How did Beethoven Start in Music?

Ludwig van Beethoven is a beloved composer of some of the world's finest music. He left the world with a legacy of great compositions that are dynamic and rich. His sweet melodies evoke deep emotion in men and women alike. The world will be forever blessed by his music and he, remembered through the ages. Ludwig van Beethoven was born December, 1770 in the city of Bonn, Germany which was located in the Holy Roman Empire. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but records do show that he was baptized December 17, 1770. He died December March 26, 1827, in Vienna, Austria from of Cirrhosis of the liver. Beethoven's first music teacher was his father. Later, he had other teachers like a court organist Gilles van den Eeden, Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer, and Franz Rovantini. By the age of twelve, Beethoven was already composing on his keyboard. His family was ever grateful because they were in need of money. Spending time at the home of family friends, Eleonore and Stephan van Breuning, Beethoven was influenced by them. They both understood that a child's mind was fragile and would say to him it's our job to keep the insects off the flower. In 1792, lost in his music, Beethoven leaves for Vienna to study under the best teachers. Beethoven played many instruments and used them in some of his compositions. He played instruments such as piano, violin, cello, string quartet, horn, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, viola, and double bass. While Beethoven is famously known as a composer, he was also a bass singer. In 1761, when he was just 21 years old, he became the music director at the court of Elector of Cologne. Beethoven used a variety of instruments for his compositions including pianos, violins, cellos, violas, and contrabass oboe. He did not compose for singers and he did not work for anyone specifically. But, he did have a dream that he would study under Mozart. Beethoven taught piano to the daughters of the Hungarian Countess Anna Brunsvik. He was a regular visitor at her house. He also taught a few other students from 1801 to 1805. One student he taught was Ferdinand Ries. Ries, a German composer, was more than just a pupil to Beethoven; they were also friends. Later, Reis wrote, ‹Beethoven‹ ‹Returns‹ which described his encounters with him. Beethoven also taught Carl Czerny who studied and following Beethoven from 1801 to 1803. Czerny became a renowned music teacher himself. Some of his compositions are greatly known throughout the world. Beethoven's stylistic innovations bridge the Classical and Romantic periods. The works of his early period brought the classical style to its highest level becoming more formal, structural, and harmonic. He also began another trend where he would move the center of the sound downwards in the orchestra, to the violas and the lower register of the violins and cellos, giving the music a heavier and duller feel than Haydn or Mozart. Beethoven's was a man like no other. In 1801 he began to lose his hearing. Yet, he continued to compose beautifully crafted music. Beethoven was more than just a composer; he was an artistic genius with a passion to make music. Beethoven's gift of beautiful music will be appreciated throughout the ages of human history.

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