Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Life and work of Beethoven
Life and work of Beethoven
Accomplishments and Challenges of Ludwig van Beethoven
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Life and work of Beethoven
Beethoven, Berloiz, and Chopin Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770 to Johann van Beethoven and his wife, Maria Magdalena. He took his first music lessons from his father, who was tenor in the choir of the archbishop-elector of Cologne. His father was an unstable, yet ambitious man whose excessive drinking, rough temper and anxiety surprisingly did not diminish Beethoven's love for music. He studied and performed with great success, despite becoming the breadwinner of his household by the time he was 18 years old. His father's increasingly serious alcohol problem and the earlier death of his grandfather in 1773 sent his family into deepening poverty. At first, Beethoven made little impact on the musical society, despite his father's hopes. When he turned 11, he left school and became an assistant organist to Christian Gottlob Neefe at the court of Bonn, learning from him and other musicians. In 1783 he became the continuo player for the Bonn opera and accompanied their rehearsals on keyboard. In 1787, he was sent to Vienna to take further lessons from Mozart. Two months later, however, he was called back to Bonn by the death of his mother. He started to play the viola in the Opera Orchestra in 1789, while also teaching in composing. He met Haydn in 1790, who agreed to teach him in Vienna, and Beethoven then moved to Vienna permanently. He received financial support from Prince Karl Lichnowsky, to whom he dedicated his Piano Sonata in C minor, better known as The Pathétique . He performed publicly in Vienna in 1795 for the first time, and published his Op. 1 and Op. 2 piano sonatas. His works are traditionally divided into three periods. The first is called the Viennese Classical, the second is the Heroic, and the third is Late Beethoven. In the first period, his individuality and style gradually developed, as he used many methods from Haydn, including the use of silence. He composed mainly for the piano during this period. These works include Symphony no. 1 in C (1800), his first six string quartets, and the Pathétique (1799). His Moonlight Sonata in C# minor (1801) is known as the first of Heroic Beethoven. Beethoven learned that he would become deaf in 1802 and suffered sever depression. His composing skills were not affected by his deafness, but his ability to teach and perform was inhibited. It is said that he became deaf from his habit of pouring cold water over his head while composing, to refresh himself, and then not drying his massive amounts of hair afterwards.
Classical music can be best summed by Mr. Dan Romano who said, “Music is the hardest kind of art. It doesn't hang up on a wall and wait to be stared at and enjoyed by passersby. It's communication. Its hours and hours being put into a work of art that may only last, in reality, for a few moments...but if done well and truly appreciated, it lasts in our hearts forever. That's art, speaking with your heart to the hearts of others.” Starting at a young age Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven have done just that with their musical compositions. Both musical composers changed the world of music and captivated the hearts of many. Their love of composing shared many similar traits, though their musical styles were much different.
Hector Berlioz was a French composer his ideals of the 19th century Romanticism in musical creations such as “Symphonie Fantastique” and “La Damnation De Faust”. His father wanted him to be in the medical field he turned his back to that to pursue his musical career. In 1826, Berlioz enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire. Where he started his music career. He became successful in 1830 with “Symphonie Fantastique”. Berlioz was a huge contributor to the modern orchestra with one of his greatest works, “Treatise on Instrumentation”. He works influenced the further development of the Romanticism, his pieces influenced composers like Richard Wagner, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,
Beethoven’s early life was one out of a sad story book. For being one of the most well-known musicians one would think that sometime during Beethovens childhood he was influenced and inspired to play music; This was not the case. His father was indeed a musician but he was more interested in drinking than he was playing music. When his father saw the smallest sliver of music interest in Beethoven he immediately put him into vigorous musical training in hopes he would be the next Mozart; his training included organ, viola, and piano. This tainted how young Beethoven saw music and the memories that music brought. Nevertheless Beethoven continued to do what he knew and by thirteen he was composing his own music and assisting his teacher, Christian Neefe. Connections began to form during this time with different aristocrats and families who stuck with him and became lifelong friends. At 17 Beethoven, with the help of his friends, traveled to Vienna, the music capitol of the world, to further his knowledge and connection...
