A short biography of Beethoven. Beethoven, Ludwig van - short biography Beethoven short biography for children short summary

Portrait of 1820
Joseph Karl Stieler

Ludwig van Beethoven... The exact date of birth of Ludwig van Beethoven is unknown, but the estimated date of birth is December 16, 1770. This assumption is made based on the exact date of his baptism - December 17. Bonn became the unchanging homeland for Ludwig.
The Beethoven family was highly educated and musical. It was there, from an early age, that Ludwig was taught to play the organ, flute, violin and harpsichord.
Ludwig van Beethoven received his first serious experience in music education from the composer Christian Gottlob Nefe.
The first work in the art of music dates back to 1782, when the young Beethoven was only 12 years old. Then he began his career as an assistant organist at court. However, Beethoven's activities cannot be limited to one work, except for her, he studied several languages ​​and tried to write musical works.
Beethoven loves to spend time reading a book. His favorite authors were Greek representatives such as Plutarch and Homer, as well as more modern Shakespeare, Goethe and Schiller.
The year 1787 becomes tragic for Ludwig and his entire family. The mother dies, and Beethoven undertakes to take over all material responsibilities. In the same year, he begins to work, playing in an orchestra, simultaneously combining with his studies and university lectures.
At home, Beethoven accidentally meets the great composer Joseph Haydn, where he asks him to take art lessons. But, in order to study music with Haydn, Beethoven was forced to move to Vienna. Even while still unknown, the great Mozart, listening to the musical improvisations of Ludwig Beethoven, says that he will still have time to make the whole world talk about himself. After several classes, Haydn sends Beethoven to study with Johann Albrechtsberger. The next person who passed on the skill to Beethoven was Antonio Salieri.
Everyone who knew Beethoven's work noted that his musical improvisations were filled with gloom, longing and strangeness. However, it was they and the unsurpassed piano playing that brought Beethoven its former glory. While in Vienna and inspired by its nature, Beethoven wrote the Moonlight Sonata and the Pathetic Sonata. All pieces of music differ significantly from the classical techniques of playing the harpsichord.
Ludwig van Beethoven has always been like an open book for friends, while at the same time remaining rude and proud in public.
The following years of Beethoven's life were filled with illness. Severely ill, Ludwig receives a complication in the ear - tinnitus.
Suffering greatly, Beethoven decides to retire to Heiligenstadt, where he begins to work on the Heroic Symphony. Often and fruitfully working and constantly tired, Beethoven completely loses his hearing, moves away from people and society, and remains alone. But, even having lost his hearing, Ludwig did not force himself to leave his beloved art.
The last decade of his life, until 1812, was a real discovery for Beethoven. It was during this period of time that he began to create with a particularly strong desire, creating the well-known works - the Ninth Symphony, as well as the Solemn Mass.
Biographical information of this time period was for Ludwig filled with special popularity, fame and vocation. Despite the fact that the policy of the authorities took a rather strict position in relation to all creators of great art, no one dared to offend Ludwig Beethoven.
But, unfortunately, the excessive worries of Beethoven, who took care of his nephew, too quickly aged the musician.
So, on March 26, 1827, Ludwig Beethoven dies due to severe liver disease.

Ludwig Van Beethoven is a famous deaf composer who has created 650 pieces of music that are recognized as the world's classics. The life of a talented musician is marked by a constant struggle with difficulties and hardships.

In the winter of 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born in a poor quarter of Bonn. The baby was baptized on December 17th. The boy's grandfather and father are distinguished by their singing talent, therefore they work in the court chapel. The childhood years of the baby can hardly be called happy, because a constantly drunk father and a beggarly existence do not contribute to the development of talent.

Ludwig bitterly recalls his own room, located in the attic, where there was an old harpsichord and an iron bed. Johann (dad) often drank himself into unconsciousness and beat his wife, taking out the evil. The son also got beatings from time to time. Mom Maria dearly loved the only surviving child, sang songs to the baby and brightened up the gray gloomy everyday life as best she could.

Ludwig showed musical talent at an early age, which was immediately noticed by Johann. Envious of fame and talent, whose name is already thundering in Europe, he decided to raise a similar genius from his own child. Now the kid's life was filled with exhausting lessons of playing the piano and violin.

