Untitled Document
 Ludwig
van Beethoven was a German composer of classical music. He is widely regarded as one of
the greatest composers in history. He passed away a long time ago, but the
world still remembers him. This is because he produced countless wonderful
works even after he completely lost his hearing. That is why Beethoven
is remembered by many as a man of great genius.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770. He was born in
Germany, but he lived most of his life in Vienna, Austria. Beethoven’s
first music teacher was his father. His father was a musician, too. But he was
a rough man who tried to exploit the young boy’s musical gifts. So he forced little Beethoven to
practice piano many hours
each day.
When he made mistakes in his music, his father beat the little boy as punishment for imperfection. Despite the harsh treatment, young Beethoven
loved music. And he took lessons in violin, organ, and piano. Beethoven
began public performances at the age of 6, just like Mozart. At the
age of 13, he left school to tour full-time.
 Beethoven’s
mother died when he was 17, and his father died when he was 18. He
had to take care of his two younger
brothers. In order to make money, he started playing
the viola in the orchestra.
In 1792, Franz Joseph Haydn heard Beethoven’s music and recognized the brilliant talent of the young
musician right away. He knew Beethoven
had musical talent not only as a performer but also as a composer.
Haydn invited Beethoven to Vienna.
Young Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 and studied with Haydn. There,
he received many invitations to perform in
the homes and palaces of the wealthy. So he was able
to support himself and his brothers.
Soon, Beethoven established a reputation as a great pianist
and as a composer. His music was passionate and dramatic. This was because
he expressed his deep feelings through beautiful
melodies. He mixed rich chords, tones, and emotion into the composition of his greatest
pieces from love songs to symphonies.
 In his late
twenties, Beethoven began suffering from hearing loss. But he kept
composing and playing the piano. Even when he lost his hearing completely, the passionate
composer continued to compose and remained dedicated to his music.
He composed completely in his mind, unable to listen to the music
in any other way.
Beethoven also continued to direct the orchestra. Sadly,
he could not hear the applause after his great
performances. He only knew that he had pleased the audience when he turned to
face them and could see the
clapping of their hands.
The great musician passed away on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. |
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