Ludwig van Beethoven

Let’s review…..

Birth and childhood

Born in Bonn, Germany in 1770.Father and Grandfather were musicians.Father was Ludwig’s first music teacher.Ludwig had to practice many nights

when his father came home drunk.Ludwig showed an interest in composing

when he was a child.

Young adulthood

Beethoven went to Vienna, Austria to learn more about composing when he was 17.

He had to return home when his mother died, and help raise his brothers.

Return to Vienna

When Beethoven was 22, he moved to Austria and never returned to Germany.

He learned from Haydn, another great composer, ...and played for Mozart before that respected composer died.

Beethoven loved to visit the country, where he composed a lot of music.

We still love his music, 175 years later!

Losing his hearing

Beethoven began hearing buzzing in his ears.

At first he tried to hide his loss of hearing from his friends.

He continued to write music when he was deaf.

Beethoven tried many hearing devices, but none of them worked.

He could watch people’s lips to understand what they were saying, or have them write in a notebook.

Medical methods back then...

Doctors poured warm milk and crushed nuts in Beethoven’s ears, telling him that this would help restore his hearing!

Doctors rubbed Beethoven’s arms with an ointment until they blistered, then punctured and drained the blisters…telling him that this would help restore his hearing!

His Later Years

He still composed when he was deaf…..how could he do this?

He could hear the music inside his head….and he wasn’t bothered with other noises around him.

He wrote some of his best music during this time.

His temperament

Beethoven was not easy to be around. He had a temper, and he was very demanding.

He would get lost in his own thoughts and would get impatient with others when they didn’t do what he thought they should do.

He criticized other musicians when they didn’t perform his pieces the way he wanted them to sound.

His whole life was very ‘stormy’ …there were many sad and discouraging times.

Some of his Works32 Piano Sonatas

Moonlight Sonata Sonata Pathetique

Fur EliseFidelio (his only opera)9 Symphonies

Choral Symphony …#9 (Ode to Joy) Beethoven’s Fifth …#5 Pastorale …..#6

Beethoven’s death

Beethoven died in Vienna, Austria in 1827.

It was storming when he died. (There was thundering during a snow storm!)

Beethoven raised his fist toward the storm and fell back on his bed, dying.

50,000 lined the streets at his funeral to pay tribute to this great man.

Ludwig van Beethoven

1770-1827German composer,

who spent his adult life in Austria

Wrote during the Classical Era.

Chose a ‘new and different’ way of composing.