Beethoven was born on December 16th, 1770, in Bonn, (now part of Germany). From an early age, Beethoven showed an interest in music. His first teacher, who happened to be his father, was very strict and was frequently beaten for his failure to produce musical perfection. His mother often protested against the vicious beatings, but she too was beaten. It is said that Beethoven became a pianist simply to stop the beatings administered to both himself and his mother.
Beethoven's talent didn't go unnoticed however. He soon became sponsored by Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein, who paid for his travels to Vienna, where he would live and practice, hopefully under the great Amadeus Mozart. It is not known if whether those two actually met. While many people enjoyed music, many were not keen on donations towards artists like Mozart and Beethoven. This was a matter of great distress for Beethoven.
When Beethoven entered his twenties, his hearing deteriorated rapidly, leaving him completely deaf. While his deafness caused him much stress, he was still able to compose music of the highest quality. However, it also meant that he couldn't perform well, especially accompanying an orchestra. This led him to be ridiculed by the public and drove him out of the public eye into the world of self-composition.
By himself, he created truly remarkable pieces, one of his most well-know being Ode to Joy. The last few months of his life were spent confined to his bed. When he eventually died, the cause of death was unknown, but the main theory is liver damage. He passed on March 26th, 1827. Over 20,000 people attended his funeral.
Fun Facts:
- Beethoven was terrible at mathematics.
- It is rumored that he might have performed for Mozart.
- He suffered from chronic hepatitis, jaundice, colitis, various skin diseases, rheumatic fever and cirrhosis of the liver. Deafness was the least of his problems!
Ludwig Van Beethoven:
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