Ludwig Van Beethoven

On December 16th, 1770, Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn. He was baptized on the 17th December 1770; He became a German composer of the 18th century. He studied first with his father, Johann, a singer and instrumentalist. His father was a court musician and tenor as well as a forceful alcoholic. Ludwig's father forced him into becoming a child prodigy, and at 14, he became a paid member of the Bonn court orchestra. He mainly studied with C.G. Neefe, a court organist. At 11 and a half, he was able to 'stand in' for Neefe; at 12 he'd had some music published. In 1787, he went to Vienna, but quickly returned when he heard that his mother was dying. Five years later he went back to Vienna, where he settled. Beethoven's public debut was in 1795; about the same time his first important publications appeared, where he performed three piano trios and three piano sonatas. As a pianist, it was reported, he had 'fire, brilliance and fantasy as well as depth and feeling'. Beethoven was usually at his best when performing his piano sonatas; the Pathetique from 1799, and the Moonlight ('Sonata quasi una fantasia') from 1801. These years also saw the composition of his first three piano concertos, his first two symphonies and a set of six string quartets.

1802, however, was a year of crisis for Beethoven, as he began to realize that his hearing problem, which he had noticed for quite some time, was incurable and bound to worsen. That autumn, at a village outside Vienna called Heiligenstadt, he wrote a document, fairlysimilar to a will, and addressed it to his brothers. The document described his bitter unhappiness, and his style of writing suggested that he thought his death was near. But Beethoven overcame this unhappiness with sheer determination and entered a new creative phase, generally called his 'middle period'.

Piano Sonata No. 14 was the first movement in the "Moonlight Sonata." Of all the musical compositions put together by Beethoven, this is my favorite. When I listen to any of Beethoven's music, I get a great feeling of relaxation hit me. This piece performed, in C-sharp minor, feels the most relaxing. I listen to this song a lot when I am trying to write. I feel that along side of relaxing, it also brings out my creative energy. If I am writing and am stressed for time, I can play the music and it will ease my worries without distracting me from my task.

Beethoven developed a completely original style of music, reflecting his sufferings and joys. His work forms a peak in the development of tonal music and is one of the most important developments in the history of music. Before his time, composers wrote works for religious services, and to entertain people. But people listened to Beethoven's music for its own sake

Fidelio, which was unsuccessful at its premiere, was altered twice by Beethoven and his writers

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