Ludwig van Beethoven(1770 — 1827)
Ludwig van Beethoven
empire d'Autriche, électorat de Cologne
8 min read
German composer (1770–1827) who marked the transition between musical classicism and romanticism. Despite his progressive deafness, he created major works that revolutionized Western music, including the famous 9th Symphony.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life »
Key Facts
- 1792: moves to Vienna to study under Haydn
- 1801: begins to suffer from progressive deafness, an event that profoundly shapes his life
- 1808: premiere of the 5th and 6th symphonies at a memorable concert in Vienna
- 1824: premiere of the 9th Symphony with chorus, including Schiller's Ode to Joy
- 1827: dies in Vienna, recognized as one of the greatest composers in history
Works & Achievements
A revolutionary work in its duration and ambition, it marks the turning point toward Beethoven's heroic and Romantic style. Its dedication to Napoleon, erased after the imperial proclamation, illustrates the composer's republican ideals.
One of the most famous musical works in the world, opening with four iconic notes (da-da-da-DUM). It symbolizes fate that man confronts and overcomes, a reflection of Beethoven's struggle against deafness.
The first program symphony, describing in five movements the emotions felt in the countryside. It illustrates Beethoven's profound love of nature, his source of inspiration and refuge.
Among the most performed piano sonatas in the world, its first movement of melancholic arpeggios is immediately recognizable. It was composed during a period of intense personal anguish linked to his emerging deafness.
Beethoven's only opera, it depicts a woman who disguises herself as a man to rescue her unjustly imprisoned husband. A hymn to freedom and fidelity, it reflects the composer's humanist and revolutionary ideals.
An absolute masterpiece composed when Beethoven was completely deaf, it incorporates for the first time in a symphony a choir singing Schiller's Ode to Joy. The European anthem is derived from it and it is inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World.
The most grandiose of Beethoven's piano concertos, composed during Napoleon's bombardment of Vienna. Its majesty and virtuosity quickly made it an iconic work of the late Classical style.
Anecdotes
Beethoven was famous for his absent-mindedness and disorder. He frequently changed lodgings in Vienna, sometimes several times a year, leaving behind scattered scores, dirty plates, and unemptied chamber pots. His neighbors regularly complained about his unpredictable behavior.
Going progressively deaf from 1798 onwards, Beethoven tried to conceal his disability for as long as possible. In 1802, in despair, he wrote the 'Heiligenstadt Testament', a poignant letter to his brothers in which he confessed his anguish but also his resolve to keep composing in spite of everything.
At the premiere of his 9th Symphony in 1824, Beethoven was present on stage to conduct, but since he was completely deaf, another conductor was actually leading the musicians. At the end of the concert, a soloist had to turn him to face the audience so he could see the enthusiastic ovation he could not hear.
Beethoven was a fervent admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte, whom he saw as the embodiment of the revolutionary ideals of freedom. He had dedicated his 3rd Symphony to Napoleon. But when he learned that Napoleon had proclaimed himself Emperor in 1804, he flew into a furious rage, violently crossed out the dedication, and renamed the work the 'Eroica Symphony'.
To compensate for his deafness, Beethoven used ingenious tricks: he sawed off the legs of his piano to place it directly on the floor and feel the vibrations by resting his jaw on the wood. He also used long rods held between his teeth and pressed against the piano to perceive sounds through bone conduction.
Primary Sources
O you men who think or say that I am malevolent, stubborn, or misanthropic, how greatly do you wrong me! You do not know the secret cause which makes me seem that way to you. [...] It was impossible for me to say to people: speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.
My angel, my all, my very self — only a few words today and at that with pencil [...] Why this deep sorrow when necessity speaks? Can our love endure except through sacrifices, through not demanding everything?
I am living a wretched life. For two years I have avoided almost all social gatherings because it is impossible for me to say to people: I am deaf. If I had any other profession it would be easier, but in my profession it is a terrible situation.
These notebooks, in which his visitors would write their questions and remarks that Beethoven could not hear, bear witness to his daily life in Vienna from 1818 onward and his exchanges with publishers, friends, and pupils.
Key Places
Beethoven's birthplace, where he was born in 1770 and received his early musical training from his father and Christian Gottlob Neefe. He lived there until the age of 22.
The musical capital of Europe where Beethoven settled in 1792 and lived until his death. It was there that he studied under Haydn, composed his major works, and achieved fame.
A village on the outskirts of Vienna where Beethoven stayed in 1802 to seek treatment for his deafness. It was there that he wrote his famous testament, a testament to his despair and his determination to overcome his disability.
Historic concert hall where Beethoven's 5th and 6th Symphonies were premiered in 1808 during the same legendary four-hour concert.
Viennese imperial theatre where the premiere of the 9th Symphony was given in 1824, met with a memorable standing ovation that the deaf composer could not experience aurally.