Beethoven acquired his first post in music when he was just eleven years old. At this age he work as the assistant to the organist in a local court. Later on at the age of thirteen he played keyboard during opera rehearsals. His first real performance came when he was eighteen; Beethoven played the viola in a local theatre orchestra. He played with this orchestra until the age of twenty-two.
He suffered a severe form of tinnitus, a "roar" in his ears that made it hard for him to appreciate music and he would avoid conversation. The cause of Beethoven 's deafness is unknown, but it had variously been attributed to syphilis, lead poisoning, typhus, or possibly even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake. Over time, his hearing loss became worst, at the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned round to see the tumultuous applause of the audience, hearing nothing. In 1802, he became depressed, and considered committing suicide. He left Vienna for a time for small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, where he wrote the "Heiligenstadt Testament", in which he resolved to continue living through his art. He continued composing even as his hearing worsened. After a failing his perform in 1811 his own "Emperor Concerto”, he never performed again. As a result of his hearing loss, Beethoven kept conversation books discussing music and other issues, and giving an insight into his thought. Even today, the conversation books form the basis for investigation into how he felt his music should be performed, and his relationship to art - which he took very seriously. Beethoven was best known for his use of the piano wide range and for his nine symphonies, which have been called the cornerstones of Western civilization. Two of the most famous are the Fifth Symphony and the Ninth Symphony because of their
Despite the fact that Beethoven’s hearing was slowly diminishing, he continued to write works that surprised the people in Vienna and other famous composers of the time. Years passed of fame and praise of his work from all different kinds of people. In November of 1815, however, his brother died, leaving behind his wife and their 9 year old son named Karl (Budden and Knapp). This was particularly stressful not only for his brother’s death but also because he had wished that his son’s guardianship was “to be exercised by both his wife and his brother, Ludwig” (“Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Biography”). Beethoven took this role of being a guardian as important to him, but as he was becoming deaf and older, so it seemed harder for him to take care of the child like his brother wished. As the years went by, so did his hearing and in 1816 he was completely deaf however by the time he went completely deaf he had written 8 Symphonies and many other great works. Many people by this point would have given up and lost hope because the one aspect that they passionately pursued was destroyed, but Beethoven overcame his disability and continued to make music despite being completely and utterly deaf. His 9th symphony was created and finished in 1823 by him using what many musicians call their “Inner ear” and because “he was not attached anymore to physical sound, [he could] just use his imagination” (Jones). After the completion of his 9th symphony he created an estimated 26 works and in 1827 had sketches for a 10th symphony (Harrison); however, the sketches were to remain sketches. Beethoven started to become ill with a disease, still unsure of which it was today, and died in Vienna on March 26th, 1827. The funeral was held three days after and approximately anywhere from ten thousand people to thirty thousand showed up for his funeral (Budden and
I can remember being a young boy, spending several hours throughout the days watching cartoons. I can definitely relate to classical music being played in these cartoons, like the mentioned classic, Bugs Bunny. “Bugs Bunny was quite the concert musician”(“Classical Masterpieces Turn Up”). I vaguely remember Bugs Bunny attempting to play classical music tunes, but I did not know they were classicals at a young age. The music I was hearing contributed to everything I was feeling. This classical tune that had a rising tempo when something dramatic was happening, caused me to feel excited and thrilled. This classical tune that began to get louder and stronger when intense moments in the cartoon came about, caught my attention. I was physically unable to turn away, my favorite character was running from the evil man, and the tempo sped. I had no idea how much of an impact classical music played into my childhood until this assignment.
