LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
“The greatest composer who ever lived.”
Course:
Music in the Church
Submitted by:
Dahlia Mai Belocura and Maria Ingrid Lim
Date:
October 19, 2023
Instructor:
Miss Shiela Domen
“Ludwig van Beethoven personifies the idea of the creative
genius of popular imagination, railing against convention and
physical limitations to challenge the boundaries of form and
expression in his art. Recognized as one of the greatest and
most influential composers of Western classical tradition, he
defied the onset of deafness from the age of 28 to produce an
output that encompasses 722 works, including 9 symphonies,
35 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets.”
Portrait of Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Overview: Who Was Ludwig van Beethoven?
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer. Beethoven’s personal life was marked by a struggle against deafness,
and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was quite unable to hear.
Recognized as one of the greatest and most influential composers of Western classical tradition, he defied the onset of deafness
from the age of 28 to produce an output that encompasses 722 works, including 9 symphonies, 35 piano sonatas and 16 string
quartets. He is the crucial transitional figure connecting the Classical and Romantic ages of Western music.
He died at the age of 56.
Controversial Birthday
Beethoven was born on or about December 16, 1770, in the city of Bonn in the Electorate of Cologne, a principality of the Holy
Roman Empire. Although his exact date of birth is uncertain, Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770.
As a matter of law and custom, babies at the time were baptized within 24 hours of birth, so December 16 is his most likely
birthdate.
However, Beethoven himself mistakenly believed that he was born two years later, in 1772, and he stubbornly insisted on the
incorrect date even when presented with official papers that proved beyond any reasonable doubt that 1770 was his true birth year.
Family
Beethoven had two younger brothers who survived into adulthood: Caspar and Johann. Beethoven's mother, Maria Magdalena van
Beethoven, was a slender, genteel, and deeply moralistic woman.
His father, Johann van Beethoven, was a mediocre court singer better known for his alcoholism than any musical ability. However,
Beethoven's grandfather, godfather and namesake, Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven, was Bonn's most prosperous and
eminent musician, a source of endless pride for young Beethoven.
Childhood Abuse
Sometime between the births of his two younger brothers, Beethoven's father began teaching him music with an extraordinary
rigor and brutality that affected him for the rest of his life.
Music in the Church | Ludwig van Beethoven 1
Neighbors provided accounts of the small boy weeping while he played the clavier, standing atop a footstool to reach the keys, his
father beating him for each hesitation or mistake.
Nearly daily, Beethoven was flogged, locked in the cellar, and deprived of sleep for extra hours of practice. He studied violin and
clavier with his father and took additional lessons from organists around town. Beethoven was a prodigiously skilled musician
from his childhood, despite his father's harsh ways.
Education
Hoping that his young son would be recognized as a musical prodigy à laWolfgang Mozart, Beethoven's father arranged his first
public recital for March 26, 1778, he was 7. Beethoven played impressively, but his recital received no press whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the musical prodigy attended a Latin grade school named Tirocinium, where a classmate said, "Not a sign was to be
discovered of that spark of genius which glowed so brilliantly in him afterwards."
Beethoven, who struggled with sums and spelling his entire life, was at best an average student, and some biographers have
theorized that he may have had mild dyslexia. As he put it himself, "Music comes to me more readily than words."
In 1781, at the age of 10, Beethoven withdrew from school to study music full time with Christian Gottlob Neefe, the newly
appointed Court Organist, and at the age of 12, Beethoven published his first composition, a set of piano variations on a theme by
an obscure classical composer named Dressler.
By 1784, his alcoholism worsening and his voice decaying, Beethoven's father was no longer able to support his family, and
Beethoven formally requested an official appointment as Assistant Court Organist. Despite his youth, his request was accepted,
and Beethoven was put on the court payroll with a modest annual salary of 150 florins.
Early Career as a Composer
When the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II died in 1790, a 19-year-old Beethoven received the immense honor of composing a
musical memorial in his honor. For reasons that remain unclear, Beethoven's composition was never performed, and most assumed
the young musician had proven unequal to the task.
However, more than a century later, Johannes Brahms discovered that Beethoven had in fact composed a "beautiful and noble"
piece of music entitled Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II. It is now considered his earliest masterpiece.
Debut Performance
Beethoven won many patrons among the leading citizens of the Viennese aristocracy, who provided him with lodging and funds,
allowing Beethoven, in 1794, to sever ties with the Electorate of Cologne. Beethoven made his long-awaited public debut in
Vienna on March 29, 1795.
Although there is considerable debate over which of his early piano concerti he performed that night, most scholars believe he
played what is known as his "first" piano concerto in C Major. Shortly thereafter, Beethoven decided to publish a series of three
piano trios as his Opus 1, which were an enormous critical and financial success.
In the first spring of the new century, on April 2, 1800, Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 1 in C major at the Royal Imperial
Theater in Vienna. Although Beethoven would grow to detest the piece — "In those days I did not know how to compose," he later
remarked — the graceful and melodious symphony nevertheless established him as one of Europe's most celebrated composers.
