Ludwig Van Beethoven: The Composer Who Didn't Hear. The last years of Beethoven's life

Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous and talented composers in history. Together with Mozart, he is often called the greatest musicians of all times and peoples.

Beethoven's biography is interesting because, despite his complete deafness, he managed to write more than 650 brilliant works.

Soon, Ludwig became interested in reading world classics. Along with this, he was delighted with the work of Handel, Bach and, of course, Mozart, with whom the boy dreamed of performing on the same stage.

In 1787 his dream came true. Once in Vienna, he met his idol. He even managed to play some of his own compositions for him, which Mozart was delighted to hear.

After the end of Beethoven's playing, he openly declared: "Keep your eyes on this boy - one day the world will talk about him." A further biography of Beethoven showed that these words were prophetic.

Ludwig wanted to meet the great Mozart again, but because of his mother's illness, from which she later died, he had to urgently return home.

The death of his mother was a real tragedy for Beethoven. He became disheartened and for a time had no interest in music at all. Moreover, now he had to take care of two little brothers and constantly endure the drunken antics of his father.

In addition, he was ridiculed by his peers, because he claimed that thanks to his writings he would soon become very rich.

Soon a bright streak began in his biography. In Bonn, the composer met the Breuning family, who took him under their protection. Ludwig began to teach music to their daughter Lorchen, with whom he maintained friendly relations even in adulthood.

Creative biography

In 1792, the young Beethoven went to Vienna, where he managed to find good friends-philanthropists. He was well aware that he should improve his skills, so he decided to seek help from Joseph Haydn.

However, the relationship between them did not work out, as Haydn was annoyed by Beethoven's tough temper. After that, Ludwig began to study with Schenk and Albrechtsberger. Antonio Salieri helped him to be in the circle of recognized musicians.

At this time, Beethoven begins work on the "Ode to Joy", which he has been improving over the years. The audience heard this magnificent composition only in 1824.

From that moment on, the composer's popularity begins to grow every day. Beethoven becomes one of the most sought-after composers in Vienna. In 1795 he gives his debut concert, in which his works are heard.

The ingenious music made a strong impression on the audience, which appreciated the talent of Ludwig van Beethoven.

After 3 years, he was diagnosed with a serious illness - tinnitus, which slowly progressed over 10 years. She led the musician to the most tragic point in his biography - complete deafness.

Here it is worth noting one interesting fact. Some biographers claim that Ludwig had a strange habit: before starting work, he dipped his head in cold water.

It is believed that this is what led to the progression of the disease and subsequent deafness.

However, despite all the difficulties and inconveniences associated with the disease, Beethoven did not give up. As if in spite of fate, he managed to write a light and cheerful "Second Symphony".

Realizing that he is about to go completely deaf, the composer begins to work actively day and night. It was during this period that he wrote some of his best works.

Beethoven at home at work

In 1808, Beethoven created the famous "Pastoral Symphony", consisting of 5 parts.

In 1809, he received a lucrative offer to write music for the drama Egmont.

It is worth noting that the composer refused the proposed fee, since he was a connoisseur of the work of the German writer.

In 1815, he finally lost his hearing, but Beethoven was no longer able to give up music. Unexpectedly, he finds a perfect way out.

To "hear" the music, Beethoven uses a wooden cane. He clamps one end of it in his teeth, and the other touches the front panel of the instrument.

Thanks to the vibration, he felt the playing of the instrument, which greatly encouraged and delighted him. The composer continues to write works that become classics during his lifetime.

It is authentically known that Ludwig never liked officials. After he became deaf, his communication with friends took the form of correspondence. In the so-called "conversational notebooks" they conducted various dialogues.

The musician Schindler had 3 such notebooks, but he was forced to burn them, as there were many attacks and harsh words in relation to the current government.

Biographers say that one day, while walking with Jogang Goethe in the Czech city of Teplice, they met Emperor Franz surrounded by a large crowd of courtiers.

Incident in Teplice

Goethe stepped aside and bowed respectfully, in full accordance with the then accepted customs.

Beethoven did not even think of turning off his path. He passed through the retinue crowding around the monarch, barely touching his hat.

On this occasion, a picture was even painted, which you can see above.

Personal life

In the biography of Beethoven there were many tragedies associated with women. Despite the colossal achievements in the musical field, he was still considered a commoner among the elite. Because of this, he could not propose to an upper-class girl.

In 1801, Ludwig falls in love with Countess Julie Guicciardi. But the girl does not reciprocate his feelings and will soon marry another.

Unrequited love was a real blow to Beethoven. He expressed his feelings in the "Moonlight Sonata", which is performed all over the world today.

Beethoven's next passion is the widowed Countess Josephine Brunswick, who responded to the courtship of the talented composer. However, Josephine's relatives reminded her that the commoner was not a match for her, as a result of which she stopped communicating with him.

Having survived the second love drama, the composer proposes to Teresa Malfatti and is again refused. After that, he writes a brilliant sonata "To Elise".

The most famous portrait of Beethoven

The listed events of the biography influenced Beethoven so strongly that he decided to remain a bachelor until the end of his life.

In 1815 his brother died, leaving behind his son Karl. Circumstances develop in such a way that it is Beethoven who has to become the guardian for the boy.

It soon became clear that the nephew has a weakness for alcohol. No matter how Beethoven tried to instill in Karl a love of music and eradicate the attraction to drinking, he did not succeed.

It got to the point that one day the young man wanted to commit suicide, but fortunately he failed to carry out his plan. Ultimately, the composer sent his nephew to serve in the army.

Death

In 1826, Beethoven fell ill with pneumonia, and soon he was also plagued by stomach pains. Due to improper treatment, the disease progressed more and more.

