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Table of Contents
The challenges Ludwig Van Beethoven experienced in life did not hinder him from being one of the most successful persons in history. He is among the topmost influential composers of all time.
See the fact file below for more information on Ludwig van Beethoven or alternatively, you can download our 32-page Ludwig van Beethoven worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Early Life
- Ludwig van Beethoven was a pianist and composer born in Bonn, Germany, and baptized on December 17, 1770.
- He was the third among those named Ludwig van Beethoven in their family; the first was his grandfather, and the second was his late older brother.
- His father, Johann Van Beethoven, taught keyboard and violin lessons as his occupation.
- His mother, Maria Magdalena Keverich, was the daughter of a head chef in the Archbishopric of Trier.
- They had seven children, but only three survived – Ludwig, Kaspar Anton Karl, and Nikolaus Johann.
- Ludwig came from a family of musicians.
- His grandfather was among the most successful musicians in Bonn.
- Although his father was also a musician, he was more well-known as an alcoholic.
- Ludwig was undeniably talented since he was young.
- His father was his first music teacher; however, he experienced harsh and brutal training under him.
- He was often seen crying, and whenever he made mistakes during practices, his father flogged him.
- Along with the frequent beating, he was also locked in the cellar.
- He had late night training which caused him to sleep deprivation.
- Apart from his father, Ludwig was also taught by other local teachers.
- His experience during his childhood had affected him growing up.
- Johann attempted to make his son a musical prodigy like Wolfgang Mozart.
- He had his first public recital on March 26, 1778.
- During this time, his father claimed that Ludwig was six years old when the truth was, he was already seven.
- As a student, Ludwig was considered average.
- He went to Tirocinium, a Latin grade school, to take his primary education.
- According to some biographers, Ludwig had mild dyslexia because of his difficulties with sums and spelling.
- He was ten years old when he decided to focus on music and withdraw from school.
Musical Career
- Ludwig officially studied music under Christian Gottlob Neefe, a court organist, who became his most important teacher.
- Christian Gottlob Neefe taught him composition and in March 1783, at the age of 12, Ludwig was able to publish his first composition, which was a set of piano variations.
- Despite his flourishing success, the Beethoven family continued to have struggles.
- In 1787, after a few weeks of Ludwig being in Vienna, his mother passed away.
- His father was also forced to retire due to his alcoholism.
- Ludwig had to support and provide for their family, so he taught instruments and played viola in the court orchestra.
- His exposure to the variety of opera music had influenced his experience as a musician.
- He met several people that became a significant part of his life, and among them were the Breuning family, Franz Wegeler, and Court Ferdinand von Waldstein.
- Ludwig was able to compose many unpublished works from 1790 to 1792.
- With Christian Gottlob Neefeβs recommendation, Ludwig started doing his commissions.
- One of his commissioned works was composing a cantata in honor of the late Holy Roman Emperor II.
- Another was a composition for the declaration of Leopold II as a Holy Roman Emperor.
- In 1790, Ludwig met Joseph Haydn.
- Ludwig was sent to Vienna to study music further.
- After arriving in Vienna in November 1792, Ludwig found out that his father had passed away.
- In Vienna, Ludwig passionately and diligently pursued musical study with the guidance of the bests musicians of that time.
- He received piano lessons from Joseph Haydn, violin from Ignaz Schuppanzigh, harmony and counterpoint by Johann Albrechtsberger, and was taught vocal composition by Antonio Salieri.
- Ludwig had established a reputation for himself as an excellent performer and improviser.
- Nikolaus Simrock, a friend of Ludwig, published Ludwigβs compositions, and in 1973, he had again established a reputation for being a piano virtuoso.
- He had his three-day public debut in Vienna on March 29, 1975.
- After his debut, he arranged Opus 1, a series of three piano trios, to be published.
- He dedicated this work to Prince Lichnowsky, his patron.
- His work was said to be a financial success; however, his profits were only enough to sustain his living expenses for a year.
- Septet, one of his most famous works, was completed in 1799.
- On April 2, 1800, Ludwig debuted Symphony No. 1 in C Major in Burgtheater and staged a large-scale program.
- Ludwig and his music became well-known and sought-after by the end of 1800.
- He composed his first six string quartets dedicated to Prince Lobkowitz and published them in 1801.