As the new century progressed, Beethoven composed piece after piece that marked him as a masterful composer reaching his
musical maturity. His Six String Quartets, published in 1801, demonstrate complete mastery of that most difficult and cherished of
Viennese forms developed by Mozart and Haydn.
Beethoven also composed The Creatures of Prometheus in 1801, a wildly popular ballet that received 27 performances at the
Imperial Court Theater. It was around the same time that Beethoven discovered he was losing his hearing.
Music in the Church | Ludwig van Beethoven 2
Personal Life
For a variety of reasons that included his crippling shyness and unfortunate physical appearance, Beethoven never married or had
children. He was, however, desperately in love with a married woman named Antonie Brentano.
Over the course of two days in July of 1812, Beethoven wrote her a long and beautiful love letter that he never sent. Addressed "to
you, my Immortal Beloved," the letter said in part, "My heart is full of so many things to say to you — ah — there are moments
when I feel that speech amounts to nothing at all — Cheer up — remain my true, my only love, my all as I am yours."
The death of Beethoven's brother Caspar in 1815 sparked one of the great trials of his life, a painful legal battle with his sister-in-
law, Johanna, over the custody of Karl van Beethoven, his nephew and her son.
The struggle stretched on for seven years, during which both sides spewed ugly defamations at the other. In the end, Beethoven
won the boy's custody, though hardly his affection.
Despite his extraordinary output of beautiful music, Beethoven was lonely and frequently miserable throughout his adult life.
Short-tempered, absent-minded, greedy and suspicious to the point of paranoia, Beethoven feuded with his brothers, his publishers,
his housekeepers, his pupils and his patrons.
In one illustrative incident, Beethoven attempted to break a chair over the head of Prince Lichnowsky, one of his closest friends
and most loyal patrons. Another time he stood in the doorway of Prince Lobkowitz's palace shouting for all to hear, "Lobkowitz is
a donkey!"
Race
For years, rumors have swirled that Beethoven had some African ancestry. These unfounded tales may be based on Beethoven's
dark complexion or the fact that his ancestors came from a region of Europe that had once been invaded by the Spanish, and Moors
from northern Africa were part of Spanish culture.
A few scholars have noted that Beethoven seemed to have an innate understanding of the polyrhythmic structures typical to some
African music. However, no one during Beethoven's lifetime referred to the composer as Moorish or African, and the rumors that
he was Black are largely dismissed by historians.
Health
According to Voices from the Past, Beethoven was “tormented by chronic asthma and other debilitating diseases,” and “composed
unforgettable music while railing against bumbling doctors’ – the best physicians in Vienna – who were unable to give him relief
from asthma.”
But asthma was not the only affliction with which Beethoven struggled. Heartbreakingly, he also suffered from severe tinnitus, a
loud ringing in the ears, and the associated loss of hearing which can be discussed by a renowned Audiologist. While it has been
attributed to underlying conditions he may have had, such as lead poisoning or syphilis, it is also interesting to note that, according
to USA Today’s Health Encyclopedia, allergies are another common cause of tinnitus.
As pointed out in a 2005 Washington Post article, recent research seems to point to lead poisoning as the root of many of
Beethoven’s other ailments like severe abdominal pain. Although it is impossible to pinpoint the source of his lead poisoning, lead
was used indiscriminately in Beethoven’s days in cups and plates, to sweeten wine, and even as a medical treatment! Ironically, it
is very likely that Beethoven’s doctors treated him with medicines stored in leaded containers that leached the metal into the
medicines he consumed.
From asthma and lead poisoning to deafness – that caused him to cut off piano legs and put his ear to the floor so he could hear his
compositions – and through the sadness and sickness that made up much of Beethoven’s life, a music came forth so beautiful that
it has withstood the test of time and the ever-shifting wave of public taste.
Music in the Church | Ludwig van Beethoven 3
Heiligenstadt Testament
Heiligenstadt was a small village near Vienna in Beethoven’s time, where he usually spent the summers. The Heiligenstadt
Testament was written on October 6, 1802, and addressed to his brothers, Johan and Caspar. The three-page letter is not the typical
Beethoven scribble, but a well-thought-out and structured letter that was ultimately addressed to the World itself, not just his
siblings. Beethoven certainly hoped that after his death this letter would be made public and everyone would understand the real
reason for his isolation.
An interesting fact about the letter is that Beethoven never posted it in the end, but kept it among his personal belongings, in secret.
After his death Anton Schindler, and Beethoven’s friend Stephan von Breuning, found it in his writing desk and later made public
as Heiligenstadt Testament.
Moonlight Sonata
From 1803 to 1812, what is known as his "middle" or "heroic" period, he composed an opera, six symphonies, four solo concerti,
five string quartets, six-string sonatas, seven piano sonatas, five sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios, two sextets and
72 songs.
The most famous among these were the haunting Moonlight Sonata, symphonies No. 3-8, the Kreutzer violin sonata and Fidelio,
his only opera.
