Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, December 16, 1770. His father, Johann, was a singer employed by the Elector of Cologne in Bonn. Johann married Maria Laym, a cook’s daughter. Together they had seven children of which three sons survived, Beethoven was the oldest (Collier’s Encyclopedia “Beethoven”). When Johann’s career was threatened by alcoholism, he saw his chance to become rich by exploiting his son Beethoven as a child prodigy. He claimed Beethoven was years younger than he actually was, neglected his formal education, and made him practice his music endlessly (Collier’s Encyclopedia “Beethoven”). His attempt to become

Beethoven had a powerful personality that awed everyone. His high-voltage personality coupled with his high-voltage genius, Beethoven was able to live his life on

Beethoven wrote only to justify his artistic existence, not to please anyone. Some find the works of this time to be bleak, cold and incomprehensible. Beethoven was a musical intellect who was driven by illness and mental suffering to retreat into his own world. His music is the most powerful body of music ever brought together by one composer (Schonberg 115-123).

Beethoven’s music falls into three periods. His first twenty works hinted at the powerful explosive power to come. After the Eroica, the second period sets in. He was confident, a master of form, and made his own rules. His music was governed by the logic of a great technician and musical genius. The last works period was the music of a man who had seen all and experienced all, a man in a silent, suffering world.

his own terms

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