCES wiseGEEK LuCare American Beethoven Society Youtube IMAGE SOURCES Red Molotov Wikipedia Word Press