Ludwig was so weak that he could not even walk. Because of this, he spent six months in bed with severe pain.

March 26, 1827 Ludwig van Beethoven died. An autopsy revealed that his liver had completely decomposed.

About 20,000 people came to say goodbye to Beethoven, which once again proved the people's love for him. Burial took place at Waring Cemetery.

Some interesting facts from the biography of Beethoven

• Beethoven was the first musician to receive a cash allowance from the city council.
• In the 21st century, the myth that the compositions "Music of Angels" and "Melody of Rain Tears" were written by Beethoven is popular. In fact, they have nothing to do with the great composer.
• Beethoven highly valued friendship and always helped the poor, although he himself lived in constant need.
• Could simultaneously work on 5 works.
• In 1809, when he bombarded the city, Beethoven was worried that he would lose his hearing from the explosions of the shells. So he hid in the basement of the house and covered his ears with pillows.
• In 1845, the first monument dedicated to the composer was opened in Beaune.
• The Beatles song "Because" is based on "Moonlight Sonata" played in reverse order.
• Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" is the anthem of the European Union.
• Beethoven died from lead poisoning due to a medical error.

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Ludwig van Beethoven - the great German composer, one of the famous "Viennese classics", conductor and pianist.

Biography

Childhood

Beethoven's father, Johann, was a singer (tenor) in the court chapel. Mother, Mary Magdalene (nee - Keverich), was the daughter of a chef who worked at the court. He was the eldest son in the family and had six younger brothers.

Education

His father wanted to make a second Mozart out of little Ludwig, from a young age he taught him to play the violin and harpsichord. In 1780, Christian Gottlob Nefe, an organist and composer, arrived in Bonn. He became a real teacher of Beethoven. Due to poverty, Ludwig dropped out of school, but taught himself Latin, French and Italian.

creative way

At the age of 12, Ludwig is already working, because after the death of his grandfather, the family is in need. At the same time, Nefe helps him publish his first essay.

After the death of his mother in 1887, Beethoven joined the orchestra as a violist. Wishing to continue his studies and get an education, in 1789 the composer began attending university lectures. Supports the French Revolution that took place in those years, enters Freemasonry.

He is actively involved in teaching, teaching music to his numerous students, including Stefan Breining, Ferdinand Ries, Karl Czerny, Theodor Leshetitsky.

After meeting Haydn, Beethoven leaves for Vienna to take lessons from the great composer.

Haydn's and Beethoven's views on music differ: the teacher is frightened by the gloomy tone of the student's musical compositions. Soon Antonio Salieri becomes Beethoven's teacher.

Despite his almost always casual appearance - disheveled hair, shabby clothes - Beethoven conquers Vienna with his virtuoso piano playing. His character is quite complex, he is quarrelsome and has a high opinion of himself.

For 10 years of the Viennese period, Beethoven becomes a popular composer. Here he wrote 20 sonatas for piano, 3 piano concertos, 8 sonatas for violin, many quartets and other chamber works, the oratorio "Christ on the Mount of Olives", the First and Second Symphonies, the ballet "Creations of Prometheus".

But from 1796, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He is diagnosed with an incurable diagnosis - inflammation of the inner ear (tinitis). Solitude in little Heiligenstadt does not bring relief. Beethoven writes a letter, called the Heiligenstadt testament, in which the composer describes his terrible and painful experiences about his illness.

In the last years of his life, he constantly criticized the authorities. However, he is so popular that the government does not touch him. Beethoven becomes sullen, irritable, unsociable. Almost without leaving home, he creates his most famous works (Third Symphony, opera "Fidelio"). Hearing leaves him completely. He communicates with relatives and friends exclusively through conversational notebooks.

Beethoven's liver begins to collapse.

Personal life

The personal life of the composer was full of secrets, but it never worked out, although there were always many women around him.

In Vienna, his student was the beautiful Countess Juliet Guicciardi, whom the composer became seriously interested in and even thought about marrying. He dedicated his beautiful Moonlight Sonata to her. However, the countess married Count Gallenberg, whom she considered the best composer.

Beethoven's passion was another of his students, the beautiful Teresa Brunswick. She devoted herself to the cause of raising children and charity, but she had a long heartfelt friendship with the composer. After Beethoven's death, a tender letter was found, the addressee of which is unknown, but many biographers of the composer consider it to be Teresa Brunswick. The letter is famous under the name "Letter to the immortal beloved."

The last hope for happiness for Beethoven was Bettina Brentano, Goethe's friend, a German writer. But here, too, failure awaited him: in 1811, she married another, the writer Achim von Arnim. Happiness bypassed the great composer.

Death

Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827. More than twenty thousand people saw off his coffin to his favorite tune - the funeral mass Requiem in C minor by Luigi Cherubini.

Beethoven's main achievements

• Beethoven is rightfully the key figure in Western classical music.
• This is one of the most performed composers in the world.
• Beethoven wrote in all genres: opera, choral compositions, music for dramatic performances.
• Author of immortal instrumental works: overtures, violin, piano and cello sonatas, symphonies, concertos for violin and piano, quartets.
• His work had a huge impact on the symphony of the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Beethoven created a new piano style, opposing extreme registers, using the pedal extensively, using massive chordal harmonies.

