Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 in Bonn, in the Rhineland of
Germany. He lived in Vienna from 1792 until his death. Beethoven's Father and Grandfather were
court musicians. Ludwig carried on the family tradition in exemplary form, becoming one of
history's greatest composers.
Beethoven's dynamic musical style infused his compositions with his confidence in human action.
Again and again dissonance and turmoil are resolved with enthusiasm and rejoicing. Fate is
trampled by triumphant music. Turbulence in his personal life, including his becoming incurably
deaf at 29, tested his optimism. He surmounted his difficulties through a rigorous regime of
composition. In his later career his music was even more free and imaginative.
On his deathbed Beethoven was planning a tenth symphony, a composer to the very end. Despite his
notoriously brusque manner, Beethoven was revered by Viennese society as its greatest celebrity.
His funeral was attended by 20,000 friends and admirers.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 in Bonn, in the Rhineland of
Germany. He lived in Vienna from 1792 until his death. Beethoven's Father and Grandfather were
court musicians. Ludwig carried on the family tradition in exemplary form, becoming one of
history's greatest composers.
Beethoven's dynamic musical style infused his compositions with his confidence in human action.
Again and again dissonance and turmoil are resolved with enthusiasm and rejoicing. Fate is
trampled by triumphant music. Turbulence in his personal life, including his becoming incurably
deaf at 29, tested his optimism. He surmounted his difficulties through a rigorous regime of
composition. In his later career his music was even more free and imaginative.
On his deathbed Beethoven was planning a tenth symphony, a composer to the very end. Despite his
notoriously brusque manner, Beethoven was revered by Viennese society as its greatest celebrity.
His funeral was attended by 20,000 friends and admirers.
