In what era was Beethoven born? Beethoven is one of the world's greatest composers

In order to know about one of the most talented and famous composers late XVIII and early XIX centuries, Ludwig van Beethoven, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the main moments of his life.

Therefore, the article provides a summary of the most important data from the maestro’s biography.

Ludwig van Beethoven - German composer

Ludwig van Beethoven, a German conductor, musician and composer, is one of the most fundamental figures in musical classicism.

Years of life: 12/1770/16. – 1827.03.26.

The composer's work includes all genres that existed during the period of his activity: works for choirs, music for dramatic performances and opera.

He created brilliant works between the classical and romantic periods, remaining last representative Vienna Classical School.

For children, it is important to answer the question - what instrument did Beethoven play? The composer owned several musical instruments, among which were organ, viola, piano, upright piano, violin and cello.

Famous pieces of music

Throughout his creative career, Beethoven wrote a huge number of musical works, especially well-known on their list are:

• 9 symphonies, only two of them received a name: the 3rd symphony “Eroic” in 1804 and the 6th symphony “Pastoral” in 1808;
• 32 sonatas, of which 16 are for young men, and 60 pieces for piano, of which the following stand out: “ Moonlight Sonata", "Sonata Pathétique" and "Appassionata";
• 8 symphonic introductions to performances, one of them is No. 3 “Leonora”;
• musical accompaniment of the performances: “King Stephen”, “Egmont” and “Coriolanus”;
• “triple concertos” - concerts for cello, violin and piano;
• 10 pieces for violin and piano and 5 pieces for piano and cello;
• the only opera, in two parts, Fidelio;
• the only ballet from which only the introduction (overture) is performed, “The Creation of Prometheus”;
• "Solemn Mass";
• No. 14 piano sonata “The Seasons”;
• music for 40 poems and musical adaptations of songs of the peoples of Ireland and Scotland.

Brief biography of Beethoven

The information is compiled from the most important points in the life and work of a musician.

Where was he born?

In the German city of Bonn, which is located on the Rhine River, in the winter of 1770, the first-born, Ludwig, was born into the family of Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalene Keverich.

Father and mother

Beethoven's father and grandfather, Johann and Ludwig, were musicians and singers.

The grandfather of the future musician, Ludwig the Elder, was a Flemish singer who moved to Bonn, where he was lucky enough to become a musician at the court of the Elector of Cologne himself.

There, in the chapel, Johann, who had a pleasant tenor, got a job as a singer. There Johann meets the daughter of the cook Keverich, Maria Magdalena, with whom he later married.

Childhood

Ludwig’s childhood could not be called joyful, because after him 6 more brothers and sisters were born, and he had to help his mother with the housework.

On top of that, my father drank alcohol very often, which created a completely unhealthy atmosphere in the house.

Johann was a completely unbridled person, allowing himself to be assaulted, and in addition, the family never had enough money due to constant drinking bouts. Even his grandfather could not cope with the violent temper of Ludwig’s father, which may have later become the cause of four children’s deaths.

Alcohol, beatings, poverty and stress affected the health of the mother and the bearing of children, so everyone died almost in infancy.

Education and upbringing

On days when there was calm, Ludwig liked to listen musical performance grandfather in the chapel, which did not go unnoticed by the father, who set about music education boy.

But Johann’s goals were by no means noble; he was so impatient to quickly make a fortune on a talented child, so the learning process took place in a cruel atmosphere.

On top of that, Johann restricted his son from attending compulsory primary education, which subsequently affected the composer’s literacy. Gaps in education are visible in the surviving records of the musician; there are serious errors in counting and spelling.

The beginning of creativity

Ludwig gives his first concert, under the supervision of his father, in Cologne, but the proceeds turned out to be too small, which greatly disappointed Johann, and he entrusts his son to study with his familiar musicians.

But Mary Magdalene tried to support her son in every possible way, inviting him to transfer the music that appeared in his head to paper.

In 1782, young Ludwig met K. G. Nefe, an organist, composer and esthete, who took patronage of the talent, making him his assistant at court. Nefe teaches Ludwig, instilling a love for music and literary works, philosophical science and foreign languages. The young musician dreams of meeting and working together with Mozart, and this dream was destined to come true.

In 1787, Ludwig van Beethoven made his first trip to Vienna, where he demonstrated improvisations to Mozart, who, stunned by the young man’s performance, predicted his enormous popularity in the future. After this, the maestro agreed to Beethoven’s requests to give several professional lessons.

But fate decreed otherwise. Ludwig's mother became seriously ill, and therefore had to urgently return home. Mary Magdalene dies, and Ludwig has to take full care of his two younger brothers. For his children, Johann was a bad father, he was only interested in a reckless, alcohol-soaked life, and the young musician had no choice but to turn to the Elector for help, asking for monthly financial assistance. This period of life was very difficult, suddenly complicated by typhus and smallpox.

Ludwig's unsleeping talent later allowed him to gain access to any musical gatherings and respect from wealthy families in his hometown. This allowed him to visit Vienna again in 1792, where the young man took lessons from famous composers: Haydn, Albrechtsberger, Schenck and Salieri. Using his acquaintances and knowledge, Beethoven became part of the circle of virtuoso musicians and titled persons.

True, to the pampered residents of Vienna, the composer’s music seemed very incomprehensible and monstrous, which greatly discouraged and irritated them. Then, without thinking twice, Ludwig goes to Berlin, where, as it seemed to him, he hoped to meet understanding.

Disappointment awaited there as well. Beethoven did not find what he was looking for. Corrupted morals and hypocrisy disguised as piety irritated him, and, despite the improvisations accepted by the court of Frederick II and the offer to stay in Berlin, the musician returned to his beloved Vienna. The musician did not leave there voluntarily for several years, devoting himself entirely to his notes, creating three compositions a day.

Beethoven was an open revolutionary who was not afraid to express his views to everyone and everywhere. Even his appearance screamed about it, with its unruly curls, out of fashion, not changing to please anyone. The internal and external states existed harmoniously.

This harmony of rebellion was skillfully captured on canvas in 1920 by the familiar artist Stieler.

This portrait of Beethoven is considered the most popular of all images during his lifetime.

At the age of 26, a real problem crept up on Beethoven - hearing loss. He had previously complained of frequent irritating noises and ringing in the ears, which indicated a developing disease - tinnitus.

Doctors' advice on maintaining peace and quiet did not improve the condition at all, and the composer, in a moment of despair, wrote a will. But the demonstrated strength of character characteristic of the composer did not allow him to commit suicide. Realizing his impending deafness, the maestro decided not to waste time and work on his Third Symphony - “Eroic”.