The father, finding out the boy's giftedness, made him practice 5 instruments at the same time - organ, harpsichord, viola, violin, flute. Young Louis pored for hours on the music. The slightest mistakes were punishable by flogging and beatings. Johann invited teachers to his son, whose lessons were mostly mediocre and haphazard.

The man sought to quickly train Ludwig in concert activities in the hope of royalties. Johann even asked for an increase in salary at work, promising to arrange a gifted son in the chapel of the archbishop. But the family did not heal better, since the money was spent on alcohol. At the age of six, Louis, urged by his father, gives a concert in Cologne. But the royalties received were tiny.

Thanks to maternal support, the young genius began to improvise and take notes on his own works. Nature generously endowed the child with talent, but the development was difficult and painful. Ludwig was so deeply immersed in the melodies created in consciousness that he could not get out of this state on his own.

In 1782, Christian Gottloba was appointed director of the court chapel, who became Louis's teacher. The man saw in the youth glimpses of giftedness and took up his education. Realizing that musical skills do not give full development, he instills in Ludwig a love of literature, philosophy and ancient languages. , become idols of the young genius. Beethoven eagerly studies the works of Handel, dreaming of working together with Mozart.

The young man first visited the musical capital of Europe, Vienna, in 1787, where he met Wolfgang Amadeus. The renowned composer, hearing Ludwig's improvisations, was delighted. To the astonished audience, Mozart said:

“Keep your eyes on this boy. One day the world will talk about him. "

Beethoven agreed with the maestro about several lessons, which had to be interrupted due to his mother's illness.

Returning to Bonn and burying his mother, the young man plunged into despair. This painful moment in his biography had a negative impact on the musician's work. The young man is forced to look after his two younger brothers and endure his father's drunken antics. The young man turned to the prince for financial help, who assigned the family a allowance of 200 thalers. The ridicule of the neighbors and the mockery of the children greatly wounded Ludwig, who said that he would get out of poverty and earn money by his own labor.

The talented young man found patrons in Bonn, who provided free access to musical meetings and salons. The Breuning family took custody of Louis, who taught music to their daughter Lorkhen. The girl married Dr. Wegeler. Until the end of his life, the teacher maintained friendly relations with this couple.

Music

In 1792, Beethoven went to Vienna, where he quickly found friends and patrons of the arts. In order to improve his skills in instrumental music he turned to, to whom he brought his own works to be tested. The relationship between the musicians immediately went wrong, as Haydn was annoyed by the obstinate student. Then the young man takes lessons from Schenk and Albrechtsberger. He is improving vocal writing together with Antonio Salieri, who introduced the young man to the circle of professional musicians and titled persons.

A year later, Ludwig van Beethoven composes the music for the Ode to Joy, written by Schiller in 1785 for the Masonic Lodge. Throughout his life, the maestro modifies the anthem, strives for the triumphant sound of the composition. The audience heard the symphony, which caused fierce delight, only in May 1824.

Soon, Beethoven became Vienna's fashionable pianist. In 1795, the young musician made his debut in the salon. Having played three piano trios and three sonatas of his own composition, he charmed his contemporaries. Those present noted the stormy temperament, richness of imagination and the depth of Louis' feelings. Three years later, the man is overtaken by a terrible disease - tinnitus, which develops slowly but surely.

Beethoven hid his malaise for 10 years. The surrounding people did not even know about the pianist's deafness that had begun, and reservations and answers were not in vain attributed to absent-mindedness and inattention. In 1802 he wrote the "Heiligenstadt testament", addressed to the brothers. In the work, Louis describes his own mental suffering and excitement for the future. The man orders this confession to be announced only after death.

The letter to Dr. Wegeler contains the line: "I will not give up and take fate by the throat!" The vitality and expression of the genius was expressed in the enchanting Second Symphony and three violin sonatas. Realizing that he would soon become completely deaf, he set to work with zeal. This period is considered the heyday of the work of the brilliant pianist.