Ludwig Van Beethoven was one of the greatest classical music composers of all time. He was born around December 16, 1770 to a middle class family in the city of Bonn in the Electorate of cologne. His exact date of birth is unknown but he was baptized on December 17, 1770 and during this time it was law and custom for babies to be baptized within 24 hours of birth. His father Johann Van Beethoven was a court singer and his mother was Maria Magdalena Van Beethoven. Ludwig had four other siblings. The first Ludwig had passed away 6 days after he was born. Anton Karl was born on April 1774, Nikkolaus Johann October 1776 and Maria Margareta Josepha in 1786.
<td width="50%">Baroque OrchestrasClassical OrchestrasString section and basso continuo central to the orchestra. Other instruments are occasional additions.Standard group of four sections: strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Different instruments treated individually.Fairly small; generally 10- 40 players.Larger than baroque; great variation to the numbers of players.Flexible use of timbres, e.g. Timpani and trumpets used generally just for festive music.Standardised sections. Most sections used regularly.Tone colour is distinctly secondary to other musical elements.Greater variety of tone colour and more rapid changes of colour. Timbre is unimportant and therefore a piece written for harpsichord could easily be rearranged for a string section.Each section of the classical orchestra has a special role. And each instrument is used distinctively.Wind instruments mainly used as solo instruments or as part of the basso continuo.The wind section had become a separate unit capable of contrast and distinct colour.The harpsichord generally plays an ostinato under the orchestra. Piano not invented.The piano introduces a third colour-tone to be contrasted with the orchestra
Soon, Beethoven was trying to change music and by the age of twelve he finished his first real piece. It was in an unusual key and very difficult. His father also tried to force Beethoven to become a child prodigy, similar to Mozart, but it wasn’t until he was a teenager that he received any attention from the public. He was actually given his dead brother’s baptism certificate and it was announced that he was six, although he was actually almost eight. (Ludwig van Beethoven Biography, http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html) (Ludwig Van Beethoven, Germany Composer, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ludwig-van-Beethoven)
The string quartets of Ludwig Van Beethoven were written over a long period of his life, stretching from 1799 to 1826. The tragedies that occurred throughout Beethoven’s life did not stop him from writing these seventeen masterpieces. The string quartets can be divided into three periods; early middle and late with the first six quartets of Op. 18 marking his ‘early’ works. As Beethoven’s writing began to flourish with creativity and imagination, he wrote the ‘Rasumovsky’ quartets that mark the ‘middle’ period in his career. Finally, the late quartets (also last works that Beethoven ever wrote) mark a cornerstone for various composers writing string quartets through the Romantic era and into the 20th century with use of counterpoint and harmony, especially. This essay will show how these works display great importance in developing the string quartet through Beethoven’s career, and also how their influences can be found in string quartets of other composers.
Ludwig Van Beethoven was regarded as one of the greatest musical composers of the 19th century. Beethoven’s compositions are considered to be a watershed moment in western musical history. According to scholar Scott G. Burnham, “The overmastering coherence felt in Beethoven’s music became an imposing measure of the greatness of musical artworks.” Part of Beethoven’s greatness can be linked to the inner turmoil he dealt with throughout his life. Part of this turmoil was caused from his hearing disability which ultimately resulted in his deafness. Beethoven felt isolated due to his illness, but this isolation greatly affected the music he composed. The Fifth Symphony was a testament to that. Out of Beethoven’s nine different symphonies, the Fifth symphony is regarded as one of his greatest compositions. The Fifth Symphony is a total of 4 movements, and has a four-note opening motif in C- minor which is considered to be fate knocking at the door.
Beethoven was born in Bonn Germany. At 14, he held the occupation of a court organist. Sadly, his father was a drunken singer, and barely supported his family. Consequently, the money Beethoven earned assisted his family. In 1778, he traveled to Vienna and met Wolfgang A. Mozart who instantly acknowledged his brilliance. However, on account of his mother’s illness, he returned to his home town, and had to support his brothers after her death. He gave music lessons in Bonn, in addition to playing the viola in the theater orchestra. Settling in Vienna in 1792, he studied with masters such as Joseph Haydn. He appeared as a pianist and gaine...