Heyday

Since 1812, Beethoven has been creating his best monumental works for cello and his beloved piano, composing Symphony No. 9, “Solemn Mass” and the cycle for vocalists “To a Distant Beloved,” and processing songs of the peoples of Scotland, Russia, and Ireland.

In 1824, the 9th Symphony was first performed in public, with the maestro receiving thunderous applause, waving scarves and hats in greeting. This was allowed only when meeting with imperial persons, so the gendarmes were not slow to stop such freedom.

Last years of life

In the winter of 1826, the maestro was struck by pneumonia, in addition to dropsy and jaundice. The fight against the disease continued for about three months, but this time it turned out to be weaker, and early in the morning Beethoven died.

He was only 56 years old. An autopsy showed that the maestro had by that time developed cirrhosis of the liver and pancreatitis.

The funeral procession of thousands saw off their beloved unique composer in complete silence. At the burial site, a pyramidal monument was erected with the image of a lyre, the sun and the name of the genius on it.

There are several interesting facts about Beethoven:

1. Due to hearing loss, the composer comes up with a way to hear the sound: he holds one end of a thin flat stick in his teeth, and leans the other against the edge of the instrument and feels the note through the vibration that appears.
2. When the disease took hold of his hearing, the deaf musician created a “conversation notebook” through which people communicated with him. Since the musician was not an admirer of people in power, he spoke about them in every possible way with unflattering and sometimes terrible words. This was dangerous, since at that time the Tsar’s spies were scurrying around everywhere, and Beethoven’s friends constantly warned him in notebooks about their presence. But the maestro’s irony and lack of restraint did not allow him to remain silent, to which the answer was written to him in the notebook - “The scaffold is crying for you!” Some of these notebooks were destroyed.
3. Vienna-based forensic pathologist and expert Reuters conducted an analysis of Beethoven's hair in 2007, which showed that the cause of the maestro's death was lead poisoning due to improper treatment.
4. Unlike his contemporary, the composer Rossini, who covered himself with a blanket to compose, Beethoven stimulated his brain by pouring ice water over his head.

Outstanding Achievement by a Musician

Ludwig van Beethoven played an outstanding role in the development of the musical genres of his predecessors. He allowed as much freedom as possible into the performance of quartets, symphonies and sonatas, creating a sense of space and time.

The composer introduced each instrument with his works in such a way that the performer simply had to master it thoroughly.

Thus the harpsichord was pushed aside, which made the piano the main instrument, which with its expanded range extinguishes its modest grace and requires professional dedication.

The composer also introduced an innovation into the melody - an unexpected impulsive and contrasting performance, with changes in tempos and rhythms, which was sometimes difficult for contemporaries to accept.

Beethoven became a musical revolutionary, eclipsing the former traditional orientation with his creations, creating a new direction in the art of music.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, probably on December 16, 1770 (baptized on December 17). In addition to German blood, Flemish blood also flowed in his veins: the composer’s paternal grandfather, also Ludwig, was born in 1712 in Malines (Flanders), served as a choirmaster in Ghent and Louvain and in 1733 moved to Bonn, where he became a court musician in the chapel of the Elector-Archbishop of Cologne . He was a smart man good singer, a professionally trained instrumentalist, he rose to the position of court conductor and enjoyed the respect of those around him. His only son Johann (the other children died in infancy) sang in the same chapel from childhood, but his position was precarious, since he drank heavily and led chaotic life. Johann married Maria Magdalena Lime, the daughter of a cook. To them were born seven children, of whom three sons survive; Ludwig, the future composer, was the eldest of them.

Beethoven grew up in poverty. The father drank away his meager salary; he taught his son to play the violin and piano in the hope that he would become a child prodigy, a new Mozart, and provide for his family. Over time, the father's salary was increased in anticipation of the future of his gifted and hardworking son. Despite all this, the boy was not confident in his use of the violin, and on the piano (as well as on the violin) he liked to improvise more than to improve his playing technique.

General education Beethoven was as unsystematic as he was musically. In the latter, however, big role practice played: he played the viola in the court orchestra, and performed as a performer on keyboard instruments, including the organ, which he managed to quickly master. K. G. Nefe, Bonn court organist from 1782, became Beethoven's first real teacher (among other things, he went through with him the entire Well-Tempered Clavier of J. S. Bach). Beethoven's duties as a court musician expanded significantly when Archduke Maximilian Franz became Elector of Cologne and began to take care of musical life Bonn, where his residence was located. In 1787, Beethoven managed to visit Vienna for the first time - at that time the musical capital of Europe. According to stories, Mozart, having listened to the young man’s play, highly appreciated his improvisations and predicted a great future for him. But soon Beethoven had to return home - his mother was dying. He remained the sole breadwinner of a family consisting of a dissolute father and two younger brothers.

The young man's talent, his greed for musical impressions, his ardent and receptive nature attracted the attention of some enlightened Bonn families, and his brilliant piano improvisations provided him with free entry into any musical gatherings. The Breuning family did especially a lot for him, taking custody of the clumsy but original young musician. Dr. F. G. Wegeler became his lifelong friend, and Count F. E. G. Waldstein, his enthusiastic admirer, managed to convince the Archduke to send Beethoven to study in Vienna.

Vein. 1792–1802. In Vienna, where Beethoven came for the second time in 1792 and where he remained until the end of his days, he quickly found titled friends and patrons of the arts.

People who met the young Beethoven described the twenty-year-old composer as a stocky young man with a penchant for panache, sometimes brash, but good-natured and sweet in his relationships with his friends. Realizing the inadequacy of his education, he went to Joseph Haydn, a recognized Viennese authority in the field instrumental music(Mozart had died a year earlier) and for some time brought him counterpoint exercises to check. Haydn, however, soon lost interest in the obstinate student, and Beethoven, secretly from him, began to take lessons from I. Schenck and then from the more thorough I. G. Albrechtsberger. In addition, wanting to improve his vocal writing, he visited the famous opera composer Antonio Salieri for several years. Soon he joined a circle that united titled amateurs and professional musicians. Prince Karl Lichnowsky introduced the young provincial into the circle of his friends.