Important dates in Beethoven's biography

• 1770 - birth
• 1778 - the first performance of the little Beethoven in Cologne
• 1780 - studying with Nefe
• 1782 - work as an assistant to the court organist, publication of the first composition, variations on the theme of Dressler's march
• 1887 - death of mother, position of violist in the orchestra
• 1789 attending lectures at the university
• 1792 - the beginning of the Viennese period
• 1796 - the beginning of the disease
• 1781 - "Moonlight Sonata"
• 1803 - "Kreutzer Sonata"
• 1805 - opera "Fidelio"
• 1824 - Ninth Symphony
• 1827 - death

• Before creating another immortal masterpiece, Beethoven dipped his head in ice water. Most likely, this was the main cause of hearing loss. But the habit was so strong that the composer could not give it up until the end of his days.
• In 1822, Carl Czerny, a former student of Beethoven, entered the training of a Hungarian boy named Liszt. Hearing him at a concert, Beethoven was excited by his playing and silently kissed the little pianist. Liszt kept the memory of this kiss all his life. It was this Hungarian boy, who later became a great composer, who inherited Beethoven's unique playing style. In 1839, having arrived in Bonn and learned that the Beethoven monument was not erected due to a lack of state funds, Liszt was indignant for a long time, and then donated the missing amount. The monument was completed.
• On March 26, the day of Beethoven's death, a terrible snow storm raged over Vienna, a terrible lightning flashed. The dying composer suddenly stretched out on his bed, raised himself, shook his fist at the sky and died.
• In 2007, Christian Reiter, a Viennese forensic expert, after examining Beethoven's preserved hair, concluded that the lead content in the composer's body exceeded the permissible limit, which could have caused death. According to his assumptions, Beethoven's attending physician Andreas Vavruh regularly pierced the patient's peritoneum, and applied lotions of lead to the resulting wound.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 1770 in the family of a court musician. Secrets accompanied the musical classic all his life - from birth to the grave - and even today there are unresolved mysteries associated with the name of the great composer.

Was it a boy?

The very birth of the German genius is shrouded in mystery. He was baptized on December 17th. In the past, his date of birth was considered to be December 16, since according to the Catholic tradition, babies were baptized the day after they were born. His family also celebrated the boy's birthday on the 16th. However, there is no written evidence that he was born on that day.

Another myth from the "early Beethoven": it was believed that Ludwig's mother was sick with tuberculosis, and his father with syphilis. Their first child was born blind, the second died during childbirth, the third was deaf and dumb, and the fourth had tuberculosis.

Nothing is known for certain about diseases in the Beethoven family. The level of development of medicine at that time was low, children really often died at birth or in the first years of life. In addition, there is evidence that the father of the family was an alcoholic. This increased the risk of neonatal mortality: out of seven children, four died in infancy.

Flemish roots

Although the future classic of the Viennese school was born in Bonn, the prefix "van" is present in his surname. This is easily explained: the van Beethoven family comes from Flanders. The bandmaster's grandfather, after whom the musician was named, was from Mechelen, a city in Belgium, between Brussels and Antwerp. Hence the prefix before the name.

In a small electorate, the family keeps memories of Meheln, Louvain and Antwerp. It is said that "van Beethoven" means "red beet garden".

Grandfather Ludwig was a respectable man, respected by all. In the portrait that Beethoven kept in his Vienna, the grandfather is depicted in a beret, in a fur coat trimmed with fur, and his whole Flemish appearance is full of dignity. Beethoven treated him with great respect.

In the footsteps of Mozart

Beethoven was born at a time when talk about the brilliant talent of Mozart had not subsided yet. Ludwig's father, who devoted his whole life to music, caught fire with the idea of ​​​​making a second miracle child out of his son.

The boy for 8 hours, or even more, practiced the harpsichord under the sensitive gaze of an ambitious father. It is traditionally believed that Beethoven Sr. was very severe in relation to the offspring, who "often was in tears behind the instrument." However, the researchers believe that there is no reliable documentary evidence for this, and that "speculation and myth-making have done their job."

Be that as it may, although Ludwig did not become a genius, the daily drill helped develop the boy's natural talent and subsequently make him the greatest musician who masterfully composed in all genres that existed at that time, including opera, music for dramatic performances, choral compositions.

He gave his first concert in Cologne at the age of eight, at the age of 12 he freely played the harpsichord, violin, and organ.

Diagnosis: Silence

Beethoven began to lose his hearing around 1796.

He suffered from a severe form of hearing impairment: "ringing" in the ears prevented him from perceiving and appreciating music, and at a later stage of the disease he also avoided talking.

The cause of Beethoven's deafness is unknown. Assumptions such as syphilis, lead poisoning, typhus, systemic lupus erythematosus are expressed. According to one version, even the habit of dipping your head in cold water in order not to fall asleep affected the composer's health.

Over time, his hearing became so weakened that at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to turn around to see how enthusiastic fans applauded.

In the last years of his life, Beethoven, with the persistence of a fanatic, continued to write music, but was forced to completely abandon performances. Progressive deafness brought him true suffering. Beethoven is said to have destroyed his piano when, trying in vain to hear the sounds made by the instrument, he struck the keys with incredible force.

One result of the deafness is a unique piece of historical material: the notebooks that Beethoven used to communicate with friends for the past ten or so years. For performers of his music, they are an important source of information about the author's opinion on the interpretation of his compositions.

lead poisoning

The composer died at the age of 56 in 1827.

As evidenced by the facts of Beethoven's biography, from about 20 years old he was tormented by abdominal pains, which became more and more severe with age.

American scientists, having examined the hair and fragments of Beethoven's skull, came to the conclusion that the German composer could have died from prolonged lead poisoning: the content of this metal in the remains was 100 times higher than the norm. How exactly lead got into Beethoven's body is unknown. According to one version, the great composer was treated for diseases of the stomach with an ointment containing lead in large quantities. According to another version, lead could also enter Beethoven's body with water, since pipes for supplying drinking water were made from this metal at that time.