- In the same year, he completed his composition of The Creatures of Prometheus, a popularly known ballet.
- Ludwig composed several music pieces that made him a masterful composer.
- In 1802, he finished his Second Symphony composition.
- The same year, his brother, Kaspar, helped him manage his affairs with business deals.
- Some of Ludwig’s unpublished composition was sold by Kaspar and he also persuaded Ludwig for musical transcriptions and arrangements of some of his works.
Compositions
- The years from 1803 to 1812 were considered the heroic period of Ludwig.
- In between those years, he produced a variety of his compositions.
- Some of his best-known compositions are Symphonies No. 3-8, Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, Missa Solemnis, String Quartet No.14, Kreutzer violin Sonata, and Fidelio.
- He had a total of 722 compositions in the different genres of classical music.
Relationships
- Ludwig never got the chance to get married.
- However, he had his share of experiences in falling in love.
- When he taught piano to the daughters of Countess Anna Brunsvik in May 1799, Ludwig fell in love with Josephine.
- He also met Julie Guicciardi in 1801, and his love for her was known by mentioning it in a letter he wrote to his friend.
- However, due to their social class difference, he did not pursue his feelings for her.
- One of his compositions, the Moonlight Sonata, was dedicated to her.
- He also fell in love with his doctorβs niece, Therese Malfatti, and a married woman named Antonie Brentano.
- The then 40-year-old Ludwig was known to have proposed to the 19-year-old Therese Malfatti in 1810 but was rejected.
- It was believed that Fur Elise was dedicated to her.
- Antonie Brentano, who was married and ten years younger than Ludwig, was said to have had an affair with him from 1811 to 1812.
- However, when she left Vienna with her husband, Ludwig and Antonie never met again.
- In July 1812, at Teplitz, he wrote her a long love letter that he never got to send.
- The recipient of the 10-page letter might be Josephine or Julie.
- However, it was strongly believed that it was for Antonie Brentano.
Challenges
- Ludwig went through a couple of family issues.
- Ludwig once visited his brother Johann to convince him to end his relationship with his partner, Therese Obermayer, who had an illegitimate child.
- However, the couple still married each other.
- His other brother, Kaspar, died from tuberculosis.
- After his death, Ludwig had fought for the custody of Karl, his nephew, over Kasparβs wife, Johanna.
- It was not an easy legal battle as it lasted for seven years.
- He won the custody; however, since Ludwig often interfered with Karlβs life, he did not get his affection.
- Despite his success in music, he was still unhappy and lonely.
- One of his major struggles in his career involved his health.
- The most important sense a musician could have is his hearing.
- Behind his success, he tried so hard to conceal that he was going deaf.
- It became hard for him to decipher the words conveyed to him.
- In an 1801 letter to his friend, Franz Wegeler, he revealed that he refused to attend any social gatherings for the past two years because it was hard to tell the people he was deaf.
- He also mentioned that it might be easier to admit if he was in a different profession.
- However, as a musician, being deaf is a distressing handicap.
- He continued composing but his condition was also progressing.
Death
- Ludwig van Beethoven died due to liver damage on March 26, 1827,Β
- His nephew, Karl was with him for some time; however, he stayed not long as he was about to join the army at Iglau.
- He wrote Ludwig a letter telling him about his condition and feeling sorry that he couldn’t be there for his uncle.
- After his departure, Ludwig prepared his will and made Karl his only heir.
- Upon hearing about Ludwigβs condition, many of his friends visited him.
- About 10,000 people attended his funeral, and he was buried in Wahring cemetery in Vienna.
- His birthplace in Bonn, the Beethoven House, has become a museum.
- He had a monument in Bonn called The Beethoven Monument.
- It was said to be the first statue in Germany to be built for a composer.
- He was also honored by naming the third largest crater on Mercury and the main-belt asteroid after him.
- He was one of the Three Bβs of Music, along with Johannes Brahms and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Ludwig van Beethoven Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Ludwig van Beethoven across 32 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Ludwig van Beethoven who is among the foremost influential composers of all time.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Ludwig van Beethoven Facts
- I Think I Know You
- Figure It Out
- This Is Ludwig
- Dearest Teachers
- Challenges
- Orchestra
- Beethoven Collection
- Listen
- Beethoven
- Life as Beethoven
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