The question of how much the environment and the spirit of the time influence creativity is ambiguous. Beethoven read the works of F. G. Klopstock, one of the predecessors of the Sturm und Drang movement. He knew Goethe and deeply revered the thinker and poet. Political and social life Europe at that time was alarming: when Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, the city was excited by news of the revolution in France. Beethoven enthusiastically accepted revolutionary slogans and praised freedom in his music. The volcanic, explosive nature of his work is undoubtedly the embodiment of the spirit of the time, but only in the sense that the character of the creator was to some extent shaped by this time. The bold violation of generally accepted norms, the powerful self-affirmation, the thunderous atmosphere of Beethoven's music - all this would have been unthinkable in Mozart's era.

However, Beethoven's early works largely follow the canons of the 18th century: this applies to trios (strings and piano), violin, piano and cello sonatas. The piano was then Beethoven’s closest instrument; in his piano works he expressed his most intimate feelings with utmost sincerity, and the slow parts of some sonatas (for example, Largo e mesto from sonata op. 10, no. 3) were already imbued with romantic longing. Pathetic Sonata op. 13 is also an obvious anticipation of Beethoven's later experiments. In other cases, his innovation has the character of a sudden invasion, and the first listeners perceived it as obvious arbitrariness. Six string quartets op. published in 1801. 18 can be considered the greatest achievement of this period; Beethoven was clearly in no hurry to publish, realizing what high samples Mozart and Haydn left quartet writing. Beethoven's first orchestral experience was associated with two concertos for piano and orchestra (No. 1, C major and No. 2, B-flat major), created in 1801: he, apparently, was not sure about them either, being well acquainted with the greats Mozart's achievements in this genre. Among the most famous (and least provocative) early works– septet op. 20 (1802). The next opus, the First Symphony (published at the end of 1801) is Beethoven's first purely orchestral work.

Approaching deafness.

We can only guess to what extent Beethoven's deafness influenced his work. The disease developed gradually. Already in 1798, he complained of tinnitus; it was difficult for him to distinguish high tones and understand a conversation conducted in a whisper. Horrified at the prospect of becoming an object of pity - a deaf composer, he told his close friend Karl Amenda about his illness, as well as doctors, who advised him to protect his hearing as much as possible. He continued to move in the circle of his Viennese friends, took part in musical evenings, composed a lot. He managed to hide his deafness so well that until 1812 even people who often met him did not suspect how serious his illness was. The fact that during a conversation he often answered inappropriately was attributed to a bad mood or absent-mindedness.

In the summer of 1802, Beethoven retired to the quiet suburb of Vienna - Heiligenstadt. A stunning document appeared there - the “Heiligenstadt Testament”, the painful confession of a musician tormented by illness. The will is addressed to Beethoven's brothers (with instructions to read and execute after his death); in it he talks about his mental suffering: it is painful when “a person standing next to me hears a flute playing from afar, inaudible to me; or when someone hears a shepherd singing, but I cannot distinguish a sound.” But then, in a letter to Dr. Wegeler, he exclaims: “I will take fate by the throat!”, and the music that he continues to write confirms this decision: in the same summer the bright Second Symphony, op. 36, gorgeous piano sonatas op. 31 and three violin sonatas, op. 30.

Second period. "New way".

According to the “three-period” classification proposed in 1852 by one of the first researchers of Beethoven’s work, W. von Lenz, the second period approximately covers 1802–1815.

The final break with the past was rather a realization, a continuation of trends early period, rather than a conscious “declaration of independence”: Beethoven was not a theoretical reformer, like Gluck before him and Wagner after him. The first decisive breakthrough towards what Beethoven himself called the “new way” occurred in the Third Symphony (Eroica), work on which dates back to 1803–1804. Its duration is three times longer than any other symphony written previously. The first movement is music of extraordinary power, the second is a stunning outpouring of sorrow, the third is a witty, whimsical scherzo, and the finale - variations on a jubilant, festive theme - is far superior in its power to the traditional rondo finales composed by Beethoven's predecessors. It is often argued (and not without reason) that Beethoven initially dedicated the Eroica to Napoleon, but upon learning that he had proclaimed himself emperor, he canceled the dedication. “Now he will trample on the rights of man and satisfy only his own ambition,” these are, according to stories, the words of Beethoven when he tore up the title page of the score with the dedication. In the end, the Heroic was dedicated to one of the patrons - Prince Lobkowitz.

Works of the second period.

During these years brilliant creations came out from under his pen one after another. The composer's main works, listed in the order of their appearance, form an incredible stream of brilliant music; this imaginary sound world replaces for its creator the world of real sounds that is leaving him. It was a victorious self-affirmation, a reflection of the hard work of thought, evidence of the rich inner life of a musician.

We can name only the most important works of the second period: violin sonata in A major, op. 47 (Kreutzerova, 1802–1803); Third Symphony, op. 55 (Heroic, 1802–1805); oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, op. 85 (1803); piano sonatas: Waldstein, op. 53; F major, op. 54, Appassionata, op. 57 (1803–1815); Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 (1805–1806); Beethoven's only opera is Fidelio, op. 72 (1805, second edition 1806); three “Russian” quartets, op. 59 (dedicated to Count Razumovsky; 1805–1806); Fourth Symphony in B flat major, op. 60 (1806); violin concerto, op. 61 (1806); Overture to Collin's tragedy Coriolanus, op. 62 (1807); Mass in C major, op. 86 (1807); Fifth Symphony in C minor, op. 67 (1804–1808); Sixth Symphony, op. 68 (Pastoral, 1807–1808); cello sonata in A major, op. 69 (1807); two piano trios, op. 70 (1808); Piano Concerto No. 5, op. 73 (Emperor, 1809); quartet, op. 74 (Harp, 1809); piano sonata, op. 81a (Farewell, 1809–1910); three songs on poems by Goethe, op. 83 (1810); music for Goethe's tragedy Egmont, op. 84 (1809); Quartet in F minor, op. 95 (1810); Eighth Symphony in F major, op. 93 (1811–1812); piano trio in B flat major, op. 97 (Archduke, 1818).

The second period includes Beethoven's highest achievements in the genres of violin and piano concertos, violin and cello sonatas, and operas; The genre of piano sonata is represented by such masterpieces as the Appassionata and Waldstein. But even musicians were not always able to perceive the novelty of these compositions. They say that one of his colleagues once asked Beethoven whether he really considered one of the quartets dedicated to the Russian envoy in Vienna, Count Razumovsky, to be music. “Yes,” the composer answered, “but not for you, but for the future.”