The "Pastoral Symphony" of 1808 consists of five movements and occupies a separate place in the master's life. The man loved to relax in remote villages, communicated with nature and pondered new masterpieces. The fourth movement of the symphony is called “The Thunderstorm. The Tempest ", where the master conveys the raging elements of the raging, using the piano, trombones and piccolo flute.

In 1809, Ludwig received an offer from the management of the city theater to write the musical accompaniment to the drama "Egmont" by Goethe. As a sign of respect for the writer's work, the pianist refused monetary rewards. The man wrote music in parallel with theatrical rehearsals. Actress Antonia Adamberger joked about the composer, confessing that she had no singing talent. In response to the perplexed look, she skillfully performed the aria. Beethoven did not appreciate humor and said sternly:

"I see that you can still perform overtures, I will go and write these songs."

From 1813 to 1815 he wrote fewer works, since he finally loses his hearing. A brilliant mind finds a way out. Louis uses a thin wooden stick to "hear" the music. One tip of the plate is clamped with teeth, and the other is leaning against the front panel of the instrument. And thanks to the transmitted vibration, it feels the sound of the instrument.

The compositions of this period of life are filled with tragedy, depth and philosophical meaning. The works of the greatest musician are becoming classics for contemporaries and descendants.

Personal life

The personal history of the gifted pianist is extremely tragic. Ludwig was considered a commoner among the aristocratic elite, so he had no right to claim noble maidens. In 1801 he fell in love with the young Countess Julie Guicciardi. The feelings of the young people were not mutual, since the girl simultaneously met with Count von Gallenberg, whom she married two years after they met. The composer expressed the torment of love and the bitterness of the loss of his beloved in the Moonlight Sonata, which became a hymn of unrequited love.

From 1804 to 1810, Beethoven was passionately in love with Josephine Brunswick, the widow of Count Joseph Deim. The woman enthusiastically responds to the courtship and letters of an ardent lover. But the romance ended at the insistence of Josephine's relatives, who are sure that the commoner will not become a worthy candidate for wife. After a painful breakup, the man proposes to Teresa Malfatti on principle. He is refused and writes the masterpiece sonata "To Eliza".

The emotional excitement he experienced so upset the impressionable Beethoven that he decided to spend the rest of his life in splendid isolation. In 1815, after the death of his brother, he was involved in a legal battle related to the custody of his nephew. The child's mother has a reputation as a walking woman, so the court upheld the musician's demands. It soon became clear that Karl (nephew) had inherited his mother's bad habits.

The uncle brings up the boy in severity, tries to instill a love of music and eradicate alcohol and gambling addiction. Having no children of his own, a man is not experienced in teaching and does not stand on ceremony with a spoiled youth. Another scandal leads the guy to a suicide attempt, which was unsuccessful. Ludwig sends Charles to the army.

Death

In 1826, Louis caught a cold and fell ill with pneumonia. Stomach pains were added to the pulmonary disease. The doctor miscalculated the dosage of the medicine, so the malaise progressed daily. 6 months old man is bedridden. At this time, Beethoven was visited by friends trying to alleviate the suffering of the dying.

The talented composer died at the age of 57 - March 26, 1827. On this day, a thunderstorm raged outside the windows, and the moment of death was marked by a terrible thunderclap. Autopsy revealed that the master's liver had decomposed and the auditory and adjacent nerves were damaged. On his last journey, Beethoven was seen off by 20,000 townspeople, leading the funeral procession. The musician was buried at the Väring cemetery of the Holy Trinity Church.

• At the age of 12, he published a collection of variations for keyboards.
• He was considered the first musician to whom the city council awarded a cash allowance.
• He wrote 3 love letters to the "Immortal Beloved", found only after his death.
• Beethoven wrote the only opera called Fidelio. There are no more similar works in the biography of the master.
• The greatest delusion of contemporaries is that Ludwig wrote the following works: "Music of Angels" and "Melody of Rain Tears". These compositions were created by other pianists.
• He appreciated friendship and helped those in need.
• I could work on 5 works at the same time.
• In 1809, when he bombarded the city, he was worried that he would lose his hearing from the explosions of shells. Therefore, he hid in the basement of the house and covered his ears with pillows.
• In 1845, the first monument dedicated to the composer was unveiled in Beaune.
• The Beatles' song "Because" is based on "Moonlight Sonata" played in reverse order.
• “Ode to Joy” has been appointed as the anthem of the European Union.
• He died of lead poisoning due to medical error.
• Modern psychiatrists believe that he suffered from bipolar disorder.
• Beethoven's photographs are printed on German postage stamps.

