Ludwig van beethoven brief biography of prophet

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Whether in spite of or because of his father's draconian methods, Beethoven was a prodigiously talented musician from his earliest days.

Education

Hoping that his young son would be recognized as a musical prodigy à la Wolfgang Mozart, Beethoven's father arranged his first public recital for March 26, 1778.

A few scholars have noted that Beethoven seemed to have an innate understanding of the polyrhythmic structures typical to some African music.

Billed as a "little son of 6 years," (Mozart's age when he debuted for Empress Maria Theresia) although he was in fact 7, Beethoven played impressively, but his recital received no press whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the musical prodigy attended a Latin grade school named Tirocinium, where a classmate said, "Not a sign was to be discovered of that spark of genius which glowed so brilliantly in him afterwards."

Beethoven, who struggled with sums and spelling his entire life, was at best an average student, and some biographers have hypothesized that he may have had mild dyslexia.

Beethoven loved Karl dearly, and the pain of his failed attempts to teach Karl music must have been devestating for Beethoven. In the end, Beethoven won the boy's custody, though hardly his affection.

Despite his extraordinary output of beautiful music, Beethoven was lonely and frequently miserable throughout his adult life.

He soon began composing, and his first published work, a set of variations, appeared in 1782, followed by three substantial keyboard sonatas the following year. His paternal grandparents were of Flemish origin, but his mother’s family was German. Not yet known as a composer, Beethoven quickly established a reputation as a virtuoso pianist who was especially adept at improvisation.

Debut Performance

Beethoven won many patrons among the leading citizens of the Viennese aristocracy, who provided him with lodging and funds, allowing Beethoven, in 1794, to sever ties with the Electorate of Cologne.

In one illustrative incident, Beethoven attempted to break a chair over the head of Prince Lichnowsky, one of his closest friends and most loyal patrons. He was a man of high morality and integrity, sometimes admired for his humanity as much as for his compositions.

Early Years: From Bonn to Vienna

Beethoven was born in Bonn on December 16 (or possibly 17), 1770.

The autopsy also provided clues to the origins of his deafness: While his quick temper, chronic diarrhea and deafness are consistent with arterial disease, a competing theory traces Beethoven's deafness to contracting typhus in the summer of 1796.

Scientists analyzing a remaining fragment of Beethoven's skull noticed high levels of lead and hypothesized lead poisoning as a potential cause of death, but that theory has been largely discredited.

Legacy

Beethoven is widely considered one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, composer of all time.

His innovative compositions combined vocals and instruments, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto and quartet. However, Beethoven's grandfather, godfather and namesake, Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven, was Bonn's most prosperous and eminent musician, a source of endless pride for young Beethoven.

Childhood Abuse

Sometime between the births of his two younger brothers, Beethoven's father began teaching him music with an extraordinary rigor and brutality that affected him for the rest of his life.