The Music of Ludwig Van Beethoven - Essay Example

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany to a family of musicians. His father and grandfather had important roles in the music of the court in their local town. His grandfather had been highly respected as a musician, but his father quickly became more known for his alcoholism. Due to this, Beethoven was put in charge of the family finances and given the tasks of looking after the instruments in the court when he was only a teenager. It was also around this time that he began to study the organ and composition.

The more that he learned, the more that he applied to write his songs and chamber works, events that also took place in his early teenage years. Beethoven spent his teenage and young adult years studying music and composing many of his own works. In 1790, he met the famous musician of the time, Franz Joseph Haydn. In 1792, when he was twenty-two, Beethoven moved to Vienna to study music under Haydn. The age difference between the two men caused difficulties; Haydn, being sixty at the time, was more old-fashioned in both his music and his teaching, while Beethoven was more rebellious with his music.

He did not like conforming to the limitations set down by musicians of the classical era, and Haydn was not as willing to let him experiment. After some time, Beethoven was accepted into the palace of Prince Lichnowsky, where he had more musical freedom; indeed, there were times when Beethoven did not even feel like playing. The prince allowed him these moments, eventually giving Beethoven his own quarters in the palace so that he could have the utmost independence. In the early years, Beethoven focused on writing only keyboard and chamber music pieces.

As he continued to age and grow in his music, he began to experiment with other genres. Between the years 1792 and 1802, Beethoven had his first performances and compositions of keyboard and chamber works. Between 1802 and 1812, Beethoven wrote six symphonies, four concertos, five string quartets, an opera, several orchestral overtures, and numerous piano sonatas, as well as more chamber pieces (Yudkin, pg. 199). Beethoven also established his own personal music style, one that people would be in awe of for centuries to come.

Unfortunately, aside from various music styles, Beethoven discovered something else in 1802: he was gradually going deaf. The majority of his best works took place as his hearing became increasingly worse. Unlike many other people, Beethoven refused to let this simple little flaw get in the way of what he loved the most. In 1815, Beethoven faced yet another dilemma in his life: the death of his brother. In his will, his brother had stated that he wanted the custody of his son to be split up between his wife and Beethoven.

Beethoven, always wanting a family but never doing anything about it, took up the job with great enthusiasm, much to the protest of the boy. After much difficulty, and after his nephew’s attempts at committing suicide, Beethoven gave up his rights entirely to the boy’s mother. Beethoven became slightly depressed during this time, but he allowed his music to flourish. It was in 1817 when he was only forty-seven when Beethoven became fully deaf. Though he was unable to hear his music, this did not stop him from producing his last piano sonatas and his famous Ninth Symphony, one of his most revered works.

Beethoven had become so accustomed to composing his music that he did not need to hear what he was doing to know that he was doing it right. Beethoven continued to compose music until his death in 1827 when he was only fifty-six.