Lost Music

In 2011, the British media reported that the lost music of Beethoven would be heard in Manchester for the first time: specialists managed to restore the second, slow part of the work, written by the composer in 1799, from rough excerpts.

Beethoven worked on an opus for string quartet, but a year later, being a perfectionist, he became disillusioned with the composition, abandoned drafts and began writing a new version. The full notes have not been preserved, but the professor at the University of Manchester managed to restore the missing parts.

In his opinion, all 74 measures are present in the drafts, but the parties for all the instruments of the quartet were not written everywhere. Therefore, he filled in some of the gaps on his own.

Origin

The house where the composer was born
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn on December 16, baptized on December 17, 1770 in Bonn, in the Catholic Church of St. Remigius.

His father, Johann Beethoven (1740-1792), was a singer, tenor in the court chapel. Mother, Mary Magdalene, before her marriage Keverich (1748-1787), was the daughter of a court chef in Koblenz. They married in 1767.

Grandfather, Ludwig (1712-1773), served in the same chapel as Johann, first as a singer, bass, then bandmaster. He was from Mechelen in the Southern Netherlands, hence the prefix "van" in front of his surname.

early years

The composer's father wanted to make a second Mozart out of his son and began to teach him to play the harpsichord and violin. In 1778, the first performance of the boy took place in Cologne. However, Beethoven did not become a miracle child, the father entrusted the boy to his colleagues and friends. One taught Ludwig to play the organ, the other the violin.

In 1780, the organist and composer Christian Gottlob Nefe arrived in Bonn. He became a real teacher of Beethoven. Nefe immediately realized that the boy had talent. He introduced Ludwig to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and the works of Handel, as well as to the music of older contemporaries: F. E. Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Thanks to Nefe, Beethoven's first composition, a variation on Dressler's march, was also published. Beethoven was twelve years old at the time and was already working as an assistant court organist.

After the death of his grandfather, the financial situation of the family deteriorated. Ludwig had to leave school early, but he learned Latin, studied Italian and French, and read a lot. Already becoming an adult, the composer admitted in one of his letters:

“There is no work that would be too learned for me; without claiming in the slightest degree to be a scholar in the true sense of the word, I nevertheless strived from childhood to understand the essence of the best and wisest people of every era.

Among Beethoven's favorite writers are the ancient Greek authors Homer and Plutarch, the English playwright Shakespeare, the German poets Goethe and Schiller.

At this time, Beethoven began composing music, but was in no hurry to publish his works. Much of what he wrote in Bonn was later revised by him. From the youthful works of the composer, three children's sonatas and several songs are known, including "Marmot".

In 1787 Beethoven visited Vienna. After listening to Beethoven's improvisation, Mozart exclaimed:

“He will make everyone talk about himself!”

But the classes never took place: Beethoven found out about his mother's illness and returned to Bonn. She died on July 17, 1787. The seventeen-year-old boy was forced to become the head of the family and take care of his younger brothers. He joined the orchestra as a violist. Italian, French and German operas are staged here. The operas of Gluck and Mozart made a particularly strong impression on the young man.

In 1789, Beethoven, wishing to continue his education, began attending lectures at the university. Just at this time news of the revolution in France comes to Bonn. One of the university professors publishes a collection of poems glorifying the revolution. Beethoven subscribes to it. Then he composes the "Song of a Free Man", which contains the words: "Free is the one for whom the advantages of birth and title mean nothing."

Haydn stopped on his way from England to Bonn. He spoke with approval of Beethoven's composing experiments. The young man decides to go to Vienna to take lessons from the famous composer, since, after returning from England, Haydn becomes even more famous. In the autumn of 1792, Beethoven leaves Bonn.

First ten years in Vienna (1792-1802)

Arriving in Vienna, Beethoven began classes with Haydn, subsequently claiming that Haydn had taught him nothing; classes quickly disappointed both the student and the teacher. Beethoven believed that Haydn was not attentive enough to his efforts; Haydn was frightened not only by the bold views of Ludwig at that time, but also by rather gloomy melodies, which was not common in those years. Haydn once wrote to Beethoven:

“Your things are beautiful, they are even wonderful things, but here and there something strange, gloomy is found in them, since you yourself are a little gloomy and strange; and the style of a musician is always himself.

Soon Haydn left for England and gave his student to the famous teacher and theorist Albrechtsberger. In the end, Beethoven himself chose his mentor - Antonio Salieri.

Already in the first years of his life in Vienna, Beethoven won fame as a virtuoso pianist. His playing amazed the audience.

Beethoven boldly opposed the extreme registers (and at that time they played mainly in the middle), widely used the pedal (it was also rarely used then), and used massive chordal harmonies. In fact, it was he who created the piano style, far from the exquisitely laced manner of the harpsichordists.

This style can be found in his piano sonatas No. 8 "Pathetique" (the title given by the composer himself), No. 13 and No. 14. Both have the author's subtitle Sonata quasi una Fantasia ("in the spirit of fantasy"). The poet L. Relshtab later called Sonata No. 14 “Lunar”, and although this name is suitable only for the first movement, and not for the finale, it was assigned to the entire work.

Beethoven also stood out for his appearance among the ladies and gentlemen of that time. Almost always he was found casually dressed and unkempt.

On another occasion, Beethoven was visiting Prince Lichnovsky. Likhnovsky respected the composer very much and was a fan of his music. He wanted Beethoven to play in front of the audience. The composer refused. Likhnovsky began to insist and even ordered to break down the door of the room where Beethoven had locked himself. The indignant composer left the estate and returned to Vienna. The next morning, Beethoven sent a letter to Likhnovsky: “Prince! What I am, I owe to myself. There are and will be thousands of princes, but Beethoven is only one!”

