Transcript Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van
Beethoven
Early Life
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Ludwig was baptized on December 17, 1770 (his
real birth-date is unknown but his parents
celebrated his birthday on December 16)
He was born in Bonn, Germany
His parents were Johann van Beethoven and
Maria Magdalena Keverich
Of seven other children, he and two other siblings
were the only ones who survived infancy
Talent
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Beethoven’s first music teacher was his
father
He was a very harsh teacher
Beethoven’s talent was recognized at a
very early age
By 1778 he was studying the organ, the
viola, and the piano
Expansion of his Career
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In 1787, Beethoven
went to Vienna
Count Waldstein
became his teacher
Here Beethoven met
the great Mozart
The death of his
mother brought him
back to Bonn
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“Watch this lad. Some
day he will force the
world to talk about
him.”
-Mozart
Vienna
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In 1792, Beethoven moved to Vienna
where he studied under Joseph Hayden
His hope of studying under Mozart was
demolished because of Mozart’s death the
previous year
Rather than working for the church (as
many composers had) he supported
himself with his music
Loss of Hearing
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Around 1796, Beethoven began to lose his
hearing
This was caused by a severe form of
tinnitus (a ringing in his ears)
This condition made it hard for him to
perceive and enjoy music
Effects of hearing loss
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Beethoven’s hearing loss became so
extreme, that he had to be turned around to
hear the thunderous applause after the
premiere of his Ninth Symphony. When he
heard nothing he began to weep.
He even had to use a special rod that
attached to his piano that he could bite that
increased his perception of the sound
Decline
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After the custody battle over his nephew,
Beethoven fell into a decline
During a thunderstorm on March 26, 1827,
Beethoven died
Facts
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Beethoven was attracted
to the idea of
enlightenment and
romanticism
He initially dedicated his
third symphony to
Napoleon Bonaparte
Beethoven may have been
a Freemason (this has not
been proven)
His Music
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Beethoven is known as one of the giants of
Western Classical Music
He is referred to as one of the “three B’s”
(along with Bach and Brahms)
He was also a major figure in the transition
from 18th Century musical classicism to 19th
Century romanticism
Summary
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Ludwig van Beethoven was one of the
greatest figures in musical history
He made innovations to every form of
music he touched
In my opinion he was the greatest
composer ever to live in the history of the
world
Sources
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Be
ethoven#music
http://www.lucare.com/immortal/index.html
http://home.swipnet.se/zabonk/cultur/ludwig
/beetbio.htm
Presentation created by Alfons, funfte Stunde Deutsch 1