Ludwig van Beethoven
By: Preston M.
Table of Contents: Chapter Name Page Number Tough Starts
2
Musical Madness
3
Big Problems
4
Powerful Pieces
5
Glossary/Sources
6 Pg. 1
Tough Starts Ludwig van Beethoven, a musical genius, started with many awful challenges. He was born on or about December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Germany. This is believed because we know he was baptized on December 17, 1770 and babies are usually baptized the day after they are born in Germany, so it makes sense that Beethoven was born on the 16th. A map of Germany showing where Bonn is in relation to some of the more well known cities.
Beethoven’s grandfather, godfather, and namesake, Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven, was an inspiration to the young Beethoven (the older Beethoven died when the
grandson was a mere 3 years old). Poor little Beethoven was forced by his father to learn and play the piano. He was beaten every single time he paused, missed a note, or played a wrong note. As this happened he became deprived of sleep and grew weary. He also couldn’t keep up with school work, so he dropped out to focus on music. Pg. 2
Musical Madness As Beethoven grew older, he got himself a job working as the organist for the court of Maximillian Franz, earning money to support him and his family. But, not all of his money went to him and his family. He saved some for a trip to Vienna, the wonderful city where music was largely admired. Eventually, he
Beethoven’s great friend, Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, made sure that Beethoven got noticed by many, for he had great power in Germany.
saved enough money to travel there. He found he should take lessons with some musical geniuses such as Joseph Haydn, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, Antonio Salieri, and world famous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. When he was well known, he was appointed official court pianist of Vienna and played viola in many of the opera orchestra pieces during a few operas. Soon, he was so well known, he was asked to write the funeral song of the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph Benedikt Anton Michael Adam the 2nd and to write the cantata for the coronation ceremony. His piece “Ode to Joy” (Ninth Symphony) was based on the poem “Ode to Joy” by the German writer Friedrich Schiller. Pg. 3
Big Problems As Beethoven was learning and working out in Vienna, he received a message that his mother came ill. He rushed home and took care of her. He had seen her as his best friend throughout his life. Then, Beethoven’s mother finally died on July 17th, 1787. It was a sad day. Soon, Beethoven’s father rarely came home, only to eat and sleep. This left Beethoven with the responsibility of taking care of his little brothers. After taking care of his young brothers for many years, he moved back out to Vienna. In 1798, when he was 28 years old, he found he started going deaf. At first he denied that, but it started getting worse.
This song, Eroica or Symphony 3, was written after Beethoven had become deaf. The way he wrote it, along with many other pieces, was him playing the music in his mind away from a piano writing all the notes down on paper. This method is used by many musicians, even though they are not deaf.
Even though he had this problem, he didn’t stop writing, conducting, and performing music (this makes him inspirational). His deafness became greater and greater until it at last became total.
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Powerful Pieces Beethoven wrote many sensational pieces throughout his career. Some you may know, like Fur Elise or Ode to Joy, but others may not be so familiar, like Opus 1 or WoO 36. There are 9 symphonies he composed, 32 sonatas, one opera, 5 piano concertos, and many other works. As I mentioned earlier, Beethoven was accepted as a student of Mozart and he trained as a marvelous musician with an even better musician (at the time anyway). As I mentioned before, he wrote the funeral song of the Emperor Joseph and new coronation song, too. These were both a great honor, anyone would instantly take up the offer if they had this opportunity. Most of the songs he wrote back then are classical to us now, but were breaking the boundaries of the world of music back then. Beethoven is an outstanding musician, breaking the limits of music and then some. He inspires many people to take up music, stare it in the face, and say, “I’m not scared of you.” Beethoven was deaf and he continued writing music that was sweet to the ears. Beethoven is legendary, both in the music business, and Beethoven’s funeral. He died on March 26, 1827 (at 56 years the inspirational career. old) of many illnesses including pneumonia.
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Works Cited "Biography: Beethoven's Life - Ludwig Van Beethoven's Website." Biography: Beethoven's Life - Ludwig Van Beethoven's Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2015. Loewen, Nancy. Beethoven. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Enterprises, 1989. Print. "Ludwig Van Beethoven: Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 28 May 2015.
Glossary Coronation- the ceremony of crowning a sovereign or a sovereign's consort Deaf- lacking the power of hearing or having impaired hearing Kapellmeister- the leader or conductor of an orchestra or choir Symphony- an elaborate musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements, at least one of which is traditionally in sonata form WoO- Werke ohne Opuszahl (Works without opus number)
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