The source of inspiration for a number of compositions were the romantic feelings that Beethoven felt for some of his high-society students. This probably refers to the two sonatas “quasi una Fantasia”, Op. 27 (published in 1802). The second of them (later named “Lunar”) is dedicated to Countess Juliet Guicciardi. Beethoven even thought about proposing to her, but realized in time that a deaf musician was not a suitable match for a flirtatious social beauty. Other ladies he knew rejected him; one of them called him a “freak” and “half crazy.” The situation was different with the Brunswick family, in which Beethoven gave music lessons to two older sisters - Teresa (“Tesi”) and Josephine (“Pepi”). The assumption has long been discarded that the addressee of the message to the “Immortal Beloved”, found in Beethoven’s papers after his death, was Teresa, but modern researchers do not rule out that this addressee was Josephine. In any case, the idyllic Fourth Symphony owes its concept to Beethoven's stay at the Brunswick Hungarian estate in the summer of 1806.

The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth (Pastoral) symphonies were composed in 1804–1808. The fifth - probably the most famous symphony in the world - opens brief motive, about which Beethoven said: “So fate knocks on the door.” The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies were completed in 1812.

In 1804, Beethoven willingly accepted the order to compose an opera, since success in Vienna opera stage meant fame and money. The plot in brief was as follows: a brave, enterprising woman, dressed in men's clothing, saves her beloved husband, imprisoned by a cruel tyrant, and exposes the latter before the people. To avoid confusion with the already existing opera on this plot - Leonore Gaveau, Beethoven's work was called Fidelio, after the name taken by the heroine in disguise. Of course, Beethoven had no experience composing for the theater. Highlights the melodramas are marked by excellent music, but in other sections the lack of dramatic flair does not allow the composer to rise above the operatic routine (although he very much strived for this: in Fidelio there are fragments that were reworked up to eighteen times). Nevertheless, the opera gradually won over listeners (during the composer’s lifetime there were three productions of it in different editions - in 1805, 1806 and 1814). It can be argued that the composer did not put so much effort into any other composition.

Beethoven, as already mentioned, deeply revered the works of Goethe, composed several songs based on his texts, music for his tragedy Egmont, but met Goethe only in the summer of 1812, when they ended up together at a resort in Teplitz. Refined manners the great poet and the harsh behavior of the composer did not contribute to their rapprochement. “His talent amazed me extremely, but, unfortunately, he has an indomitable temper, and the world seems to him a hateful creation,” says Goethe in one of his letters.

Friendship with Archduke Rudolf.

Beethoven's friendship with Rudolf, the Austrian Archduke and stepbrother Emperor, is one of the most interesting historical stories. Around 1804, the Archduke, then 16 years old, began taking piano lessons from the composer. Despite the huge difference in social status, teacher and student felt sincere affection for each other. Appearing for lessons at the Archduke's palace, Beethoven had to pass by countless lackeys, call his student “Your Highness” and fight his amateurish attitude towards music. And he did all this with amazing patience, although he never hesitated to cancel lessons if he was busy composing. Commissioned by the Archduke, such works as the piano sonata Farewell, the Triple Concerto, the last and most grandiose Fifth Piano Concerto, and the Solemn Mass (Missa solemnis) were created. It was originally intended for the ceremony of the Archduke's elevation to the rank of Archbishop of Olmütz, but was not completed on time. The Archduke, Prince Kinsky and Prince Lobkowitz established a kind of scholarship for the composer who had brought glory to Vienna, but received no support from the city authorities, and the Archduke turned out to be the most reliable of the three patrons. During the Congress of Vienna in 1814, Beethoven derived considerable material benefit from communicating with the aristocracy and kindly listened to compliments - he managed to at least partially hide the contempt for the court “brilliance” that he always felt.

Recent years. The composer's financial situation improved noticeably. Publishers hunted for his scores and ordered works such as large piano variations on a theme of Diabelli's waltz (1823). His caring friends, especially A. Schindler, who was deeply devoted to Beethoven, observing the musician’s chaotic and deprived lifestyle and hearing his complaints that he had been “robbed” (Beethoven became unreasonably suspicious and was ready to blame almost everyone around him for the worst ), could not understand where he was putting the money. They didn’t know that the composer was putting them off, but he wasn’t doing it for himself. When his brother Kaspar died in 1815, the composer became one of the guardians of his ten-year-old nephew Karl. Beethoven's love for the boy and his desire to ensure his future came into conflict with the distrust that the composer felt towards Karl's mother; as a result, he only constantly quarreled with both of them, and this situation was painted with a tragic light last period his life. During the years when Beethoven sought full guardianship, he composed little.

Beethoven's deafness became almost complete. By 1819, he had to completely switch to communicating with his interlocutors using slate board or paper and pencil (the so-called Beethoven conversation notebooks have been preserved). Fully immersed in such works as the majestic Solemn Mass in D major (1818) or the Ninth Symphony, he behaved strangely and alarmingly to strangers: he “sang, howled, stamped his feet, and in general it seemed as if he was engaged in a mortal struggle with an invisible enemy” (Schindler). The brilliant last quartets, the last five piano sonatas - grandiose in scale, unusual in form and style - seemed to many contemporaries to be the works of a madman. And yet, Viennese listeners recognized the nobility and greatness of Beethoven's music; they felt that they were dealing with a genius. In 1824, during the performance of the Ninth Symphony with its choral finale to the text of Schiller's Ode to Joy (An die Freude), Beethoven stood next to the conductor. The hall was captivated by the powerful climax at the end of the symphony, the audience went wild, but Beethoven did not turn around. One of the singers had to take him by the sleeve and turn him to face the audience so that the composer bowed.

The fate of others later works was more complex. Many years passed after Beethoven's death, and only then did the most receptive musicians begin to perform his last quartets (including the Grand Fugue, Op. 33) and the last piano sonatas, revealing to people these highest, most beautiful achievements of Beethoven. Sometimes Beethoven's late style is characterized as contemplative, abstract, in some cases neglecting the laws of euphony; in fact, this music is an endless source of powerful and intelligent spiritual energy.

Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827 from pneumonia, complicated by jaundice and dropsy.

Beethoven's contribution to world culture.

Beethoven continued the general line of development of the symphony, sonata, and quartet genres outlined by his predecessors. However, his interpretation of known forms and genres was distinguished by great freedom; we can say that Beethoven expanded their boundaries in time and space. He did not expand the composition of the symphony orchestra that had developed by his time, but his scores require, firstly, more performers in each part, and secondly, the incredible performing skills of each orchestra member in his era; in addition, Beethoven was very sensitive to the individual expressiveness of each instrumental timbre. The piano in his works is not a close relative of the elegant harpsichord: the entire extended range of the instrument, all its dynamic capabilities, are used.