Discography

Symphonies

• First C major op. 21 (1800)
• Second D major op. 36 (1802)
• Third E-major "Heroic" op. 56 (1804)
• Fourth B-dur op. 60 (1806)
• Fifth c-moll op. 67 (1805-1808)
• Sixth F major "Pastoral" op. 68 (1808)
• Seventh A-dur op. 92 (1812)
• Eighth F major op. 93 (1812)
• Ninth d-moll op. 125 (with chorus, 1822-1824)

Overtures

• "Prometheus" from op. 43 (1800)
• "Coriolanus" op. 62 (1806)
• "Leonora" No. 1, op. 138 (1805)
• "Leonora" No. 2, op. 72 (1805)
• "Leonora" No. 3, op. 72a (1806)
• "Fidelio" op. 726 (1814)
• "Egmont" from op. 84 (1810)
• "Ruins of Athens" from op. 113 (1811)
• "King Stephen" from op. 117 (1811)
• "Birthday" op. 115 (18 (4)
• "Consecration of the House" cf. 124 (1822)

More than 40 dances and marches for symphony and brass band

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in an era of great changes, the main one of which was the French Revolution. That is why the theme of heroic struggle has become the main theme in the composer's work. The struggle for republican ideals, the desire for change, a better future - these were the ideas that Beethoven lived with.

Childhood and youth

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn (Austria), where he spent his childhood. Frequently changing teachers were involved in the upbringing of the future composer, his father's friends taught him to play various musical instruments.

Realizing that his son has a musical talent, his father, wanting to see the second Mozart in Beethoven, began to force the boy to study for a long time and persistently. However, hopes were not justified, Ludwig was not a child prodigy, but he received good compositional knowledge. And thanks to this, at the age of 12, his first work was published: "Piano Variations on the Dressler's March".

At the age of 11, Beethoven began working in a theater orchestra without finishing school. Until the end of his days, he wrote with errors. However, the composer read a lot and learned French, Italian and Latin without assistance.

The early period of Beethoven's life was not the most productive, for ten years (1782-1792) only about fifty works were written.

Vienna period

Realizing that he still has a lot to learn, Beethoven moved to Vienna. Here he attends composition lessons and acts as a pianist. Many connoisseurs of music patronize him, but the composer behaves coldly and proudly with them, sharply responding to insults.

This period is notable for its scale, two symphonies appear, "Christ on the Mount of Olives" - the famous and only oratorio. But at the same time, the disease - deafness - makes itself felt. Beethoven realizes that she is incurable and progresses rapidly. From hopelessness and doom, the composer delves into creativity.

Central period

This period dates from 1802-1012 and is characterized by the flourishing of Beethoven's talent. After overcoming the suffering caused by the disease, he saw the similarity of his struggle with the struggle of the revolutionaries in France. Beethoven's works embodied these ideas of fortitude and steadfastness of spirit. They were especially vividly manifested in the "Heroic Symphony" (Symphony No. 3), the opera "Fidelio", "Appassionata" (Sonata No. 23).

Transition period

This period lasts from 1812 to 1815. At this time, great changes are taking place in Europe, after the end of the reign of Napoleon, its implementation is going to strengthen the reactionary-monarchist tendencies.

Following the political changes, the cultural situation also changes. Literature and music depart from Beethoven's usual heroic classicism. Romanticism begins to take over the vacated positions. The composer accepts these changes, creates a symphonic fantasy "The Battle of Wattoria", the cantata "Happy Moment". Both creations are very popular with the public.

However, not all of Beethoven's works of this period are like that. Paying tribute to the new fashion, the composer begins to experiment, look for new ways and musical techniques. Many of these finds were considered genius.

Later creativity

The last years of Beethoven's life were marked by political decline in Austria and the composer's progressive illness - deafness became absolute. Without a family, immersed in silence, Beethoven took up his nephew, but he only brought grief.