However, despite such a harsh character, Beethoven's friends considered him a rather kind person. So, for example, the composer never refused to help close friends. One of his quotes:

“None of my friends should be in need while I have a piece of bread, if my wallet is empty and I cannot help immediately, well, I just have to sit down at the table and get to work, and pretty soon I I'll help him get out of trouble."

Beethoven's compositions began to be widely published and enjoyed success. During the first ten years spent in Vienna, twenty sonatas for piano and three piano concertos, eight sonatas for violin, quartets and other chamber compositions, the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, the ballet Creations of Prometheus, the First and Second Symphonies were written.

In 1796, Beethoven begins to lose his hearing. He develops tinitis, an inflammation of the inner ear leading to ringing in the ears. On the advice of doctors, he retires for a long time in the small town of Heiligenstadt. However, peace and quiet do not improve his well-being. Beethoven begins to realize that deafness is incurable. In these tragic days, he writes a letter that will later be called the Heiligenstadt testament. The composer talks about his experiences, admits that he was close to suicide:

“It seemed unthinkable to me to leave the world before I had fulfilled all that I felt called to.”

In Heiligenstadt, the composer begins work on a new Third Symphony, which he will call Heroic.

As a result of Beethoven's deafness, unique historical documents have been preserved: "conversation notebooks", where Beethoven's friends wrote down their lines for him, to which he answered either orally or in response.

However, the musician Schindler, who had two notebooks with recordings of Beethoven's conversations left, in all likelihood burned them, since “they contained the most rude, fierce attacks against the emperor, as well as the crown prince and other high-ranking officials. This, unfortunately, was Beethoven's favorite theme; in conversation, Beethoven constantly resented those in power, their laws and regulations.

Later years (1802-1815)

Beethoven composes the Sixth Symphony
When Beethoven was 34 years old, Napoleon abandoned the ideals of the French Revolution and declared himself emperor. Therefore, Beethoven abandoned his intentions to dedicate his Third Symphony to him: “This Napoleon is also an ordinary person. Now he will trample underfoot all human rights and become a tyrant.”

In the piano work, the composer's own style is already noticeable in the early sonatas, but in the symphony, maturity came to him later. According to Tchaikovsky, it was only in the third symphony that "for the first time, all the immense, amazing power of Beethoven's creative genius was revealed."

Due to deafness, Beethoven rarely leaves the house, loses sound perception. He becomes gloomy, withdrawn. It was during these years that the composer, one after another, creates his most famous works. During these same years, Beethoven worked on his only opera, Fidelio. This opera belongs to the horror and rescue opera genre. Success for Fidelio came only in 1814, when the opera was staged first in Vienna, then in Prague, where the famous German composer Weber conducted it, and finally in Berlin.

Giulietta Guicciardi, to whom the composer dedicated the Moonlight Sonata
Shortly before his death, the composer handed over the manuscript of Fidelio to his friend and secretary Schindler with the words: “This child of my spirit was born in more severe torment than others, and gave me the greatest grief. Therefore, it is dearer to me than all ... "

Last years (1815-1827)

After 1812, the composer's creative activity fell for a while. However, after three years, he begins to work with the same energy. At this time, piano sonatas from the 28th to the last, 32nd, two cello sonatas, quartets, and the vocal cycle “To a Distant Beloved” were created. A lot of time is devoted to processing folk songs. Along with Scottish, Irish, Welsh, there are Russians. But the main creations of recent years have been two of Beethoven's most monumental works - "The Solemn Mass" and Symphony No. 9 with Chorus.

The ninth symphony was performed in 1824. The audience gave the composer a standing ovation. It is known that Beethoven stood with his back to the audience and did not hear anything, then one of the singers took his hand and turned to face the audience. People waved handkerchiefs, hats, hands, welcoming the composer. The ovation lasted so long that the police officials who were present immediately demanded that it be stopped. Such greetings were allowed only in relation to the person of the emperor.

In Austria, after the defeat of Napoleon, a police regime was established. Frightened by the revolution, the government suppressed any "free thoughts". Numerous secret agents penetrated all sectors of society. In Beethoven's colloquial notebooks, there are now and then warnings: “Hush! Watch out, there's a spy here!" And, probably, after some especially bold statement of the composer: “You will end up on the scaffold!”

However, Beethoven's popularity was so great that the government did not dare to touch him. Despite the deafness, the composer continues to be aware of not only political, but also musical news. He reads (that is, listens with his inner ear) the scores of Rossini's operas, looks through the collection of Schubert's songs, gets acquainted with the operas of the German composer Weber "The Magic Shooter" and "Euryant". Arriving in Vienna, Weber visited Beethoven. They had lunch together, and Beethoven, usually not prone to ceremony, courted his guest.

After the death of his younger brother, the composer took over the care of his son. Beethoven places his nephew in the best boarding schools and instructs his student Carl Czerny to study music with him. The composer wanted the boy to become a scientist or an artist, but he was attracted not by art, but by cards and billiards. Entangled in debt, he attempted suicide. This attempt did not cause much harm: the bullet only slightly scratched the skin on the head. Beethoven was very worried about this. His health deteriorated sharply. The composer develops a severe liver disease.

Beethoven died on March 26, 1827. Over twenty thousand people followed his coffin. During the funeral, Beethoven's favorite Requiem Mass in C Minor by Luigi Cherubini was performed. A speech written by the poet Franz Grillparzer was heard at the grave:

“He was an artist, but also a man, a man in the highest sense of the word ... One can say about him like no other: he did great things, there was nothing bad in him.”

