A Biographical Sketch of Ludwig van Beethoven
Introduction
Ludwig van Beethoven (December 1770- March 1827) was a pianist and composer- arguably the greatest and most influential composer of all time. He made his mark in history with the crucial role that he played in the transition of classical eras in art music. He had a full and varied music career and wasn’t afraid to move his numerous compositions from the tried and tested musical styles. In terms or the world’s greatest, Beethoven only comes second to the likes of Mozart or Bach. Beethoven is best known for his compositions, which include 32 piano sonatas, 5 concertos for piano, 16 string quartets and 9 symphonies (Anderson 1044). He is also known for the composition of other music, choral works and songs.
Early Childhood Beethoven was born on the 16th of December, 1770 in Bonn and baptized the following day (Dalhaus & Whittall 6). His father was originally from Brabant, Belgium, but had moved to Bonn where he served as a musician at the local court. Despite his weakness for alcohol, Beethoven’s father was quite influential in shaping the music career of Beethoven as it was through him that young Beethoven was exposed to music. From an early age, Beethoven was taught music by Christiano Gottlob Neefe, a famous opera composer and conductor, and Johann van Beethoven who was his father. Johann envisioned creating a new kind of Mozart in his son and would train him every evening on returning from the court. As a teenager, Beethoven earned some money by serving as an assistant to his teacher Neefe. Beethoven gave his first public performance at the young age of seven in Cologne. Three years later, at the age of 12, Beethoven published his very first work referred to as 9 variations in C minor for piano (Prevot 1). Prevot asserts that the performance by Beethoven was so exemplary that the following year,