Beethoven's works of the late period are strikingly different from everything that he wrote earlier. Romanticism takes over, and the ideas of struggle and confrontation between light and dark acquire a philosophical character.

In 1823, the greatest creation (as he himself believed) of Beethoven was born - "Solemn Mass", which was first performed in St. Petersburg.

Beethoven: "Towards Elise"

This work became the most famous creation of Beethoven. However, bagatelle no. 40 (formal name) was not widely known during the composer's lifetime. The manuscript was discovered only after the death of the composer. In 1865 it was discovered by Ludwig Zero, a researcher of Beethoven's work. He received it from the hands of a certain woman who claimed that it was a gift. It was not possible to establish the time of writing the bagatelle, since it was dated April 27 without indicating the year. In 1867, the work was published, but the original, unfortunately, was lost.

Who is Eliza, to whom the piano miniature is dedicated, is not known for certain. There is even an assumption put forward by Max Unger (1923) that the work was originally called "To Teresa", and Zero simply misread Beethoven's handwriting. If we accept this version as true, then the play is dedicated to the composer's student, Teresa Malfatti. Beethoven was in love with a girl and even proposed to her, but was refused.

Despite the many wonderful and wonderful works written for the piano, Beethoven for many is inextricably linked with this mysterious and enchanting piece.

Ludwig van Beethoven - a brilliant composer, was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn, died on March 26, 1827 in Vienna. His grandfather was a court bandmaster in Bonn (d. 1773), his father Johann was a tenor in the elector's chapel (d. 1792). The initial training of Beethoven was directed by his father, later he passed on to many teachers, which in subsequent years caused him complaints of insufficient and unsatisfactory training in his youth. With his piano playing and free fantasizing, Beethoven aroused general surprise early on. In 1781 he made a concert tour of Holland. By 1782-85. the appearance in print of his first works belongs. In 1784 he was appointed, at the age of 13, the second court organist. In 1787, Beethoven went to Vienna, where he met Mozart and took some lessons from him.

Portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven. Painter J.K.Stieler, 1820

Upon returning from there, his financial situation improved, thanks to the fate that Count Waldstein and the von Breuping family took in him. In the Bonn court chapel, Beethoven played the viola, improving at the same time in playing the piano. Beethoven's further attempts at composing date back to this time, but the works of this period did not appear in print. In 1792, with the support of Elector Max Franz, brother of Emperor Joseph II, Beethoven went to Vienna to study with Haydn. Here for two years he was a student of the latter, as well as Albrechtsberger and Salieri... In the person of Baron van Swieten and Princess Lichnovskaya, Beethoven found ardent admirers of his genius talent.

Beethoven. The story of the composer's life

In 1795 he made his first public appearance as a consummate artist: both as a virtuoso and as a composer. Beethoven had to stop the concert travels that had been undertaken as a virtuoso, due to the increasing hearing impairment that appeared in him in 1798, which subsequently ended in complete deafness. This circumstance left its stamp on Beethoven's character and influenced all his future activities, forcing him to gradually abandon public performance on the piano.

From now on, he devotes himself almost exclusively to composing and partly to teaching. In 1809, Beethoven received an invitation to take the post of Westphalian Kapellmeister in Kassel, but at the insistence of his friends and students, which he, especially in the upper strata of Vienna, did not lack, and who promised to provide him with an annual rent, remains in Vienna. In 1814 he was once again the subject of general attention at the Vienna Congress. Since that time, the increasing deafness and hypochondriacal mood, which did not leave him even until his death, forced him to almost completely abandon society. This, however, did not chill his inspiration: to the late period of his life such major works as the last three symphonies and "Solemn Mass" (Missa solennis) belong.

Ludwig van Beethoven. The best works

After the death of his brother, Karl (1815), Beethoven assumed the duties of guardian over his young son, who caused him much grief and trouble. The severe suffering, which gave his works a special imprint and led to dropsy, put an end to his life: he died 57 years old. His remains, buried at the Wering Cemetery, were then transferred to an honorary grave in the central cemetery in Vienna. A bronze monument adorns him one of the squares of Bonn (1845), another monument was erected to him in 1880 in Vienna.

