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This document was converted to xhtml from an html original at http://home.swipnet.se/zabonk/cultur/ludwig/beetbio.htm and heml:Event element were added as indicated below. Its author, Pelle Östberg, has kindly agreed to its use in the Heml project.
He was born in the German town of Bonn on the 16th of
December 1770.
Beethoven Born1770-12-16
His grandfather Ludwig and his father Johann were
both musicians. Johann was to act as little Ludwig's first music
teacher, but Ludwig soon changed to the court organist C. G. Neefe.
Passing eleven years of age, Ludwig deputized for Neefe, and at
twelve had his first music published. He then stayed as Neefe's
assistant until 1787, when at seventeen, he took off for Vienna.
Even though Vienna was to be his home for the rest of his life,
this first visit was short. On hearing that his mother was dying,
he quickly returned to Bonn. Five years later he finally moved to
Vienna to live and work. Beethoven Moves To Vienna1792
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 After arriving in
1792 he studied composition and counterpoint under Haydn, Schenk,
Salieri and Albrechtsberger. At the same time, he tried to
establish himself as pianist and composer. His good relations with
the towns aristocracy soon led to a secured income. In 1809, with
the sole condition that he stayed in Vienna, Prince Kinsky, Prince
Lobkowitz and Archduke Rudolp even guaranteed Beethoven a yearly
income. But going back to the years around 1800, which is
traditionally called the early period, he was still trying
to master the high classical style. This strive culminated in the
second symphony from 1801-1802. |
 This is also the
time when the middle period starts.
Middle Musical Period of Beethoven18041813
From now up until 1813,
Beethoven develops and enhances the high classical style into a
more dynamic and individualistic style. It is now that he writes
symphonies Nr. 3 - 8, piano consert Nr. 5 and a lot of chamber
music. But as he learns to control his craft and develop the music
into new undiscovered grounds, he also suffers from reminders of
the pains of real life. He has early in life discovered that his
hearing wasn't what it should be, and the disorder gets worse as
time goes by. It gets to the point where Beethoven is thinking of
ending his life as he sees no way out of his despair. That fact is
documented in the letter he wrote to his brothers in 1802, the so
called "Heiligenstadt
Testament".
Beethoven Writes Heiligenstadt Testament1802-10-06
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This hearing
disorder seems to have affected his social life to a great extent.
He became difficult to handle in social interactions and could
suddenly burst into outbreaks of anger and show bad temper where he
usually insulted someone. If that is the reason for his troubles
with women, or if their is something traumatic hidden in his
childhood, I don't know, but the fact is that he never got involved
with a woman in a normal relation. Beethoven seems to have been
attracted to women he couldn't get, or at least was hard to get. An
example is Antoine Brentano, with whom he had a relationship, but
who broke up with him to marry a friend. It is she who is known as
the "immortal
beloved" in letters addressed to her from Beethoven in 1812.
Beethoven Writes Letters Addressed to His "Immortal Beloved"1812-07-061812-07-07
Around the same time, as this wasn't enough, his deafness reached
the stage where he no longer could perform.
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Now came a couple
of years without much creative work. Instead he was tormented by
personal matters concerning his nephew of which he tried to gain
custody when the brother died in 1815. But Beethoven didn't have
the capacity of a domestic human being, and even though he did win
the struggle for custody, Beethovens relation with the nephew was
tense and burdensome and it reached the point where little Karl
tried to take his own life in 1826.  This is also the so
called late period in Beethoven's musical career.
Late Musical Period of Beethoven18151827
His music
is described as less dramatic and more introvert, but also, I would
like to add, more mature and secure. It has a flavour of the genius
growing old and an obvious attitude. Listen for example to symphony
Nr. 9 - it is complete! There is really not much to add as I see
it. The above mentioned piece gave him, at last, at bit of
economical success and he could live his last years in relative
wellfare. But this period is still characterized by his lack of
funds, much because his former patrons no longer could support him.
Maybe the lifelong poverty is a reason for his deteriorating health
and his death on March 26 1827.
Beethoven Dies1827-03-27
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