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Ludwig van Beethoven

December 16, 1770 - March 26, 1827
born in Bonn, Germany, composed during the Romantic period

Biography

The events of Beethoven's life are the stuff of Romantic legend, evoking images of the solitary creator shaking his fist at Fate and finally overcoming it through a supreme effort of creative will. Born in the small German city of Bonn on or around December 16, 1770, he received his early training from his father and other local musicians. As a teenager, he earned some money as an assistant to his teacher, Christian Gottlob Neefe, then was granted half of his father's salary as court musician from the Electorate of Cologne in order to care for his two younger brothers as his father gave in to alcoholism. Beethoven played viola in various orchestras, becoming friends with other players such as Antoine Reicha, Nikolaus Simrock, and Franz Ries, and began taking on composition commissions. As a member of the court chapel orchestra, he was able to travel some and meet members of the nobility, one of whom, Count Ferdinand Waldstein, would become a great friend and patron to him. Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 to study with Haydn; despite the prickliness of their relationship, Haydn's concise humor helped form Beethoven's style. His subsequent teachers in composition were Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and Antonio Salieri. In 1794, he began his career in earnest as a pianist and composer, taking advantage whenever he could of the patronage of others. Around 1800, Beethoven began to notice his gradually encroaching deafness. His growing despondency only intensified his antisocial tendencies. However, the Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," of 1803 began a sustained period of groundbreaking creative triumph. In later years, Beethoven was plagued by personal difficulties, including a series of failed romances and a nasty custody battle over a nephew, Karl. Yet after a long period of comparative compositional inactivity lasting from about 1811 to 1817, his creative imagination triumphed once again over his troubles. Beethoven's late works, especially the last five of his 16 string quartets and the last four of his 32 piano sonatas, have an ecstatic quality in which many have found a mystical significance. Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827.

Beethoven's epochal career is often divided into early, middle, and late periods, represented, respectively, by works based on Classic-period models, by revolutionary pieces that expanded the vocabulary of music, and by compositions written in a unique, highly personal musical language incorporating elements of contrapuntal and variation writing while approaching large-scale forms with complete freedom. Though certainly subject to debate, these divisions point to the immense depth and multifariousness of Beethoven's creative personality. Beethoven profoundly transformed every genre he touched, and the music of the nineteenth century seems to grow from his compositions as if from a chrysalis. A formidable pianist, he moved the piano sonata from the drawing room to the concert hall with such ambitious and virtuosic middle-period works as the "Waldstein" (No. 21) and "Appassionata" (No. 23) sonatas. His song cycle An die ferne Geliebte of 1816 set the pattern for similar cycles by all the Romantic song composers, from Schubert to Wolf. The Romantic tradition of descriptive or "program" music began with Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony No. 6. Even in the second half of the nineteenth century, Beethoven still directly inspired both conservatives (such as Brahms, who, like Beethoven, fundamentally stayed within the confines of Classical form) and radicals (such as Wagner, who viewed the Ninth Symphony as a harbinger of his own vision of a total art work, integrating vocal and instrumental music with the other arts). In many ways revolutionary, Beethoven's music remains universally appealing because of its characteristic humanism and dramatic power. ~ AMG, All Music Guide

Continued…

Selected Discography

Beethoven - Symphonies 1-9 · Overtures / London Classical Players · Sir Roger Norrington

Beethoven Lieder

Beethoven Symphony No. 5, Piano Concerto No. 4

Beethoven Violin Concerto - Kreutzer Sonata

Beethoven: Bagatelles & Dances, Vol. 3

Beethoven: Bagatelles Op.33, Op.119, Op.126

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Op. 5, Nos. 1 & 2

Beethoven: Cello Sonatas Op. 69, Op. 102 Nos. 1 & 2

Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Beethoven: Complete Works for Piano & Cello

Beethoven: Dance

Beethoven: Fidelio / Halasz

Beethoven: Folksong Settings

Beethoven: Mass in C

Beethoven: Mödlinger Dances; Contradanses; German Dances; Minuets

Beethoven: Overtures

Beethoven: Piano Concertos #1-5 by Melvyn Tan, Roger Norrington, London Classical Players

