Thread by @AntonPrince7, Today is the birthday of one of the most extraordinary musical minds [...]

Today is the birthday of one of the most extraordinary musical minds that has ever touched down upon the soil of our earth.

In 1770, in the German city of Bonn
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Was born into this world.

Today, I would like to tell his extraordinary life story.

This is the house where Beethoven was born; at the time, it housed several families, among which were Beethoven‘s parents, Johann and Maria Magdalena in 1770.

Beethoven‘s upbringing was a harsh one; as his father Johann was an alcoholic and often beat young Ludwig whenever he was to practice at the keyboard, insulting him whenever he made a mistake. On more than one occasion locked him into the cellar

Johann, a court tenor, was determined to make of Ludwig a child prodigy as Mozart had been; a handbill distributed to people in Bonn in March 1778, advertising Beethoven’s first public performance, falsely asserted that Beethoven was six, while he was in fact seven at the time.

So persistently did his father cling to his wish, that Beethoven never knew his true age during his life.

When Beethoven was ten, in 1780, he began studying with Christian Gottlob Neefe, a court organist in Bonn. Under his tutelage Beethoven published his first compositions.

His first published composition was a set of variations in c minor, which betrays two significant things: c minor would become the key most closely associated with Beethoven while his mastery of variations form would be abundantly displayed in later works.

It was also during these years that Beethoven would meet Graf Ferdinand von Waldstein; a lifelong friend and supporter of Beethoven. It would be Waldstein who, in 1792, arranged for Beethoven to study with Joseph Haydn.

1789 saw Beethoven playing viola in the court orchestra, and teaching (which he hated to do) to support his family. His mother had died in 1787 and his father had taken a turn for the worse after that, so severely that he was forcibly retired from the court.

Ludwig was subsequently given half of his father‘s pension directly in order to avoid Johann squandering it on wine.

In the court orchestra, he played under conductor Josef Reicha, the uncle of a young flautist in the orchestra Beethoven befriended; this was Anton Reicha.

Beethoven became acquainted with operas by Mozart and Gluck through his time at the court orchestra.

In 1790, Haydn passed through Bonn on his way from London to Vienna, and it is probable arrangements were made for Beethoven to study with the older master in Vienna.

In July 1992, Beethoven would leave Bonn for Vienna... von Waldstein wrote to him before he left that he would receive “Mozart’s Geist aus Haydens Händen“

His studies with Haydn were troubled, though, by Beethoven's impudence towards his teacher. The dedication of his Op. 2 reads “Joseph Haydn gewidmet” which is rather cold, and Beethoven is often quoted to have said he “never learned anything from Haydn”.

During these years, Beethoven studied vocal composition with Antonio Salieri and, after Haydn’s departure for London in 1794, received instruction in counterpoint from Johann Georg Albrechtsberger.

The French conquest of Bonn in 1794 left Beethoven without the support of the Bonn electorate and in need of new patrons.

Among the noblemen offering their patronage were baron von Swieten (to which Beethoven dedicated his first symphony)...

...and also princes Lichnowsky and Lobkowitz. To Lichnowsky he dedicated such works as his second symphony, the Pathétique sonata and the Op. 26 sonata in A♭, while to Lobkowitz, he dedicated the third, fifth and sixth symphonies and his song cycle “an die ferne Geliebte”.

A notable instant of Beethoven‘s virtuosity during this time is provided by the story of his piano duel with Daniel Steibelt. Such piano duels were common, and there are famous duels between Mozart and Clementi and between Handel and Scarlatti.

In the case of Steibelt; Beethoven is reported to have placed a score of Steibelt upside down on the piano and improvised elaborately on a cello theme from this score. In the end, Steibelt was humiliated and swore never to set foot in Vienna again, which indeed he didn‘t.

In 1799, he was engaged to teach the daughters of countess Brunsvik and fell in love with the younger daughter, Josephine. She was likely the most important woman in Beethoven‘s life and he wrote her no less than fifteen love letters.

Financially, Beethoven‘s prospects were greatly improved; publishers were eager to publish the latest of his works and at the concert premiering his second symphony at the Theater an der Wien, the ticket prices were three times that of a regular concert ticket at the time.

From 1800 onward, Beethoven began to experience the symptoms of a growing deafness; on the advice of his doctor he moved to Heiligenstadt, near Vienna. In 1802 he wrote the Heiligenstadt testament, in which he contemplates suicide.

This remarkable document contains the following heartbreaking words:
“...yet it was impossible for me to say to men speak louder, shout, for I am deaf.”

Imagine; a composer, a pianist, going deaf...

Fortunately, Beethoven's ability to compose remained undiminished, but his career as a pianist and performer was over...

Beethoven‘s return to Vienna was marked by a change of style; the heroic Beethoven anounced himself in the Third Symphony in E♭ major:

Expressing the heroic sentiment in words, Beethoven wrote to a friend: “I shall seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not wholly overcome me”.

Other works sharing this style are the Op. 59 string quartets, the Waldstein and Appassionata piano sonatas and the symphonies four to eight. There is, however, often a humorous streak in Beethoven reminiscent of Haydn, as in the fourth symphony:

During this time, Beethoven relied financially upon the publication of his compositions as well as upon several annual stipends paid to him by several of his aristocratic patrons (among which were princes Lobkowitz and Lichnowsky).

Another important patron at this time was Archduke Rudolf of Austria; together with prince Lobkowitz and prince Ferdinand Kinsky, he arranged for Beethoven to receive an annual stipend of 4,000 florins (a large amount) simply for staying in Vienna.

To Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven dedicated works like his fifth piano concerto, the piano sonatas Op. 81a and 106 and the Missa Solemnis.

