Denise Arantes
Professor Armstrong
4/15/15
Music Appreciation
Classical Composer Essay: Beethoven Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in 1770 Bonn, Germany. His mother Maria was a service singer and his father a musician. Beethoven’s father was an alcoholic; however he did notice his son talents from a very young age. He was determined to make Beethoven the best pianist he could be. Coming from a family that loved music, Beethoven was destined to be a great musician. Beethoven eventually surpassed his father’s teaching and started to take class from a German Organist named Gottlob Neefe. Gottolob Neefe was impressed with Beethoven’s work and saw him as the next Mozart (A very famous composer at the time). Neefe actually sends Beethoven to Vienna to meet Mozart, but his trip was cut short when his mother fell ill. When given another chance to go to Vienna to see Mozart, he is already dead. Hadyn, another popular German composer, becomes Beethoven’s mentor. Beethoven did his first show in Vienna 1795 and was able to support himself with his music. When Beethoven reached his 20’s he slowly started to lose his hearing. By the time he was 40 he was completely death. At first he was hard on himself and suicidal; however, Beethoven used the piano as a way to cope with his depression and started to compose his best known music. This was the “romantic era” for Beethoven. He never got married because of his social class. Beethoven was not poor but regardless of being a successful composer he was not worthy of a first class woman into marriage. All these things influenced Beethoven and his music. Beethoven’s talents became well recognized in his life time as a classical composer. Because he was not afraid to try new ideas when it came to his music, his fans loved the innovative, contemporary style Beethoven brought to the table. Beethoven died on March 26, 1827, at the age of 56. An autopsy revealed that the immediate cause of death was post-hepatitis cirrhosis of the liver. The autopsy also provided clues to the origins of his deafness. A theory traces Beethoven's deafness to contracting typhus in the summer of 1796. My favorite song/music composed by Beethoven would definitely have to be Symphony #5. Beethoven wrote the Symphony over the space of four years, beginning in the spring of 1804, during the most productive period of his career. Among the other works were the Fourth and Sixth symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, Mass in C, three "Razumovsky" string quartets, the first two versions of his lone opera Fidelio, and many others. Large-scale pieces like the opera, or commissions like the Mass, interrupted his progress on the Fifth, most of which was written in 1807 and early 1808. He finally performed it in December 22nd, 1804. Supposedly the concert that premiered this song did not go so well. The musicians lacked rehearsal, damping the enthusiasm of the song. However, not long after, the symphony was recognized as a masterpiece. I picked this song not just because is one of his best known works but because I think this