Beethoven's life

BEETHOVEN'S LIFE

 

 

Born in Bonn,Germany on December 17,1770, Beethoven had a miserable childhood. He was one of seven children, only 3 of whom survived to adulthood.

 Although he loved his gentle mother, María, he feared his hard-drinking, demamding father, Johann.

The father had no great talent, but he gave music lessons to the children of the nobility. The father recognized the boy's ability he saw it as a source of income.

With his talent and his personality , Beethoven was popular among women. Although he never married, he dedicated Moonlight Sonata and For Elise to the women in his life.

In 1787 , when he was 17, Beethoven made his first trip to Viena,the city that would become his home. Beethoven's stay was cut short by a series of family tragedies. He returned to Bonn to his dying mother.Shortly after, his sister died. When his father lost his job, Beethoven had to take responsability for the family. Afetr his father's death in 1792, Beethoven returned to Vienna.

He studied piano with the composer Haydn. In Viena, Beethoven met Mozart's rival, Salieri, the man rumoured to have poisoned Mozart.

 At the age of 28, Beethoven began to lose his hearing.He tried every available treatment but in the last decade of his life, he lost his hearing completely.Nevertheless, he continued to lead rehearsals and play the piano. Possibly he "heard" music by feeling its vibrations.

As time passed, Beethoven became more and more absorbed in his music. His room was piled high with manuscripts that nobody was allowed to touch. He had 4 pianos without legs so that he could feel their vibrations.

Let's talk about Beethoven:

1-Beethoven was:

 a-deaf

b-blind

c-unpopular

2-Beethoven had a life full of tragedies, specially during his infancy.

a-True

b-False

3- To which historical period does Beethoven belong?

   a-Classicism

b-Romanticism

c-Both of them.

4- How many operas did he compose?

5-What kind of music did he mayority compose?

This is how the moment might have looked, with Gary Oldman playing Beethoven in the film, Immortal Beloved:

When it came to the premiere of his massive Ninth Symphony, Beethoven insisted on conducting. The orchestra hired another conductor, Michael Umlauf to stand alongside the composer.

The symphony received rapturous applause which Beethoven could not hear. Legend has it that the young contralto Carolina Unger approached the maestro and turned him around to face the audience, to see the ovation.