LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Composer Born in 1770 - Died in 1827 Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web gardenofpraise.com

Ludwig van Beethoven (LOOD vig von BAY toh vun) was one of the world's greatest composers. He wrote many symphonies * , overtures * , and pieces for piano and other instruments.

He started studying the piano and violin when he was 4 years old. His father, a singer, was his first teacher. But he was not a good teacher. He beat his son and locked him in a basement to make him practice.

Sometimes when his father came home late after becoming drunk, he would awaken Ludwig and make him practice until morning.

Thirteen-year-old Beethoven

When he was 10 years old, he started taking lessons from Christian Neefe. His new teacher was very patient with him and he began to do well. He wrote his first composition * (song) when he was 11. When he was 12, his teacher let him direct the orchestra part of the time.

When he was 22, he moved to Vienna and studied with Joseph Haydn (HI dn). Haydn insisted his student write "pupil of Haydn" at the top of each song he wrote. Beethoven became tired of giving Haydn credit for his songs and quit studying with him.

Most composers at this time were hired by people to write music, and they were told what kind of music to write. Beethoven, however, was treated as a friend, not an employee. He wrote the kind of music he wanted to write.

He knew he could play the piano very well and began to play at parties and to give concerts around Europe. When he needed an orchestra, he used a big orchestra. He would even use some of the instruments in the orchestra to sound like birds in the forest.

He liked taking long walks during the day. During these walks he planned his music. He would make notes in a notebook. Then in the evening after dinner, he would write music from about 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. He followed the same routine every day. If he was dining out and didn't have his notebook with him, he would write on the back of a menu. Once he even wrote on a window shade.

He would work on a composition until it was just right. Sometimes it took years, but it would be perfect when he finished it.

Beethoven began to lose his hearing when he was in his 20's. He became very suspicious * of people and hard to get along with. But he was still able to hear the songs in his mind and write them down.

He did not get along with his two brothers. When his brother Karl died, Beethoven took his 9 year-old son to raise. It was an unhappy time for the child and his uncle. The boy rebelled against him and caused him a lot of grief.

In 1826 he caught a cold. It developed into pneumonia * and he died. The world lost a great composer, but his music lives on today. You will enjoy listening to themes from some of his works.

Ludwig van Beethoven The Magnificent Master Ludwig van Beethoven from World of Biography Beethoven by Simon Johnston Beethoven Symphonies listen to themes from some of the symphonies at Amazon Beethoven Piano Sonatas listen to themes from Beethoven sonatas Beethoven pictures and biography Sculptures of Beethoven from Sculpture Gallery.com Beethoven links by William Lane Biographies of Composers from Essentials of Music (click on "Composers" and find Beethoven.) Beethoven online book George Alexander Fischer At biography.com search for Beethoven. Scroll the panel for the "Video & Audio Results".

Beethoven Lives Upstairs - Audiobook on CD By Classical Kids / Children's Book Store Dist. In this tale of genius and childhood, an eccentric new boarder turns a young boy's life upside-down. Ludwig Van Beethoven has moved in upstairs! Young Christoph exchanges letters about the chaotic arrival of Mr. Beethoven and learns to appreciate and understand the great composer and his music. The CD features over two dozen excerpts from Beethoven's music including the Moonlight Sonata, Symphonies #5-9, Fur Elise, Pathetique Sonata, Flute Serenade, and Minuet in G Major.

Ludwig van Beethoven By Mike Venezia / Grolier Publishing Company Author/Illustrator Mike Venezia has been getting to know the world's greatest composers as long as he can remember. A graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Mike believes the best way to introduce children to music an composers is through fun. If children can learn about music in a fun way, and think of composers as real people, the exciting world of music will be open to them for the rest of their lives. In this book Venezia briefly recounts the life of Beethoven who wrote beautiful symphonies and sonatas despite tragic personal problems. He illustrates it with a mix of classic pictures and humorous cartoons.

Fandex Field Guide: Composers By David Bouchier / Workman Publishing This chronological history of composers and their music offers intriguing facts, anecdotes, and musical insights into composers from Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven to Gershwin and Bernstein. 50 color Fandex cards.

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From Word Central's Student Dictionary
by Merriam - Webster
(Pronunciation note: the schwa sound is shown by &)

symphony
Pronunciation: 'sim(p)-f&-nE
Function: noun
.... a usually long musical composition for a full orchestra....

overture
Pronunciation: 'O-v&(r)-"chu(&)r, -ch&r
Function: noun
.... a musical composition played by the orchestra as the introduction to an opera or musical play ....

composition
Pronunciation: "kahm-p&-'zish-&n
Function: noun
.... a literary, musical, or artistic production....

suspicious
Pronunciation: s&-'spish-&s
Function: adjective
1 : likely to arouse suspicion : QUESTIONABLE 2 : likely to suspect or distrust 3 : showing suspicion

pneumonia
Pronunciation: n(y)u-'mO-ny&
Function: noun
: a disease of the lungs marked by inflammation and congestion and caused by infection or irritants

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