Causes of death

Beethoven on his deathbed (drawing by Josef Eduard Teltscher)
On August 29, 2007, Viennese pathologist and forensic expert Christian Reiter (Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna) suggested that Beethoven's physician, Andreas Wavruch, unintentionally hastened his death by piercing the patient's peritoneum over and over again (to remove fluid), after which he applied it to soak wounds containing lead. Reuter's hair studies showed that Beethoven's lead levels rose sharply each time he saw a doctor.

Beethoven teacher

Beethoven began giving music lessons while still in Bonn. His Bonn student Stefan Breining remained the most devoted friend of the composer until the end of his days. Braining helped Beethoven remake the libretto of Fidelio. In Vienna, the young Countess Juliet Guicciardi became a student of Beethoven. Juliet was a relative of the Brunswicks, in whose family the composer visited especially often. Beethoven was carried away by his student and even thought about marriage. He spent the summer of 1801 in Hungary, at the Brunsvik estate. According to one hypothesis, it was there that the Moonlight Sonata was composed. The composer dedicated it to Juliet. However, Juliet preferred Count Gallenberg to him, considering him a talented composer. Critics wrote about the compositions of the count that they can accurately indicate from which work of Mozart or Cherubini this or that melody is borrowed. Therese Brunswick was also a student of Beethoven. She had musical talent - she played the piano beautifully, sang and even conducted.

Having met the famous Swiss teacher Pestalozzi, she decided to devote herself to raising children. In Hungary, Teresa opened charitable kindergartens for the children of the poor. Until her death (Teresa died in 1861 at an advanced age), she remained faithful to her chosen cause. Beethoven had a long friendship with Teresa. After the death of the composer, a large letter was found, which was called "Letter to an immortal lover." The addressee of the letter is unknown, but some researchers consider Teresa Brunswick to be her "immortal lover".

Dorothea Ertmann, one of the best pianists in Germany, was also a student of Beethoven. One of her contemporaries spoke of her this way:

“A tall, stately figure and a beautiful, full of animation face aroused in me ... tense expectation, and yet I was shocked, as never before, by her performance of the Beethoven sonata. I have never seen a combination of such strength with penetrating tenderness - even among the greatest virtuosos.

Ertman was famous for her performances of Beethoven's works. The composer dedicated Sonata No. 28 to her. Upon learning that Dorothea's child had died, Beethoven played for her for a long time.

At the end of 1801, Ferdinand Rees arrived in Vienna. Ferdinand was the son of a Bonn Kapellmeister, a friend of the Beethoven family. The composer accepted the young man. Like other students of Beethoven, Rees already owned the instrument and also composed. One day, Beethoven played him an adagio just completed. The young man liked the music so much that he memorized it. Rees went to Prince Likhnovsky's and played a play. The prince learned the beginning and, having come to the composer, said that he wanted to play his composition for him. Beethoven, who did not stand on ceremony with the princes, categorically refused to listen. But Likhnovsky still played. Beethoven immediately guessed about the trick of Rhys and was terribly angry. He forbade the student to listen to his new compositions and really never played anything to him again. Once Rhys played his march, passing it off as Beethoven's. The listeners were enthralled. The composer, who appeared immediately, did not expose the student. He just told him:

“See, dear Rhys, what great experts are. Give them only the name of their pet and they don't need anything else!"

Once Rhys happened to hear a new creation of Beethoven. Once on a walk they got lost and returned home in the evening. Along the way, Beethoven growled a stormy melody. Arriving home, he immediately sat down at the instrument and, carried away, completely forgot about the presence of the student. Thus was born the finale of the Appassionata.

At the same time as Rhys, Carl Czerny began to study with Beethoven. Karl was, perhaps, the only child among Beethoven's students. He was only nine years old, but he was already giving concerts. His first teacher was his father, the famous Czech teacher Venzel Czerny. When Karl first got into Beethoven's apartment, where, as always, there was a mess, and saw a man with a dark, unshaven face, wearing a coarse woolen vest, he mistook him for Robinson Crusoe.

Czerny studied with Beethoven for five years, after which the composer gave him a document in which he noted "the exceptional success of the student and his remarkable musical memory." Czerny's memory was truly amazing: he knew by heart all the teacher's piano compositions.

Czerny began teaching early and soon became one of the best teachers in Vienna. Among his students was Teodor Leshetitsky, who can be called one of the founders of the Russian piano school. From 1858 Leshetitsky lived in St. Petersburg, and from 1862 to 1878 he taught at the newly opened conservatory. Here he studied with A. N. Esipova, later a professor at the same conservatory, V. I. Safonov, professor and director of the Moscow Conservatory, S. M. Maykapar.

In 1822, a father and a boy came to Cherny, who had come from the Hungarian town of Doboryan. The boy had no idea either about the correct fit or fingering, but an experienced teacher immediately realized that he was facing an unusual, gifted, perhaps brilliant child. The boy's name was Franz Liszt. Liszt studied with Czerny for a year and a half. His successes were so great that the teacher allowed him to speak to the public. Beethoven attended the concert. He guessed the boy's giftedness and kissed him. Liszt kept the memory of this kiss all his life.

Not Rice, not Czerny, but Liszt inherited Beethoven's style of playing. Like Beethoven, Liszt treats the piano like an orchestra. While touring Europe, he promoted the work of Beethoven, performing not only his piano works, but also symphonies, which he adapted for the piano. In those days, Beethoven's music, especially symphonic music, was still unknown to a wide audience. In 1839 Liszt arrived in Bonn. Here for several years they were going to erect a monument to the composer, but things were moving slowly.