On 22 December, 1808, Beethoven organised a four-hour concert in which were premiered the fifth and sixth symphonies, the fourth piano concerto and the Op. 80. Choral Fantasy. There was no heating in the hall and the music had been rehearsed badly...

Owing to the content performed, however, the concert has become incredibly famous; leading to over fifteen recreations of this very same programme.

In 1809, Vienna was attacked and occupied by Napoleon. Archduke Rudolf‘s departure from Vienna led to Beethoven‘s composition of the “Lebewohl” sonata... In the score, the third movement “das Wiedersehen” is marked with the date of Rudolf‘s return.

It was around this time that Beethoven became acquainted with Goethe; a markedly different personality, as a famous incident at Teplitz proved; with Goethe courteously greeting the passing imperial family and Beethoven striding straight past them without so much as a word.

Goethe wrote of Beethoven that “His talent amazed me. However, unfortunately, he is an utterly untamed personality, who is not altogether in the wrong if he finds the world detestable, but he thereby does not make it more enjoyable either for himself or others.

...He is very much to be excused, on the other hand, and very much to be pitied, as his hearing is leaving him, which, perhaps, injures the musical part of his nature less than his social. He, by nature laconic, becomes doubly so because of this lack.”

When Beethoven‘s brother Kaspar, who had often aided him in securing deals with publishers, died in 1815 he fought his brother‘s wife in the courts to become sole guardian of his nephew Karl, in which he finally succeeded in 1820.

Ludwig would smother young Karl with such an obsessive love, even having some of his friends spy on him at the university, that, in 1826 after articulating his wish to enter the military caused Beethoven a severe fit of anger, Karl attempted to end his life.

Though his suicide attempt failed, it left Beethoven deeply wounded, possibly contributing to his failing health. Beethoven would leave everything to Karl in his last will and testament.

An interesting composition from around this time is “Wellingtons Sieg” a work originally meant for a music-making machine but due to the forces required by Beethoven, the inventor could not build a machine large enough to play it.

The work commemorates the victory of Arthur Wellesly, duke of Wellington on the French forces at Vitoria in Spain. This work is similar to such pieces as the 1812 overture and is notable for its use of muskets and other artillery sound effects.

The work uses the song “Marlbrough s'en va-t-en guerre” to illustrate the French army, instead of “La Marseillaise” as playing the latter in Vienna was considered a treacherous act.

In his later years, Beethoven‘s output fluctuated frequently due to frequent illness; yet the quality of his compositions did not suffer; in 1923 he finished the Ninth Symphony, as well as two other masterworks: the Missa Solemnis and the Diabelli variations.

Viennese taste had become increasingly dominated by Italian composers and Beethoven felt himself left behind. Because of this, his later years saw him increasingly studying works by Bach and Palestrina. For his Ninth Symphony, he hoped to premiere it in Berlin instead.

A great number of Beethoven’s friends and admirers managed to flatter him into allowing the premiere to be in Vienna; and so it would come to pass. At 7 May, 1924, the Ninth Symphony was premiered in the Theater am Kärntnertor, together with selections from his Missa Solemnis.

Officially, the performance was conducted by Michael Umlauf; however, Beethoven shared the stage with him, beating the time for an orchestra he could not hear as he was almost completely deaf at this point.

Mr Umlauf had instructed the performers, however, to ignore Beethoven’s directions completely.

At the end of the performance, an oft-told anecdote tells that contralto Caroline Unger had to turn the unhearing composer around to the audience to receive the cheers and applause.

After this, Beethoven turned to the writing of his last five string quartets; of which he considered Op. 131 the most perfect of all his compositions. The finale replacing the Große Fuge in his Op. 130 proved to be his last completed composition.

Even during this time, in which Beethoven experienced great physical discomfort and illness and was often depressed; there is humour to be found in his music. In the finale of the Op. 135 string quartet, there are the following words:

The title and the two phrases purportedly refer to an anecdote concerning a certain Mr Dembscher (who was a miser) and Beethoven‘s secretary at the time, Karl Holz.
Dembscher had quarelled with Beethoven, probably brought about by the latter‘s difficult personality...

He was, however, in need to borrow a manuscript from Beethoven and eagerly sought reconcilliation. Seeking out Holz for advice, the composer‘s secretary told the miserly Dembscher that it would cost him 50 florins to be reconcilliated with Beethoven.

Dembscher is reported to have asked: “Muß es sein?” And Holz replied: “es muß sein!” This story greatly amused Beethoven, and this is the “difficult decision” supposedly referred to here.

From December 1826 onward, Beethoven was so severely ill that he became bedridden; early during the next year, the seriousness of Beethoven‘s illness became known throughout Vienna and many old friends and acquaintances came to visit the ailing composer.

Among his last recorded words are “Plaudite amici, comedia finita est” (applaud, my friends, the comedy is over) and, as a gift from publisher @schottmusic arrived (a case of expensive wine), Beethoven softly said: “Schade, schade, zu spät”

Beethoven passed away on 26 March, 1827; reportedly accompanied by a roll of thunder, at which Beethoven wordlessly lifted his fist, shaking it at the heavens before he expired.

At Beethoven‘s funeral a few days later, around ten thousand people walked through the streets of Vienna in the procession to honour the great master...

Among the pieces played during his funeral was an orchestrated version of his Op. 26 funeral march; it was the only movement of his piano sonatas he ever orchestrated.

Dear friends, music lovers and readers of this thread; I hope you have enjoyed this brief summary of Beethoven‘s life. May it inspire you today to remember a man who sacrificed his life and energies in order that we may hear the heavenly spheres even in this broken world.

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