In the areas of melody, harmony, and rhythm, Beethoven often resorts to the technique of sudden change and contrast. One form of contrast is the contrast between decisive themes with a clear rhythm and more lyrical, smoothly flowing sections. Sharp dissonances and unexpected modulations into distant keys are also an important feature of Beethoven's harmony. He expanded the range of tempos used in music and often resorted to dramatic, impulsive changes in dynamics. Sometimes the contrast appears as a manifestation of Beethoven's characteristically somewhat crude humor - this happens in his frantic scherzos, which in his symphonies and quartets often replace a more sedate minuet.

Unlike his predecessor Mozart, Beethoven had difficulty composing. Beethoven's notebooks show how gradually, step by step, a grandiose composition emerges from uncertain sketches, marked by a convincing logic of construction and rare beauty. Just one example: in the original sketch of the famous “fate motif” that opens the Fifth Symphony, it was assigned to the flute, which means that the theme had a completely different figurative meaning. Powerful artistic intelligence allows the composer to turn a disadvantage into an advantage: Beethoven contrasts Mozart’s spontaneity and instinctive sense of perfection with unsurpassed musical and dramatic logic. She is the one main source Beethoven's greatness, his incomparable ability to organize contrasting elements into a monolithic whole. Beethoven erases traditional caesuras between sections of form, avoids symmetry, merges parts of the cycle, and develops extended constructions from thematic and rhythmic motifs, which at first glance do not contain anything interesting. In other words, Beethoven creates musical space with the power of his mind, his own will. He anticipated and created those artistic directions, which became decisive for the musical art of the 19th century. And today his works are among the greatest, most revered creations of human genius. Beethoven
Soshenkov S.N. 2009-02-18 17:40:24

Cool man. His musical and dramatic (that's right!) works, especially the first and second parts of the Ninth Symphony, have no equal in the entire world of art in terms of depth, beauty and purity of content.

22
2 2007-11-13 13:00:01

they wrote the rules will do

Beethove is with us!
Reward 2010-05-14 20:01:08

Nature has placed a barrier between her and humanity: morality. A person who is always aware of his social level challenges fate with his creativity and his rebellion is watched closely higher powers. However, they are also preparing talent for such a protest. They form him to the extent required to accomplish the main work of his life, in the case of Beethoven - his music, for imagining humanity without his symphonies is the same as deleting Columbus, trampling on the fire given by Prometheus, or returning humanity from space. Yes, if Beethoven had not existed before space, we would have had to throw up our hands at the launches: something is missing, something is slowing down, somewhere we “messed up”... But everything is in order, friends! Beethoven is with us. With humanity forever this rebel, this loner, who sacrificed a successful cozy bedroom, a comfortable family nest, and contrary to respectable burgher morality, it is he who lends his shoulder to any breakthrough of humanity into the future, he, this breakthrough, is unthinkable without Beethoven.

Good article, thanks. I was looking for whether Beethoven had children and found this article. Just today I wrote the thought that if people were not so obsessed with sex and reproduction, they could approach the greatness of the geniuses of mankind, of which Beethoven is a shining example. When I lose heart and life is ready to crush me, when they try to intimidate me with death, I always remember the sounds of his 9th Symphony, heard in my youth, and I understand that the one who went through and survived the 9th Symphony with Beethoven to the end is invincible and undaunted. 9 Symphony is my personal nuclear weapon, a nuclear button that turns me into Beethoven's Superman... His Spirit comes to life and lives in me in the beat of moments and my weak body and mind are not a burden for him at all. The feeling is as if an engine from a BelAZ, or even a jet aircraft, was installed on a passenger car)) This is a unique experience. But I still can’t listen to Beethoven’s music for a long time. It quite hardens your heart and you start to climb the wall, quarrel with everyone... In this regard, Tchaikovsky has a more harmonious influence on the Spirit and Mind. In Tchaikovsky's music there is not only a fierce struggle, but much that touches the heart, melts it and makes it cry for no apparent reason. Because Tchaikovsky awakened your soul and showed you himself... And Beethoven's symphonies are well suited for some titanic efforts and achievements. Or to pull yourself out of a complete swamp, like Baron Munchausen by the scruff of the neck... Tchaikovsky gives Reason, thanks to which you can go not ahead, but wisely, which relieves you of titanic overstrain. However, not everyone thinks so. Some people told me that Tchaikovsky’s music, compared to Beethoven’s, is full of water...) I don’t think so. You won't miss a single note. In general, these 2 composers are my teachers in life. Whoever listened to and lived Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony has lived a whole life and his soul has become wiser for this life...

In a family with Flemish roots. The composer's paternal grandfather was born in Flanders, served as a choirmaster in Ghent and Louvain, and in 1733 moved to Bonn, where he became a court musician in the chapel of the Elector-Archbishop of Cologne. His only son Johann, like his father, served in the choir as a vocalist (tenor) and earned money by giving violin and clavier lessons.

In 1767 he married Maria Magdalene Keverich, daughter of the court chef in Koblenz (seat of the Archbishop of Trier). Ludwig, the future composer, was the eldest of their three sons.

His musical talent showed up early. Beethoven's first music teacher was his father, and the choir musicians also studied with him.

On March 26, 1778, my father organized the first public speaking son.

Since 1781, the composer and organist Christian Gottlob Nefe supervised the lessons of the young talent. Beethoven soon became accompanist of the court theater and assistant organist of the chapel.

In 1782, Beethoven wrote his first work, Variations for Clavier on a March Theme by composer Ernst Dresler.

In 1787, Beethoven visited Vienna and took several lessons from the composer Wolfgang Mozart. But he soon learned that his mother was seriously ill and returned to Bonn. After the death of his mother, Ludwig remained the sole breadwinner of the family.

The young man's talent attracted the attention of some enlightened Bonn families, and his brilliant piano improvisations provided him with free entry into any musical gatherings. The von Breuning family did especially a lot for him, and took custody of the musician.

In 1789, Beethoven was a volunteer student at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bonn.

In 1792, the composer moved to Vienna, where he lived almost without leaving for the rest of his life. His initial goal when moving was to improve his composition under the guidance of composer Joseph Haydn, but these studies did not last long. Beethoven quickly gained fame and recognition - first as the best pianist and improviser in Vienna, and later as a composer.

In the prime of his creative powers, Beethoven showed tremendous efficiency. In 1801-1812 he wrote the following outstanding works, as Sonata in C sharp minor ("Lunar", 1801), Second Symphony (1802), "Kreutzer Sonata" (1803), "Eroica" (Third) Symphony, sonatas "Aurora" and "Appassionata" (1804), opera " Fidelio" (1805), Fourth Symphony (1806).

