Beethoven’s father, Johann van Beethoven, also took to music but his abilities were mediocre. He managed to become a tenor singer in the Electoral Choir due to the influence of Ludwig Senior. He married Maria Magdalena Keverich Laym, daughter of the chief cook at the Court of the Elector of Treves, Ehrenbreitstein. They had seven children of whom only three survived — Ludwig, Caspar Karl and Nikolaus Johann. The Beethoven family lived in the poorer part of Bonn. The rough-hewn rebellious streak in Beethoven was the result of this early influence.

Beethoven had little formal education. He studied at the Tironicium for four years and had to drop out at the age of 11. He managed to get a sm

These affairs of Beethoven were quite well known, but three interesting love letters were discovered after Beethoven’s death. Written by him, these letters carried no name or address, and were never sent. The identity of the woman could never be ascertained. Indications are that it was either Countess Guicciardi-Gallenberg or Countess Therese von Brunswig.

The greatest living musician and the greatest living author met each other at Teplitz, a watering place in Bohemia in 1812. The two spent two delightful evenings together. On one of their walks together, they came across the Empress and the dukes. Goethe stood to one side deferentially with his hat off. Beethoven walked right through haughtily while the courtiers made way for him, and stood waiting for Goethe on the other side. He told Goethe, “I’ve waited for you because I honor and respect you as you deserve, but you did those there too much honor.” Beethoven wrote later that Goethe was “too fond of the atmosphere of the court, more so than is becoming to a poet”.

Though Beethoven indulged in sexual transgressions as a youth in Bonn and ended up having syphilis, and had a marriage proposal rejected by Magdalena Willman in 1795, he got himself into serious affairs only in the second phase when he had relative financial security. The first woman he seriously considered marrying is believed to have been his 17-year-old student Countess Giulietta Guicciardi, in 1801. He had dedicated the Moonlight Sonata to her, but she married Count Gallenberg.

Beethoven made his last appearance as a performer at the piano in April 1814. He presented his clearest work Opus 97, a trio for piano, violin and violoncello. The Seventh and the Eighth symphonies were also composed in this period. On December 8, 1813, Beethoven presented the Battle Symphony, Die Schlacht von Vittoria, to celebrate Wellington’s victory over Napoleon. The symphony became very popular, and for the first time Beethoven tasted real success. He profited from this popularity by organizing a benefit concert for himself at the Redoutensaal.

Then in 1805 Beethoven proposed to Giulietta’s cousin Countess Josephine von Deym, who had been widowed the year before. They continued seeing each other for the next three years but it came to an end because of his own vacillation and the opposition from Josephine’s family.

The next major work to be produced by Beethoven was a Mass Missa Solemnis. It was commissioned to be performed on the accession of Archduke Rudolph as the archbishop of Olmütz but Beethoven could not complete it on time. Missa Solemnis expressed his unwavering faith in a spiritual God. Beethoven sold the pre-publication copies of the Mass to ten rulers for 50 ducats each.

Some topics in this essay:
Society March, Countess Therese, Karl Beethoven, Heiligenstadt Testament, Vienna November, Walter Scott’s, Theatre-an-der-Wien April, Vienna Opera, Carl Amanda, Mozart Beethoven, court organist, piano concerto, heiligenstadt testament, napoleon’s army, missa solemnis, napoleon’s army occupied, found difficult, moonlight sonata, living author, hammerklavier sonatas, beethoven’s father,