MAKING MUSIC

I was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770. My father, Johann, was a court musician and from an early age, he drove me to play the violin and piano. He was hard to please and often made me practise late into the night, no matter how tired I was. My gentle mother tried to protect me, but she was no match for my father.

He was impatient and would often hit me.

When I was only seven, I gave my first public music performance in Cologne, and it was declared that I was very gifted or a child prodigy.

Despite my father’s pressure, I loved musical patterns, sounds and creativity, and they were my comfort.

At the age of 12, I composed my first piece of music Nine Variations on a March by Dressler. I endlessly scribbled my messy notes with tunes that came to me. They were hard to read, but I could understand them.

EARLY FAME

I became the assistant organist at the court of Maximilian Franz, the Elector of Cologne. He became my patron. This was a high honour for me and at the age of 14, I was financially supporting the family.

Word of my talent spread, and in 1787, I was invited to play in Vienna where I met with the world-leading composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose work I greatly admired. He said I was ‘one to watch’, which was thrilling to hear.

I was lucky to have several friends and patrons who supported me through the terrible pain of losing my mother. One patron was Count Waldstein. He bought me a new piano, and in return I dedicated Opus Number 53 to him.

I toured Europe, playing and composing for several years, becoming well known in the courts. But before I was able to return to Vienna to study with Mozart, I heard he had died.

A WORLD OF CHANGE

There were new beginnings for me in the year 1792. My father died, and I felt free from him finally. Also, Count Max Franz, The Elector of Cologne, paid for me to study with Haydn, another great composer who liked my work.

I finally returned to Vienna. It seemed that I was beginning to heal from my grief over my mother, and I never lived anywhere else again.

I’m not sure I ever quite escaped my upbringing. My father’s abuse during my early years had left me struggling with my own patience and temper. Perhaps it was no wonder that people described me as rude, impatient, and at times, angry. I understood their comments and kept to myself. Besides, I wanted to use my time to compose.

I was grateful to the leading composers, including Joseph Haydn, who saw my talent and supported me. I made further tours of Europe visiting Prague, Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin and Budapest.

LIFE-CHANGING LOSS

By 1800, at the age of 30, I had written my 8th piano sonata, called Sonata Pathétique. But when I was only 27, I began to lose my hearing. The doctors called it a severe form of tinnitus.

As a composer, the attention to the fragments, qualities, and depth and breadth of sound meant everything to me, and I was losing my grasp on it.

I felt so low. I had so much music I wanted to share with the world – but how could I do this now I was deaf?

I needed to change the way I worked. Not being able to hear was terrible, but I knew I had to keep composing as best as I could.

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

I threw myself into my music. My work was new and different to what had come before. It took time for some people to appreciate it, but I felt sure that I was creating music that would be listened to far into the future.

In 1805, the Eroica symphony was performed as was Fidelio, my first and only opera. I went on a tour of concerts. I was lucky to also have several wealthy supporters who paid me to write what I wanted. This was a first-ever, for composers who were usually employed by very rich aristocrats.

Several attempts had been made to try and create objects that might help me with deafness. The one that really made the difference was the new metronome. This allowed a counting of regular intervals of time and made sure that my pieces would be played exactly as I wished.

In 1814, the heads of Europe met. Even though I was now totally deaf, I was invited to play for them. This was a very proud moment for me. My Eighth Symphony was also performed that year.

In 1824, after ten years of writing, I completed my Ninth Symphony. It was only when I was turned around that I could see the incredible reaction and huge applause of the audience.

During my life I had written piano sonatas, symphonies, string quartets, concertos, chamber works and an opera. And, as I had hoped, I had also written my name on the pages of history.

GLOSSARY

Prodigy – someone who is extremely gifted or thought of as a genius.

Patron – a person or group that gives money or support to a person, an activity, or an organisation.

Tinnitus – ringing or buzzing in the ears.

Metronome – an instrument that makes clicks for marking rhythm, especially for practising music.

LEGACY AND RECOGNITION

Ludwig Van Beethoven overcame his deafness to become one of the most celebrated classical musicians of all time.
He composed nine symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, one opera, five piano concertos, and multiple chamber works.
Beethoven’s most well-known works are his Nine Symphonies, Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, Fidelio and Missa Solemnis.
Many monuments, statues and sculptures around the world have been dedicated to his life and work. He is also memorialised in numerous books and biographical films.
Beethoven was the first composer in history to create exactly what he wanted, thanks to his supporters who paid him. Until then, composers were employed by the very rich to compose what they asked for.
He was the first notable composer to use Johann Mäelzel’s newly patented metronome.

IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Beethoven at 13, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Beethoven (aged 17) playing for Mozart (1787), Alamy

Beethoven, Joseph Karl Stieler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons