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Above: The 49-year-old
Beethoven sits impatiently for a portrait in 1819, the year he lost
his hearing completely. He holds the score of his Missa Solemnis,
which took a furthur four years to complete.
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Musical Period: Classical
Birth Place: Bonn, Germany
Major and Famous Works:
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a) Symphonies b) Opera |
c) Concertos
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d) Chamber Music (a large
number of chamber music) |
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e) Piano Sonatas f) Choral Works |
g) Incidental Music (orchestra) h) Overture
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i) Variations j) Waltzes
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Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the then obscure provincial town in Bonn, Germany in 1770. He was born into a musical family - his father and grandfather were choir singers - but the young Ludwig only showed his real musical promise until he was well into his teens.
Home life was comfortable for him until his grandfather's death in 1773. His father's drinking drove the family steadily into poverty, until Beethoven, at the age of 12, became the sole breadwinner, as the assistant to the Court organist. Despite his domestic burdens, Beethoven's musical gift blossomed and he was sent to Vienna in 1787 when he was 17.
The Austrian capital was Europe's glittering centre of music and culture and it opened up a new world to Beethoven. He mixed with the best social circles, followed all the latest fashions and became a favourite with young society ladies during the few months he was there.
An introduction to Mozart led to some music lessons, but this golden opportunity lasted only just two weeks, when Beethoven learned that his mother had died. He returned to Bonn, bitterly disappointed that his chance had been snatched away. Thereafter, he remained in Bonn for five years and became a music teacher to the family of a wealthy widow. He once again came into contact with people of influence through her. His work gained the admiration of the Austrian composer, Haydn, who invited him to Vienna in 1792. Beethoven accepted the offer and left his hometown for good.
The Vienna of the 1790s was more than ready for the 22 year old Beethoven.This was because Mozart had died in 1791, and the music-loving Viennese were looking for another genius to grace their musical evenings. The contacts he made during his stay in Bonn gained him entry into the exclusive circles and he was constantly in demand. As his reputation soared, he demanded and received whatever sum he chose to ask for his compositions, publications and music lessons.
His Deafness
By 1800, Beethoven was the toast of Vienna. He was also
earning far more than other composers of the day, and was on the brink of international
recognition. However, he began to notice problems with his hearing. A succession
of doctors diagnosed a variety of complaints, but all agreed on one point, which
was that the condition was incurable, and one day, he would be completely deaf.
It was the cruellest of all blows for a man who relied on sound for a living and for the expression of his deepest feelings. He contemplated suicide, but his own creative force averted such a tragedy. In fact, he did not lose his hearing for another 19 years.
However, his disability made him quick-tempered and his
life became that of a crusty old bachelor. There were opportunities for marriage,
but they petered out due to his inability to make a decision. He was over 30
when he fell in love with Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, but she tired of waiting
for his marriage proposal and eventually married someone else. He then courted
her cousin, Josephine from 1804 to 1807. Her family advised against the match
whenit became clear that Beethoven could not make up his mind. Three years later,
he fell in love with Therese Malfatti, the daughter of one of his doctors, but
as with all the other marriage
prospects, this one also came to nothing. Apart from some love letters addressed
to an unknown 'Immortal Beloved', written about 1812, Beethoven appears to have
resigned himself to his single status and thus buried himself in work.
In 1815, his brother died, leaving joint guardianship of his son Karl to his widow and to Beethoven. Thereafter, a three-year court battle for the custody of the nine-year-old boy followed. Beethoven won the case, but the affectionate relationship that he enjoyed with his nephew deteriorated and the emotional pressure on Karl resulted in his attempting suicide in 1826. These events upset Beethoven deeply, and almost certainly hastened his death.
Recluse
Although Beethoven was paid handsomely, he still lived
in a tumbledown house in the small village of Heiligenstadt outside Vienna which
gave every impression of extreme poverty. Because of his deafness, he mixed
less and less with society and thus became a recluse.He preferred to walk in
the country lanes around his village where many of his ideas came to him. He
still conducted his own work in public, unaware of the wild applause from the
audience behind him. He also accepted commissions, but took such pains over
his work, that the pieces were not finished for the intended occassions. His
Missa Solemnis, a mass to commemorate the enthronement of the Archbishop of
Olmutz in 1820, was not completed until 1823.
Beethoven completed his last commission - a string quartet - in 1826, about the same time his nephew tried to kill himself. On March 26 1827, at the age of 57, the great composer died of cirrhosis of the liver.
His popularity was demonstrated three days later when over 20 000 people attended his funeral. During his lifetime, his music was recognised as revolutionary in every sense. He broke the mould of classical composition, where emotion was finely balanced with the musical form. The depth of feeling he expressed in his work paved the way for the Romantic style of music which is so well-loved today.