In terms of the astonishing output of superlatively complex, original and beautiful music, this period in Beethoven's life is
unrivaled by any other composer in history.
Beethoven’s Music
Some of Beethoven’s best-known compositions include:
Eroica: Symphony No. 3
In 1804, only weeks after Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself Emperor of France, Beethoven debuted his Symphony No. 3 in
Napoleon's honor. Beethoven, like all of Europe, watched with a mixture of awe and terror; he admired, abhorred and, to an extent,
identified with Napoleon, a man of seemingly superhuman capabilities, only one year older than himself and also of obscure birth.
Later renamed the Eroica Symphony because Beethoven grew disillusioned with Napoleon, it was his grandest and most original
work to date.
Because it was so unlike anything heard before it, the musicians could not figure out how to play it through weeks of rehearsal. A
prominent reviewer proclaimed "Eroica" as "one of the most original, most sublime, and most profound products that the entire
genre of music has ever exhibited."
Symphony No. 5
One of Beethoven’s best-known works among modern audiences, Symphony No. 5 is known for its ominous first four notes.
Beethoven began composing the piece in 1804, but its completion was delayed a few times for other projects. It premiered at the
same time as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, in 1808 in Vienna.
Fur Elise
In 1810, Beethoven completed Fur Elise (meaning “For Elise”), although it was not published until 40 years after his death. In
1867, it was discovered by a German music scholar, however Beethoven’s original manuscript has since been lost.
Some scholars have suggested it was dedicated to his friend, student and fellow musician, Therese Malfatti, to whom he allegedly
proposed around the time of the song’s composition. Others said it was for the German soprano Elisabeth Rockel, another friend of
Beethoven’s.
Music in the Church | Ludwig van Beethoven 4
Symphony No. 7
Premiering in Vienna in 1813 to benefit soldiers wounded in the battle of Hanau, Beethoven began composing this, one of his most
energetic and optimistic works, in 1811.
The composer called the piece “his most excellent symphony." The second movement is often performed separately from the rest
of the symphony and may have been one of Beethoven’s most popular works.
Missa Solemnis
Debuting in 1824, this Catholic mass is considered among Beethoven’s finest achievements. Just under 90 minutes in length, the
rarely-performed piece features a chorus, orchestra and four soloists.
Ode to Joy: Symphony No. 9
Beethoven’s ninth and final symphony, completed in 1824, remains the illustrious composer's most towering achievement. The
symphony's famous choral finale, with four vocal soloists and a chorus singing the words of Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to
Joy," is perhaps the most famous piece of music in history.
While connoisseurs delighted in the symphony's contrapuntal and formal complexity, the masses found inspiration in the anthem-
like vigor of the choral finale and the concluding invocation of "all humanity."
String Quartet No. 14
Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 debuted in 1826. About 40 minutes in length, it contains seven linked movements played
without a break.
The work was reportedly one of Beethoven’s favorite later quartets and has been described as one of the composer’s most elusive
compositions musically.
Death
Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, at the age of 56, of post-hepatitic cirrhosis of the liver.
The autopsy also provided clues to the origins of his deafness: While his quick temper, chronic diarrhea and deafness are
consistent with arterial disease, a competing theory traces Beethoven's deafness to contracting typhus in the summer of 1796.
Scientists analyzing a remaining fragment of Beethoven's skull noticed high levels of lead and hypothesized lead poisoning as a
potential cause of death, but that theory has been largely discredited.
Legacy
Beethoven is widely considered one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, composer of all time.
“Although deaf people have the ability to focus on the depth of a vibration and literally feel a tone/note, in addition; Ludwig Van
Beethoven had perfect pitch and was a mathematical genius, allowing him to learn the feelings of each note and translate it into
this masterpiece that we all enjoy today.” @theweebsuniverse_riri3985
And the fact Beethoven composed his most beautiful and extraordinary music while deaf is an almost superhuman feat of creative
genius. Summing up his life and imminent death during his last days, Beethoven, who was never as eloquent with words as he was
with music, borrowed a tagline that concluded many Latin plays at the time. Plaudite, amici, comoedia finita est, he said.
"Applaud friends, the comedy is over."
Music in the Church | Ludwig van Beethoven 5
Bibliography
Beethoven’s Heiligenstadt Testament. (n.d.). Popular Beethoven. https://www.popularbeethoven.com/beethovens-heiligenstadt-
testament/
Evan Bennet. (December 23, 2010). Symphony No.9 ~ Beethoven. Youtube comment by @theweebsuniverse_riri3985.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3217H8JppI
Famous Asthma Sufferer: Ludwig Van Beethoven. (n.d.). The Achoo Allergy.
https://www.achooallergy.com/blog/learning/famous-asthma-sufferer-ludwig-van-beethoven/
Ludwig van Beethoven Biography. (April 3, 2014). Biography. https://www.biography.com/musicians/ludwig-van-beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven. (n.d.). The British Library. https://www.bl.uk/people/ludwig-van-beethoven
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