Great Composers Codexery

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer whose work bridged Classical and Romantic eras.

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Ludwig van Beethoven

Joseph Karl Stieler · via Wikipedia: Ludwig van Beethoven · Public domain

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, with his baptism recorded on 17 December 1770.[1] Despite a progressive hearing loss that he first noticed in 1798 during a quarrel with a singer, Beethoven became a renowned pianist and composer after moving to the city where Haydn worked.[2][3][4]

Last updated 2026-10-01 from the source article.

Life and work

He later studied with court organist Christian Gottlob Neefe, who taught him composition and helped publish his first work in 1783.[5] He also received instruction from Antonio Salieri in Italian vocal composition style until at least 1802.[6] Beethoven's public debut in Vienna occurred in 1795, performing his own piano concerto.[7] Musicologist Theodore Albrecht found evidence that Beethoven retained some hearing in his left ear until shortly before his death in 1827.[8]

Beethoven taught piano to several students, including Carl Czerny from 1801 to 1803.[9] Beethoven's initial music instructor was his father, who subjected him to a harsh and intensive teaching regimen.[10][7] In November 1792, Beethoven relocated permanently from Bonn to Vienna, where he studied counterpoint under Haydn's direction.[3][4] Beethoven first became aware of his hearing loss in 1798, and in 1802, while staying in Heiligenstadt, he wrote a letter to his brothers (the Heiligenstadt Testament) that recorded his suicidal thoughts due to his growing deafness.[2][11]

What the cited sources add

The Guardian article reports that Beethoven could still hear at the premiere of his Ninth Symphony in May 1824.[8] Albrecht stated that Beethoven could hear, although faintly, for at least two years after that premiere.[8] Beethoven advised against using ear trumpets too early, writing that abstaining preserved his left ear.[8] A musician told Beethoven in 1824 that conducting the whole concert would strain his hearing too much.[8]

Albrecht found 23 direct references to hearing in Beethoven's conversation books.[8] Some musicologists propose that Beethoven's compositions increasingly used lower and middle-range notes as his hearing deteriorated.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thayer 1967a, p. 50; Swafford 2014, p. 12–17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Solomon 1998, p. 34; Swafford 2014, p. 12–17; Cooper 2008, p. 407; Kerman Tyson Burnham 2001, p. § 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Thayer 1967a, p. 50; Cooper 2008, p. 407; Cooper 2008, p. 407 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kerman Tyson Burnham 2001, p. § 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Solomon 1998, p. 34; Stanley 2000, p. 7; Thayer 1967a, p. 50; Thayer 1967a, p. 50 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cooper 2008, p. 407; Thayer 1967a, p. 50 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swafford 2014, p. 12–17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. "'Deaf' genius Beethoven was able to hear his final symphony after all", The Guardian, 1 February 2020. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
  9. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Czerny, "On the proper performance of all Beethoven's works for the piano; Reminiscences of Beethoven, and, chapters II and III from volume IV of the Complete theoretical and practical piano forte school : op. 500", Wien (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kerman Tyson Burnham 2001, p. § 1; Swafford 2014, p. 12–17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Ludwig van Beethoven" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wallace, Robin (2018). Hearing Beethoven: A Story of Musical Loss and Discovery. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, pp. 74, 214–215.; Cooper 1996, p. 36; Kerman Tyson Burnham 2001, p. § 1; Solomon 1998, p. 34 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ludwig van Beethoven (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Named in this entry

Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven)Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven)Piano Concerto No. 5 (Beethoven)Leopold MozartElectorate of CologneBaptism

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Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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