Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most famous composers of all time, was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770. His father, however, claimed he was born 2 years later in order to make him an even younger prodigy than he actually was in order to compete for recognition with the young Mozart. His father was also a tyrant and an alcoholic who made the child practice day and night or face the consequences a drunken rage.

Musically, Beethoven was a transitional figure working between the Classical and Romantic eras. He changed the musical landscape forever with a number of daring innovations. By bringing vocalists into instrumental compositions, he re-invented the symphony. He also expanded the boundaries of chamber music and sonatas. His last quartets are almost contemporary. Many people know that he was deaf in 1824 when he conducted his last symphony, The Ninth, also known as The Choral. But most don’t know that his deafness actually began when he was 25 in 1796. It is said he sawed the legs off his piano so he could sit on the floor and feel the vibrations as he worked.

When he premiered his Ninth Symphony, he could hear neither the music nor the applause that followed and had to be physically turned by one of the singers in the chorus to receive his due. There were 5 standing ovations. Despite his moody, disagreeable, and anti-social personality, most likely the result of physical and emotional child abuse at the hands of his father, Beethoven was a much loved and appreciated figure in his time.

> Return to The Historical Gallery or click below

Beethoven
Copland
Debussy
Mendelssohn
Offenbach
Paganini
Puccini
Saint-Saens
Stravinsky