Ludwig van Beethoven By: 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, 1770 Died: 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 home and 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 LisztHaydnSchubert

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 stayed at 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: To listen to all of his works see:

Beethoven and his Ninth Symphony

The Ninth Symphony Movement 1 Movement 2 Movement 3

Ninth Symphony Movement 4 “Ode to Joy”  The 4 th 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

“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 Beethoven Album: The 100 Greatest Classical Masterpieces of All Time

In Birth, even so in Death Beethoven died in Vienna, Austria on March 27, 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.

Beethoven in Modern day – this is a compilation of Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Beethoven's Last Night (Beethoven’s Requiem (The Fifth) starts at 30:13).30:13

Bibliography