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4 [Includes DVD]

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 8

Beethoven: Sonatas For Cello And Piano, Op. 102, Nos. 1 & 2, Op. 69

Beethoven: Sonatas For Piano And Violin

Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 132 & 135

Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18, Nos. 5 & 6

Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 59, Nos. 2 & 3

Beethoven: String Quartets, Opp. 74 & 95 [Hybrid SACD]

Beethoven: String Quintet Op. 29; String Quartet Op. 59/1

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas

Beethoven: The Creatures Of Prometheus

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos

Beethoven: The Piano Trios

Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances for Violin & Orchestra

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Op. 12 Nos. 1-3

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Op. 23, Op. 30 Nos. 2 & 3

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Op. 30/1, Op. 96

Lieder

Music For Cello & Piano 1

Rudolf Serkin Plays Beethoven

Natalia Scott says:

07-04-2009

his music charms my 12 year old heart

Sal Adelfio says:

06-25-2009

My first introduction tho The Master was Charlie Brown's Schroder ! I was in the second grade, and I knew there was something special there...it's Heavan's Soundtrack.. . t h e ONLY classical I have the patience to listen too, ( as I am a rock musician ala Jimmy Page, Hendrix, Santana and Clapton ). Rock on " Loodvvvig ! "

eileennisler says:

edited on 06-23-2009

I was first introduced to beethoven when I watched "a clockwork Orange" and was taken over by his Beautiful music!!!!

J.C.Kyle says:

06-18-2009

So do I! he was kind as well good. He understands people

pattyrene3 says:

05-15-2009

The man of the century..... w i s h he were still here with us.....

csiers says:

05-12-2009

@Sean Ode to Joy is part of the final movement in his Symphony #9.

Sean says:

05-10-2009

where's ode to joy?

kkyas1 says:

05-07-2009

cool! i did not know they had betoven on this!

donnasenzano m e says:

04-18-2009

Did Beethoven really have Archduke Rudolph in mind when he wrote the 26th piano sonata?

earthbased says:

04-03-2009

In a way, without The Master there would be no modern music. In almost every follow-on music you can hear the influence of The Master. Mozart created pleasant music, but The Master showed us the wild beauty of music.

glamourgurly says:

04-02-2009

inspiring.

Mills says:

04-02-2009

I am so inspired by Beethoven because he created music when he could not hear it. I find that remarkable and beautiful. He dove into his music instead of letting it go after he could no longer soak in the audio. I respect Beethoven so much because his perseverance is unlike anything I've ever seen.

Victory Kim says:

edited on 03-19-2009

Beethoven was a revolutionar y of his time.

His pieces had tremendous impact on people, and his playing was stated to make ladies swoon...

I wish I could do so. I would put him Top tier in classical music (literally, classical, not romantic or baroque or anything)

shawn2558 says:

03-14-2009

a melody as clear as an unmuddied lake, inspires the gulaver, you can rely on me

Bethany says:

edited on 03-09-2009

Mr. Halbohn: you described the two masters perfectly. Mozart is the composer who created music that takes extreme mental energy, while Beethoven is one who wrote music that takes extreme physical energy. Both were geniuses; and those who can play their music and really feel what the composer was feeling, and then communicate to the listeners, are also geniuses.

Ice DePot says:

03-05-2009

One word: Heavenly.

Joe says:

02-14-2009

The sheer emotion of Beethoven's music is unbelievable . While Mozart made complex, technical compositions , Beethoven made songs that shake you to your core emotionally. I can never be calm whilst listening to Beethoven, and I can never be stupid whilst listening to Mozart. Not that Beethoven's music is stupid, but it doesn't have the complex atmosphere of Mozart, while Mozart does not have the emotion of Beethoven. All depends on your mood.