In 1808, Beethoven completed one of his most popular symphonic works‒ The Fifth Symphony and at the same time the “Pastoral” (Sixth) Symphony, in 1810 – the music for Johann Goethe’s tragedy “Egmont”, in 1812 – the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies.

From the age of 27, Beethoven suffered from progressive deafness. A serious illness for the musician limited his communication with people and made it difficult for him to perform as a pianist, which Beethoven eventually had to stop. Since 1819, he had to completely switch to communicating with his interlocutors using a slate board or paper and pencil.

In his later works, Beethoven often turned to the fugue form. The last five piano sonatas (Nos. 28-32) and the last five quartets (Nos. 12-16) are particularly complex and refined. musical language, requiring the greatest skill from performers.

Beethoven's later work has long been controversial. Of his contemporaries, only a few were able to understand and appreciate his latest works. One of these people was his Russian admirer, Prince Nikolai Golitsyn, on whose order Quartets No. 12, 13 and 15 were written and dedicated to him. The overture “Consecration of the House” (1822) is also dedicated to him.

In 1823, Beethoven completed the “Solemn Mass,” which he considered his greatest work. This mass, designed more for a concert than for a cult performance, became one of the landmark phenomena in the German oratorio tradition.

With the assistance of Golitsyn, the “Solemn Mass” was first performed on April 7, 1824 in St. Petersburg.

In May 1824, Beethoven's last benefit concert took place in Vienna, in which, in addition to parts from the mass, his final, Ninth Symphony was performed with a final chorus based on the words of the poet Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy." The idea of ​​overcoming suffering and the triumph of light is consistently carried through the entire work.

The composer created nine symphonies, 11 overtures, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, two masses, and one opera. Chamber music Beethoven includes 32 piano sonatas (not counting six youth sonatas written in Bonn) and 10 sonatas for violin and piano, 16 string quartets, seven piano trios, as well as many other ensembles - string trios, septet for mixed composition. His vocal heritage consists of songs, over 70 choirs, and canons.

On March 26, 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna from pneumonia, complicated by jaundice and dropsy.

The composer is buried in the Vienna Central Cemetery.

Beethoven's traditions were adopted and continued by composers Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich. The composers of the New Viennese school - Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern - also revered Beethoven as their teacher.

Since 1889, a museum has been opened in Bonn in the house where the composer was born.

In Vienna, three house museums are dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven, and two monuments have been erected.

The Beethoven Museum is also open at Brunswick Castle in Hungary. At one time, the composer was friendly with the Brunswick family, often came to Hungary and stayed in their house. He was alternately in love with two of his students from the Brunswick family - Juliet and Teresa, but neither of the hobbies ended in marriage.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Encyclopedic YouTube

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Biography

Origin

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn on December 16, baptized there on December 17, 1770.

His father, Johann Beethoven (1740-1792), was a singer and tenor in the court chapel. Mother, Mary Magdalene, was the daughter of a court chef in Koblenz before her marriage to Keverich (1748-1787). They married in 1767. Grandfather, Ludwig Beethoven (1712-1773), was from Mechelen (Southern Netherlands). He served in the same chapel as Johann, first as singer, bass, and then as conductor.

Early years

The composer's father wanted to make a second Mozart out of his son and began teaching him to play the harpsichord and violin. The first performance took place in Cologne in 1778. However, Beethoven did not become a miracle child; his father entrusted the boy to his colleagues and friends. One taught Ludwig how to play the organ, the other taught him the violin.

In 1780, organist and composer Christian Gottlob Nefe arrived in Bonn. He became Beethoven's real teacher. Nefe immediately realized that the boy had talent. He introduced Ludwig to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and the works of Handel, as well as the music of his older contemporaries: F. E. Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Thanks to Nefa, Beethoven's first work was published - variations on the theme of Dressler's march. Beethoven was twelve years old at that time, and he was already working as an assistant to the court organist.

After my grandfather's death financial situation family has worsened. Ludwig had to leave school early, but he learned Latin, studied Italian and French, and read a lot. Having already become an adult, the composer admitted in one of his letters:

“There is no work that would be too learned for me; Without pretending in the slightest degree to be learned in the proper sense of the word, I still, from childhood, strove to understand the essence of the best and the wisest people every era."

Among Beethoven's favorite writers are the ancient Greek authors Homer and Plutarch, the English playwright Shakespeare, and the German poets Goethe and Schiller.

At this time, Beethoven began to compose music, but was in no hurry to publish his works. Much of what he wrote in Bonn was subsequently revised by him. Three children's sonatas and several songs are known from the composer's youthful works, including "The Marmot".

Haydn soon left for England and handed over his student to the famous teacher and theorist Albrechtsberger. In the end, Beethoven chose his own mentor - Antonio Salieri.

Already in the first years of his life in Vienna, Beethoven gained fame as a virtuoso pianist. His performance amazed the audience.

Beethoven boldly contrasted the extreme registers (and at that time they played mostly in the middle), made extensive use of the pedal (it was also rarely used then), and used massive chord harmonies. In fact, it was he who created piano style, far from the exquisitely lacy manner of harpsichordists.

This style can be found in his piano sonatas No. 8 "Pathetique" (title given by the composer himself), No. 13 and No. 14. Both have the author's subtitle Sonata quasi una Fantasia(“in the spirit of fantasy”). The poet L. Relshtab subsequently called Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight,” and although this name fits only the first movement and not the finale, it stuck with the entire work.

Beethoven also stood out for his appearance among the ladies and gentlemen of that time. Almost always he was found carelessly dressed and unkempt.

Beethoven was extremely harsh. One day, while he was playing in a public place, one of the guests began to talk to the lady; Beethoven immediately interrupted the performance and added: “ I won't play with such pigs!" And no amount of apology or persuasion helped.

Another time, Beethoven was visiting Prince Likhnovsky. Likhnovsky had great respect for the composer and was a fan of his music. He wanted Beethoven to play in front of the crowd. The composer refused. Likhnovsky began to insist and even ordered to break down the door of the room where Beethoven had locked himself. The outraged composer left the estate and returned to Vienna. The next morning Beethoven sent a letter to Likhnowsky: “Prince! I owe what I am to myself. There are and will be thousands of princes, but there is only one Beethoven!”

However, despite such a stern character, Beethoven's friends considered him quite kind person. For example, the composer never refused help from close friends. One of his quotes:

Beethoven's works began to be widely published and enjoyed success. During the first ten years spent in Vienna, twenty piano sonatas and three piano concertos, eight violin sonatas, quartets and other chamber works, the oratorio “Christ on the Mount of Olives,” the ballet “The Works of Prometheus,” and the First and Second Symphonies were written.

