Orgelkonzert beethoven biography

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Some scholars have suggested it was dedicated to his friend, student and fellow musician, Therese Malfatti, to whom he allegedly proposed around the time of the song’s composition. Short-tempered, absent-minded, greedy and suspicious to the point of paranoia, Beethoven feuded with his brothers, his publishers, his housekeepers, his pupils and his patrons.

Beethoven also composed The Creatures of Prometheus in 1801, a wildly popular ballet that received 27 performances at the Imperial Court Theater. In an effort to facilitate his musical development, in 1787 the court sent Beethoven to Vienna, Europe’s capital of culture and music, where he hoped to study with Mozart.

orgelkonzert beethoven biography

For almost two years I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people: I am deaf. In 1790, Beethoven came to the attention of Haydn, who was passing through Bonn on his way to London. Eventually, in October 1802, in a deep depression he wrote a moving document known as his Heiligenstadt Testament, describing his sufferings and how his art had saved him from suicide.

Beethoven: Trio in C minor for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op.

1, No. 3

Middle Period: Major Works Galore

Soon after writing his Heiligenstadt Testament, Beethoven embarked on two major new works: the oratorio Christus am Oelberge (1803–04), which describes Christ’s suffering on the Mount of Olives, sometimes using language recalling that of the Heiligenstadt Testament; and his Third Symphony (Eroica) (1803–04), which far surpassed all previous symphonies in length and complexity.

In 1812 he fell even more deeply in love, writing an amorous letter to a woman whom he does not name and whose identity has been the object of speculation ever since; but they kept apart thereafter.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1802) is one of the most popular composers in Western music, whose work crosses both the Classical and Romantic periods.

His innovative compositions combined vocals and instruments, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto and quartet. Beethoven, like all of Europe, watched with a mixture of awe and terror; he admired, abhorred and, to an extent, identified with Napoleon, a man of seemingly superhuman capabilities, only one year older than himself and also of obscure birth.

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.

It is now considered his earliest masterpiece.

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Beethoven and Haydn

In 1792, with French revolutionary forces sweeping across the Rhineland into the Electorate of Cologne, Beethoven decided to leave his hometown for Vienna once again.

Though encapsulating the formal classical traditions associated with Mozart and Haydn, his work also pushed the boundaries of and expanded on the philosophy and politics of the time. Although Beethoven would grow to detest the piece — "In those days I did not know how to compose," he later remarked — the graceful and melodious symphony nevertheless established him as one of Europe's most celebrated composers.

As the new century progressed, Beethoven composed piece after piece that marked him as a masterful composer reaching his musical maturity.

He returned to Bonn and continued to perform among the court and teach the children of wealthy townspeople.

Moonlight Sonata

From 1803 to 1812, what is known as his "middle" or "heroic" period, he composed an opera, six symphonies, four solo concerti, five string quartets, six-string sonatas, seven piano sonatas, five sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios, two sextets and 72 songs.

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.

By this time, he had fallen in love briefly on many occasions but never found someone he could marry.

Over the course of two days in July of 1812, Beethoven wrote her a long and beautiful love letter that he never sent.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany to a family of musicians, including his grandfather who was Kapellmeister at Cologne Cathedral.

"Applaud friends, the comedy is over."


Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Ludwig van Beethoven
BORN: December 1770
BIRTHPLACE: Bonn, Germany
DIED: March 26, 1827
DEATHPLACE: Vienna, Austria
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

We strive for accuracy and fairness. 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.