Landsknecht says:

02-07-2009

Definitely the most famous composer. Rightfully so, perhaps.

dbgoren says:

02-07-2009

all hail the god of metal!

tjehona says:

01-26-2009

he is incredible

Raj Dhawan says:

edited on 01-15-2009

Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi are my three favorite composers... I would not attempt to rank or compare them, cuz I find that each has a degree of vivacity that I appreciate equally depending on what mood I am in...having said that, Pandora Radio totally rocks...no commercial or deejay interruption s whatsoever.. I love that I can hear any music I like for free forever...an d yes, I'm still listening !!!

Matthew says:

01-06-2009

Just as mathematics is probably the most theological of the sciences, music must be among the arts. I studied music back in the day, never got the hang of composition. What's remarkable is that these geniuses had the music fully composed in their heads before they put a single note on paper...un-b l o o d y - b e l i e v a b l e . Although I'm not an artist, I AM a really good audience and give thanks to God through His Son that he's provided us with soooo much beauty all around.

normangelman says:

edited on 01-02-2009

MANY American symphony orchestras have recorded the complete cycle. You might go to iTunes or Amazon to identify the most recent. My own collection is by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, but it is certainly not the most recent. Look for the NBC orchestra under Toscanini, the New York Philharmonic under Bruno Walter and possibly under Bernstein, the Boston Symphony (under more than one conductor), the Chicago Symphony, the Detroit Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony and more.

John says:

12-27-2008

Fisk do you mean Sir George Solti?

seyi422 says:

12-18-2008

not me! i am strictly a NERD! plus it helps me study

fis7 says:

12-18-2008

Can you help locate the name of the American symphony orchestra that has recently recorded all nine of Beethovan's symphonies?

dbclifford says:

12-09-2008

!!!

brandonb6 says:

12-07-2008

Awesome Sauce

Daydreamer1 says:

12-07-2008

geeks. Then again I can't say i'm not one myself. We'll all be geeks together!

Jerrid Wolflick says:

12-02-2008

Beethoven in many ways was among the greatest of all Classical composer. Not so much because he went deaf but because he was more innovative than any other in the ear, including Mozart. His use of the Concerto as a main work in a performance as well as elevation the symphony from the ballroom or prelude in a concert to possibly the preeminent musical form next to the opera and string quartet will forever changed the way music was appreciated and explored (by composers, musicians, and listeners

Erik Terrence Evans says:

12-01-2008

I love Mozart however, Beethoven's music appeals to me more simply because it's so much more emotional! When listening to Mozart his technical proficiency can't be denied but I enjoy him when I'm in a different frame of mind. I listen to Mozart from a technical place and Beethoven from an emotional place. Beethoven simply moves me!

jamessr says:

11-20-2008

A passage in his Pastoral Sym. is one of the most tender moods I have ever heard. I am an artist and his music inspires me greatly along with other great
romantic composers. Thank you so much for Pandora Radio. Others ruin the music
with a lot of interuptions and their liberal political propaganda. Thanks again, James.

grtucker1 says:

11-18-2008

just imagine how many GB's you would need to fit Beethoven's complete works

Michael Castillo says:

edited on 11-17-2008

Reply to honkmoo:

No, I don't think you can because of copyright claims. I feel you though-that would be a very useful feature.

thecoloryell o w v i d e o s says:

11-09-2008

can sumone tell me songs of his tht r like silence

pamgrabenhor s t says:

11-06-2008

Beethoven is my favorite composer, though I only get to listen to him on Pandora. John William's is my second favorite.

ednbobbie says:

11-01-2008

Beethoven & Hyadn are tied for 3rd & 4th places in my choice of favorite composers - outdone only my Mozart (way ahead of everyone else) followed by J.S. Bach (the only Bach on my list of favorites). I've NEVER heard ANYTHING by Beethoven that I don't like. Keep up the good work. Ed

anhe525 says:

10-18-2008

One of the greatest ever

rarichter says:

10-11-2008

Piano Sonata #32 is incredible.

Punk Guy with the Stars in His Eyes says:

09-25-2008

Ludwig Van Beethoven is the best in classical music. He has a passion that can still be heard even after centuries of being dead. Motzart is nothing compared to him. Long live Ludwig!

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