“What a shame for everyone! wrote an indignant Liszt to Berlioz. - What a pain for us! ... It is unacceptable that a monument to our Beethoven be built on this barely cobbled together stingy alms. It shouldn't be! It will not happen!"

Liszt made up the missing amount with the proceeds from his concerts. It was only thanks to these efforts that the monument to the composer was erected.

Students

Franz Liszt
Carl Czerny
Ferdinand Rees
Rudolf Johann Joseph Rainer von Habsburg-Lorraine

Family

Johann van Beethoven (1740-1792) - father
Mary Magdalene Keverich (1746-1787) - mother

Ludovicus Van Beethoven (1712-1773) - paternal grandfather
Maria Josepha Poll (1714-1775) - paternal grandmother
Johann Heinrich Keverich (1702-1759) - maternal grandfather
Anna Clara Westorff (1707-1768) - maternal grandmother

Caspar Anton Carl van Beethoven (1774-1815) - brother
Franz Georg van Beethoven (1781-1783) - brother
Johann Nikolaus van Beethoven (1776-1848) - brother
Ludwig Maria van Beethoven (1769-1769) - sister
Anna Maria Franziska van Beethoven (1779-1779) - sister
Maria Marguerite van Beethoven (1786-1787) - sister
Johann Peter Anton Leym (1764-1764) - maternal half-sister. Father Johann Leym (1733-1765).

The image of Beethoven in culture

In literature

Beethoven became the prototype of the main character - the composer Jean Christophe - in the novel of the same name, one of the most famous works of the French author Romain Rolland. The novel was one of the works for which Rolland was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915.

In cinema

The protagonist of the cult film "A Clockwork Orange" Alex loves to listen to Beethoven's music, so the film is full of it.
In the film “Remember Me Like This,” filmed in 1987 at Mosfilm by Pavel Chukhrai, Beethoven’s music sounds.
The comedy film Beethoven has nothing to do with the composer, except that a dog is named after him.
Jan Hart played Beethoven in the film "Heroic Symphony".
In the Soviet-German film "Beethoven. Days of Life” Beethoven was played by Donatas Banionis.
In the film The Sign, the protagonist liked to listen to Beethoven's music, and at the end of the film, when the end of the world began, everyone died to the second part of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony.
The film "Rewriting Beethoven" tells about the last year of the composer's life (starring Ed Harris).
The 2-episode feature film The Life of Beethoven (USSR, 1978, director B. Galanter) is based on the surviving memories of the composer by his close friends.
The film Lecture 21 (Italy, 2008), the film debut of the Italian writer and musicologist Alessandro Baricco, is dedicated to the Ninth Symphony.
In the film "Equilibrium" (USA, 2002, directed by Kurt Wimmer), the main character Preston discovers a myriad of records. He decides to listen to one of them. The film features an excerpt from Ludwig van Beethoven's ninth symphony.
In the film "The Soloist" (USA, France, UK directed by Joe Wright), the plot is based on the real life story of musician Nathaniel Ayers. Young virtuoso cellist Ayers' career is interrupted when he falls ill with schizophrenia. Many years later, a Los Angeles Times journalist learns about the homeless musician, the result of their communication is a series of articles. Ayers just raves about Beethoven, he constantly performs his symphonies on the street.
In the film "Immortal Beloved" they find out who exactly owns Beethoven's legacy. In his will, he himself gives all his writings to a certain immortal beloved. The film features works by the composer.

In non-academic music

American musician Chuck Berry wrote the song Roll Over Beethoven in 1956, which was included in the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine. In addition to Beethoven himself, Tchaikovsky is also mentioned in the song. Later (In 1973) in the album ELO-2, this song was performed by the Electric Light Orchestra, and at the beginning of the composition a fragment of the 5th symphony is used.
The song "Beethoven" from the album "Split Personality" by the Spleen group is dedicated to the composer.
The song "Silence" by Aella is dedicated to the composer.
The Dutch band Shocking Blue used an excerpt from "To Elise" in the song "Broken heart" from the 1972 Attila album.
In 1981, the Rainbow band, led by ex-Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, released the album Difficult to Cure (“Intractable”), the composition of the same name, which was created based on Beethoven's 9th symphony;
On the 1985 album Metal Heart by the German heavy metal band Accept, the title track's guitar solo is an interpretation of Beethoven's "Fur Elise".
In 2000, the neo-classical metal band Trans-Siberian Orchestra released the rock opera Beethoven's Last Night, dedicated to the composer's last night.
The composition Les Litanies De Satan from the album Bloody Lunatic Asylum by the Italian gothic black metal band Theaters des Vampires features Sonata No. 14 as an accompaniment to the lyrics of Charles Baudelaire.

In popular culture

According to a popular meme, one of Beethoven's parents had syphilis, Beethoven's older brothers were blind, deaf, or mentally handicapped. This legend is used as an argument against abortion:

“You know a pregnant woman who already has 8 children. Two of them are blind, three are deaf, one is mentally underdeveloped, she herself is sick with syphilis. Would you advise her to have an abortion?

If you advised an abortion, you have just killed Ludwig van Beethoven."

Richard Dawkins refutes this legend and criticizes such reasoning in his book The God Delusion.