About the composer's works - see the article Beethoven's Works - briefly. Links to essays about other outstanding musicians - see below, in the "More on the topic ..."

Ludwig van Beethoven is an outstanding German composer of world importance. He is the latest representative of the "Viennese classical school". Beethoven's creative heritage includes works of various genres: sonatas and concerts for various instruments - violin, piano, cello, overture, symphony, opera, etc. The composer's work influenced the development of musical art not only in the nineteenth, but also in the twentieth century.

Childhood and youth

Beethoven's probable date of birth is December 16, 1770. It is known for certain that he was baptized in Bonn on the seventeenth of December of the same year. Ludwig's father, a singer of the court chapel, began teaching his son music from an early age. The boy studied violin, organ, harpsichord and flute.

The young musician was greatly influenced by his teacher Christian Gottlob Nefe. With his help, the first work of the twelve-year-old Ludwig was published - "Variations on the theme of E. Dressler's march." Then the young Beethoven began working as an assistant to the court organist.

At the age of seventeen, Ludwig travels to Vienna to take lessons from V.A. Mozart. However, due to the death of his mother, he was forced to return to take care of his younger brothers.

The most famous of the compositions of the early period is the song "Marmot" to the verses of I.V. Goethe.

Young years and the flourishing of musical creativity

Again the young musician returned to Vienna in 1792 and settled there forever. Initially takes lessons in composition from Joseph Haydn. However, the teacher and the student do not find mutual understanding and part. Beethoven continued his studies with the teacher and musicologist I.G. Albrechtsberger and composer Antonio Salieri.

Very soon the young man won recognition as a virtuoso pianist and improviser. His manner of performance was fundamentally different from the generally accepted one in those years. Beethoven actively uses the pedal, the extreme registers of the instrument and often uses chords. In fact, it was a fundamentally new style of piano performance was created.

Possessing a fantastic capacity for work, Beethoven created in his youth (up to 35 years old) a number of works that later became world classics of musical art:

• Piano Sonata in C sharp minor (Moonlight) - 1801
• "Kreutzer Sonata" for violin and piano - 1803
• "Heroic" Symphony No. 3 - 1804
• Sonata for piano "Apassionata" - 1805
• Opera "Fidelio" - 1804

Despite the universal recognition and successful publication of musical compositions, Beethoven's life was already darkened by a tragic illness from the age of twenty-seven. The composer began to rapidly lose his hearing. It soon became apparent that the disease was irreversible. Despite this, Beethoven tried to hide his misfortune from those around him for many years.

Mature years

Deafness makes Beethoven withdrawn and unsociable. Many contemporaries noted his difficult, quarrelsome character. The disease aggravated these traits. Since 1819, the composer has been able to communicate with others only through recordings, many of which have survived to this day.

Despite the misfortune, the inner ear allowed the genius in his later years to create a number of outstanding musical masterpieces. The most significant works of his mature years are the Ninth Symphony with Chorus and Solemn Mass.

The Ninth Symphony is the last work of the composer in this genre. For the first time, a choir with soloists was involved in a symphonic work along with the instruments of the orchestra.

The Mass, written for organ, orchestra, choir and soloists, took four years to complete (from 1019 to 1823). The first performance took place in St. Petersburg, which was facilitated by Prince Nikolai Golitsyn, who patronized Beethoven. Only after the death of the composer, in 1830, the work was performed within the walls of the church.

In the same period, the last sonatas for piano (nos. 28 - 32), the vocal cycle "To a Distant Beloved", works for a string quartet were written.

Despite his lifetime fame and recognition, Beethoven died at the age of fifty-six, in March 1827. It is believed that this was facilitated by worries about the unlucky nephew, to whom the composer was strongly attached and in whose fate he took part.

The grave of Ludwig van Beethoven is located in Vienna, in the Central Cemetery.

The composer's legacy

The most significant works of the world cultural heritage:

• Nine symphonies
• Five Concertos for Piano and Orchestra
• Thirty-two sonatas for piano
• "Solemn Mass" in five parts

Beethoven was also a talented teacher, having brought up a number of talented students, including the later famous composer - pianist Karl Cerny.

The composer's works are still actively performed in prestigious concert halls around the world.