In 1796, Beethoven begins to lose his hearing. He develops tinnitus - inflammation of the inner ear, leading to ringing in the ears. On the advice of doctors, he retires for a long time to the small town of Heiligenstadt. However, peace and quiet do not improve his well-being. Beethoven begins to understand that deafness is incurable. During these tragic days, he writes a letter that will later be called the Heiligenstadt will. The composer talks about his experiences, admits that he was close to suicide:

In Heiligenstadt, the composer begins work on a new Third Symphony, which he will call Heroic.

As a result of Beethoven's deafness, unique historical documents have been preserved: "conversation notebooks" in which Beethoven's friends wrote down their remarks for him, to which he responded either orally or in a response note.

However, the musician Schindler, who had two notebooks with recordings of Beethoven's conversations, apparently burned them, since “they contained the most rude, bitter attacks against the emperor, as well as the crown prince and other high-ranking officials. This, unfortunately, was Beethoven's favorite theme; in conversation, Beethoven was constantly indignant at the powers that be, their laws and regulations.”

Later years (1802-1815)

When Beethoven was 34 years old, Napoleon disdained the ideals of the French Revolution and declared himself emperor. Therefore, Beethoven abandoned his intention to dedicate his Third Symphony to him: “This Napoleon is also an ordinary person. Now he will trample underfoot all human rights and become a tyrant.” On title page In the manuscript “Pathetique” you can see the dedication crossed out by the author. At the same time, Beethoven called his Third Symphony “Eroic”.

In piano work own style The composer was already noticeable in his early sonatas, but in symphonic music maturity came to him later. According to Tchaikovsky, only in the third symphony “all the immense, amazing power of Beethoven’s creative genius was revealed for the first time.”

Due to deafness, Beethoven rarely leaves the house and is deprived of sound perception. He becomes gloomy and withdrawn. It was during these years that the composer created his most famous works one after another. During these same years, Beethoven worked on his the only opera"Fidelio". This opera belongs to the genre of “horror and salvation” operas. Success for Fidelio came only in 1814, when the opera was staged first in Vienna, then in Prague, where it was conducted by the famous German composer Weber, and finally in Berlin.

Shortly before his death, the composer handed over the manuscript of “Fidelio” to his friend and secretary Schindler with the words: “This child of my spirit was born in greater torment than others, and caused me the greatest grief. That’s why it’s dearer to me than anyone else..."

Last years (1815-1827)

After 1812, the composer's creative activity declined for a while. However, after three years he begins to work with the same energy. At this time, piano sonatas from the 28th to the last, 32nd, two cello sonatas, quartets, and the vocal cycle “To a Distant Beloved” were created. A lot of time is spent on processing folk songs. Along with Scottish, Irish, Welsh, there are Russian and Ukrainian. But the main creations of recent years have been Beethoven's two most monumental works - “Solemn Mass” and Symphony No. 9 with choir.

The Ninth Symphony was performed in 1824. The audience gave the composer a standing ovation. It is known that Beethoven stood with his back to the audience and did not hear anything, then one of the singers took his hand and turned him to face the audience. People waved scarves, hats, and hands, greeting the composer. The ovation lasted so long that the police officials present demanded that it stop. Such greetings were allowed only in relation to the person of the emperor.

In Austria, after the defeat of Napoleon, a police regime was established. The government, frightened by the revolution, suppressed any “free thoughts.” Numerous secret agents penetrated all levels of society. In Beethoven's conversation books there are warnings every now and then: "Quiet! Be careful, there's a spy here! And, probably, after some particularly bold statement from the composer: “You will end up on the scaffold!”

However, Beethoven's popularity was so great that the government did not dare to touch him. Despite his deafness, the composer continues to keep abreast of not only political but also musical news. He reads (that is, listens with his inner ear) the scores of Rossini’s operas, looks through a collection of Schubert’s songs, and gets acquainted with the operas of the German composer Weber “The Magic Shooter” and “Euryanthe”. Arriving in Vienna, Weber visited Beethoven. They had breakfast together, and Beethoven, usually not given to ceremony, looked after his guest.

After the death of his younger brother, the composer took care of his son. Beethoven places his nephew in the best boarding schools and entrusts his student Karl Czerny to study music with him. The composer wanted the boy to become a scientist or artist, but he was attracted not by art, but by cards and billiards. Enmeshed in debt, he attempted suicide. This attempt did not cause much harm: the bullet only slightly scratched the skin on the head. Beethoven was very worried about this. His health deteriorated sharply. The composer develops a serious liver disease.

Ludwig van Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, at the age of 57. Over twenty thousand people followed his coffin. During the funeral, Beethoven's favorite funeral mass, Luigi Cherubini's Requiem in C minor, was performed. A speech was made at the grave, written by the poet Franz Grillparzer:

Causes of death

Ertman was famous for her performance Beethoven's works. The composer dedicated Sonata No. 28 to her. Having learned that Dorothea’s child had died, Beethoven played for her for a long time.

At the end of 1801, Ferdinand Ries arrived in Vienna. Ferdinand was the son of the Bonn Kapellmeister, a friend of the Beethoven family. The composer accepted the young man. Like Beethoven's other students, Ries already mastered the instrument and also composed. One day Beethoven played him the Adagio he had just completed. The young man liked the music so much that he memorized it by heart. Going to Prince Likhnovsky, Rhys played a play. The prince learned the beginning and, coming to the composer, said that he wanted to play him his composition. Beethoven, who showed little ceremony with princes, categorically refused to listen. But Likhnovsky still started playing. Beethoven immediately realized what Ries had done and became terribly angry. He forbade the student to listen to his new compositions and indeed never played anything for him again. One day Rees played his own march, passing it off as Beethoven's. The listeners were delighted. The composer who appeared right there did not expose the student. He just told him:

One day Rhys had a chance to hear Beethoven's new creation. One day they got lost while walking and returned home in the evening. Along the way, Beethoven roared a stormy melody. Arriving home, he immediately sat down at the instrument and, carried away, completely forgot about the presence of the student. Thus was born the finale "Appassionata".

At the same time as Rees, Karl Czerny began studying with Beethoven. Karl was probably only child among Beethoven's students. He was only nine years old, but he was already performing in concerts. His first teacher was his father, the famous Czech teacher Wenzel Czerny. When Karl first got into Beethoven’s apartment, where, as always, there was chaos, and saw a man with a dark, unshaven face, wearing a vest made of coarse woolen fabric, he mistook him for Robinson Crusoe.