Beethoven's parents married in 1767. In 1769, their first son, Ludwig Maria, was born, who died after 6 days, which was quite common for that time. No data has been preserved on whether he was blind, deaf, mentally retarded, etc. In 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born. In 1774, the third son, Caspar Carl van Beethoven, was born, who died in 1815 from pulmonary tuberculosis. He was neither blind, nor deaf, nor mentally retarded. In 1776, the fourth son, Nikolaus Johann, was born, who had enviable health and died in 1848. In 1779, a daughter, Anna Maria Franziska, was born; she died four days later. There was also no information about her about whether she was blind, deaf, mentally retarded, etc. Franz Georg was born in 1781, who died two years later. Maria Margarita was born in 1786, she died a year later. In the same year, Ludwig's mother died of tuberculosis, a disease common at that time. There is no reason to believe that she suffered from venereal diseases. Father, Johann van Beethoven, died in 1792.

monuments

Memorial plaque in Prague
Memorial plaque in Vienna
Monument in Bonn

Data

One day, Beethoven and Goethe, walking together in Teplice, met Emperor Franz, who was there at that time, surrounded by his retinue and courtiers. Goethe, stepping aside, bowed deeply, Beethoven passed through the crowd of courtiers, barely touching his hat.
In 2011, University of Manchester professor Brian Cooper reported that he was able to restore a 72-bar opus for string quartet written by Beethoven in 1799, rejected and subsequently lost: “Beethoven was a perfectionist. Any other composer would be happy to compose this passage." The newfound music was performed on 29 September by the Manchester University String Quartet.
Featured on a 1995 Austrian postage stamp, a series of stamps were issued in Albania for Beethoven's 200th anniversary

Performances of Beethoven's music

Conductors who have recorded all of Beethoven's symphonies include Claudio Abbado (twice), Ernest Ansermet, Nikolaus Arnoncourt, Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Bernstein (twice), Carl Böhm, Bruno Walter (twice), Gunther Wand, Felix Weingartner, John Eliot Gardiner, Carlo Maria Giulini, Kurt Sanderling, Eugen Jochum (three times), Herbert von Karajan (four times), Otto Klemperer, Andre Kluitans, Willem Mengelberg, Pierre Monteux, George Sell, Arturo Toscanini (twice), Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bernard Haitink (three times), Herman Scherchen, Georg Solti (twice).

Among the pianists who recorded all of Beethoven's piano sonatas are Claudio Arrau (twice, second cycle not completed), Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wilhelm Backhaus (twice, second cycle not completed), Daniel Barenboim (three times), Alfred Brendel (three times), Maria Grinberg , Friedrich Gulda (three times), Wilhelm Kempf (twice), Tatiana Nikolaeva, Annie Fischer, Arthur Schnabel. They began to record full cycles of sonatas, but died before they could complete these projects, Walter Gieseking, Emil Gilels, Rudolf Serkin.

Artworks

• 9 symphonies: No. 1 (1799-1800), No. 2 (1803), No. 3 "Heroic" (1803-1804), No. 4 (1806), No. 5 (1804-1808), No. 6 "Pastoral" (1808) , No. 7 (1812), No. 8 (1812), No. 9 (1824).
• 8 symphonic overtures, including Leonora No. 3.
• 5 concertos for piano and orchestra.
• music for dramatic performances: "Egmont", "Coriolanus", "King Stephen"
• 6 Youth Sonatas for Piano.
• 32 piano sonatas, 32 variations in C minor and about 60 piano pieces.
• 10 sonatas for violin and piano.
• concerto for violin and orchestra, concerto for violin, cello and piano with orchestra ("triple concerto").
• 5 sonatas for cello and piano.
• 16 string quartets.
• 6 trio.
• Ballet "Creations of Prometheus".
• Opera Fidelio.
• Solemn mass.
• Vocal cycle "

Ludwig van Beethoven (Ludwig van Beethoven) is one of the world's most performed composers. He became one of the most important figures in world classical music. Beethoven did not single out any one musical direction for himself. Like a real genius, he wrote in all genres that existed in his time.

Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770, his father and grandfather were singers in the court chapel. In those days, Mozart, who was born 14 years earlier, lived and worked in Europe, and Beethoven's father decided to make the same great composer out of his son, starting learning to play the harpsichord and violin. Already at the age of 8, Ludwig gave his first performance in Cologne.

The young Beethoven giving concerts did not make a big splash, after which his father was disappointed and gave the boy to his friends for training. After the death of Beethoven's grandfather, the family was in dire need of money. Ludwig had to stop studying at school: however, he managed to learn French, Italian and Latin. Beethoven read a lot in an effort to learn the wisdom of the great people of different eras, among his favorite authors were Homer and Plutarch.

Beethoven continued to compose music at the table. In 1787, he went to Vienna, where he received praise from Mozart, but again failed to study music - due to the death of his mother, Ludwig had to return home and at the age of 17 lead the family. Beethoven began to work in an orchestra and attend lectures at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bonn.

In 1792, Ludwig was able to leave for Vienna and begin studying with the famous composer Haydn, and after him with Salieri. In the capital city, they started talking about him as a virtuoso pianist.

Beethoven's compositions are beginning to be in demand, however, as a person, the composer evoked conflicting feelings among those around him. Friends considered Beethoven a kind person, but everyone knew about his harsh character. For example, he could break off the speech and leave if one of the listeners in the hall started talking. Once, in a fit of anger, the composer called the audience in the hall "pigs, which he will not play."

In 1796, Beethoven began to lose his hearing due to inflammation of the inner ear. Doctors recommended that he leave and retire, but peace did not lead to an improvement in well-being. Ludwig realized that the old rumor would not return to him. The musician was close to suicide, although he did not stop creating.

Beethoven, who lost his hearing, became gloomy and withdrawn. However, it was then, after 1802, that he wrote his most famous works. In 1824, Beethoven performed his famous Symphony No. 9. He did not see the hall and did not hear the applause, so he was led by the hand to the audience. The ovation was so long that the police stopped it - only the emperor was worthy of such a greeting.
In 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven died, and more than 20,000 people came to say goodbye to the composer.