Czerny studied with Beethoven for five years, after which the composer gave him a document in which he noted “the exceptional success of the student and his amazing musical memory". Cherny's memory was truly amazing: he knew by heart all of his teacher's piano works.

Czerny began his teaching career early and soon became one of the best teachers in Vienna. Among his students was Theodor Leschetizky, who can be called one of the founders of Russian piano school. From 1858, Leshetitsky lived in St. Petersburg, and from 1862 to 1878 he taught at the newly opened conservatory. Here he studied with A. N. Esipova, later a professor of the same conservatory, V. I. Safonov, professor and director of the Moscow Conservatory, S. M. Maykapar.

In 1822, a father and a boy came to Czerny, who had come from the Hungarian town of Doboryan. The boy had no idea about the correct position or fingering, but the experienced teacher immediately realized that before him was an extraordinary, gifted, perhaps a genius child. The boy's name was Franz Liszt. Liszt studied with Czerny for a year and a half. His success was so great that his teacher allowed him to speak in public. Beethoven was present at the concert. He guessed the boy's talent and kissed him. Liszt kept the memory of this kiss all his life.

It was not Rhys, not Czerny, but Liszt who inherited Beethoven's style of playing. Like Beethoven, Liszt interprets the piano as an orchestra. During a tour of Europe, he promoted the work of Beethoven, performing not only his piano works, but also symphonies that he adapted for the piano. At that time, Beethoven's music, especially symphonic music, was still unknown to a wide audience. In 1839 Liszt arrived in Bonn. They had been planning to erect a monument to the composer here for several years, but progress was slow.

Liszt made up the shortfall with proceeds from his concerts. It was only thanks to these efforts that the monument to the composer was erected.

Students

• Rudolf Johann Joseph Rainer von Habsburg-Lorraine

Image in culture

In literature

Beethoven became the prototype of the main character - composer Jean Christophe - in novel of the same name, one of the most famous works of the French author Romain Rolland. The novel was one of the works for which Rolland was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915.

Life and creative path The story of the Czech writer Antonin Zgorz “Alone against Fate” is dedicated to Beethoven. The book includes letters from Beethoven, written by him in different years life.

In cinema

• In the film " Heroic Symphony» Beethoven was played by Jan Hart.
• In the Soviet-German film “Beethoven. Days in the Life of Beethoven played by Donatas Banionis.
• The film "Rewriting Beethoven" tells about the last year of the composer's life (in leading role Ed Harris).
• The two-part feature film “The Life of Beethoven” (USSR, 1978, director B. Galanter) is based on the surviving memories of his close friends about the composer.
• Film "Lecture 21" (English) Russian(Italy, 2008), film debut Italian writer and musicologist Alessandro Baricco, dedicated to the Ninth Symphony.
• In the film Bernard Rose[remove template] “Immortal Beloved” the role of Beethoven was played by Gary Oldman.

In non-academic music

• American musician Chuck Berry wrote the song Roll Over Beethoven in 1956, which was included in the list of 500 greatest songs of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine.
• Split personality "of the group "Spleen".
• In 2000, the neoclassical metal band Trans-Siberian Orchestra released the rock opera Beethoven’s Last Night, dedicated to the composer’s last night.
• The song “Beethoven” from the album “Stranger” by the group “Picnic” is dedicated to the composer.

Works

Musical fragments

Memory

Many monuments have been erected in Beethoven's honor around the world. The first monument to Beethoven was unveiled in the composer's homeland, Bonn, on August 12, 1845, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of his birth. In 1880, a monument appeared in Vienna, a city closely associated with the musician’s work. Author of the book “Images of Beethoven” art critic Silke Bettermann ( Silke Bettermann) notes that he was able to count about a hundred monuments in 54 cities on all five continents.

The message about Beethoven, summarized in this article, will tell you about the great German composer, conductor and pianist, representative of Viennese classicism.

Report on Beethoven

Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770 (this is a speculative date, since it is only known for sure that he was baptized on December 17) in musical family in the town of Bonn. From an early age, his parents instilled in their son a love of music, sending him to learn to play the harpsichord, flute, organ, and violin.

At the age of 12, he already worked as an assistant organist at court. The young man knew several foreign languages and even tried to write music. In addition to music, Beethoven was fond of reading books, he especially liked the ancient Greek authors Plutarch and Homer, as well as Friedrich Schiller, Shakespeare and Goethe.

After Beethoven's mother died in 1787, he began to provide for his family on his own. Ludwig got a job playing in an orchestra and also attended university lectures. Having met Haydn, he began taking private lessons from him. For this purpose, the future musician moves to Vienna. One day the great composer Mozart heard his improvisations and predicted for him brilliant career and glory. Haydn, having given Ludwig several lessons, sends him to study with another mentor - Albrechtsberger. After some time, his teacher changed again: this time it was Antonio Salieri.

Beginning of a musical career

Ludwig Beethoven's first mentor noted that his music was too strange and dark. That is why he sent his student to another mentor. But this style of musical works brought Beethoven his first fame as a composer. Compared to other performers classical music they differed favorably. While in Vienna, the composer wrote his famous works - “Pathétique Sonata” and “Moonlight Sonata”. Then there were other brilliant works: “First Symphony”, “Second Symphony”, “Christ on the Mount of Olives”, “The Creation of Prometheus”.

Ludwig Beethoven's further work and life were overshadowed by sad events. The composer developed an illness auricle, as a result of which he lost his hearing. The composer decides to retire to Heiligenstadt, where he works on the Third Symphony. Absolute deafness separated him from the outside world. But he did not stop composing music. Beethoven's opera Fidelio gained success in Berlin, Vienna and Prague.

The period 1802-1812 was particularly fruitful: the composer created a series of works for cello and piano, the Ninth Symphony and the Solemn Mass. Fame, popularity and recognition came to him.

• He was the third person in the family to bear the name Ludwig van Beethoven. The first bearer was the composer's grandfather, a famous Bonn musician, and the second was his 6-year older brother.
• Beethoven left school at age 11 without having learned division and multiplication.
• He loved coffee very much, brewing 64 beans each time, no more and no less.
• His character was not simple: grumpy and friendly, gloomy and good-natured. Some remember him as a person with an excellent sense of humor, others as an unpleasant person to talk to.
• He created the famous “Ninth Symphony” when he had completely lost his hearing.

We hope that the report on Beethoven helped you prepare for the lesson. You can leave your message about Beethoven using the comment form below.