By: Dallas Stephenson

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Born in Germany 1770

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Germany in the city of Bonn but his birthdate is debated to be around December 16, 1770.

Taught By His Father

Much like this boy is being taught by his father.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlFqU7qd2zM

He was taught at a young age by his father. He was a little anti -social and many historians believe he was difficult to get along with.

Multiple Instruments

Piano & Violin

Beethoven played not only the piano but composed music and played the viola as well. He played the viola in many orchestras which allowed him to meet influential people of which helped shape his style.

To Italy

Journey to Italy

Hearing

At the turn of the century he began to notice his hearing was leaving him. This caused him to lengthen himself even further from society.

Difficulty with People

WHAT????!!!!!!!!!Speak UP!!Blah blah blah blah blahBlah blah blah blah blahBlah blah blah blah blahblah.

Constantly asking people to repeat themselves would get tiresome and frustrating. It is sometimes hard to put ourselves in his shoes with all the technology we live with we could easily just go down the road and get some hearing aids. In Beethovens case he probably had to constantly ask people to speak up and repeat themselves. Also your hearing is going and you probably are close to a light yell even for you to hear yourself. Thus causing people to more than likely look at him differently and cause him to want to keep his distance from them at all times.

Numerous Writings

16 String Quartets

32 Piano Sonatas

Age of 12 wrote first work called 9 Variations in C Minor for Piano

16 String Quartets32 Piano Sonatas

Beethoven the horse

He wrote sixteen string quartets and thirty two piano sonatas. He was even writing and publishing works at the age of twelve. Which was called 9 Variations in C Minor for piano.

Mozart

You will be the Next Mozart My Son!He received praise from many people and his father constantly considered him to be the next Mozart.

Mother Passes at age 16

MOTHER!!! NOOO!!!Letter

Even with all of this going for him at the age of 16 his mother passed away, whom may have been the only person in the family he was close to.

Back to Germany for funeral

_ _

He was called back to his home town to the funeral which must have been an extremely hard thing to go through being so young. His father was most of the time under the influence of alcohol and so he took on the responsibility to care for his two younger brothers.

Back to Italy

Haydyn

Albrechberger

Salieri

Beethoven continued to progress in the musical realm. He returned to Vienna about 5 years after the death of his mother. There he took lessons from Haydyn, Albrechtberger, and Salieri. He was quick to get after people and had a very impulsive behavior. His extraordinary talent allowed him to be forgiven of this behavior by those he grew angry with. This was another reason he did not get along very well with most people. He was so quick to get angry with them that he preferred to keep his distance from most people. Again the fact that he was losing his hearing by this time he kept a larger distance from himself and others. He had even written a letter back to his friends in his home town describing the unfair realities of life that he did not think were fair. Here he was a great musician and he was going deaf. Music is felt, examined, and lived through hearing. The one thing he was beginning to lose without being able to do anything about it.

Anna Marie Erdody

I should go back home.No wait! I will pay you To stay here in Vienna.

What? Speak Up!

At the age of 38 he started having desires to leave Vienna but a good friend Countess Anna Marie Erdody rounded up some rich followers who paid Beethoven enough that he could live without financial worries. The only way he was to receive this grant was if he were not to leave Vienna. He accepted and became the worlds first independent composer. This in turn gave him the freedom to do what he pleased when he pleased it. This allowed him to focus on the things he desired and thought were the most important. He had a great mind and this allowed him the ability to unleash its greatness unto the world, which would last for numerous decades. His music is celebrated around the world and is still recomposed and played by a number of musicians.

Passing of Brother

Forced to take on responsibility

Brother's Son

Wife

One of his brothers passed away leaving behind his wife and a young boy. The brother wanted Ludwig to be there to take care of him with the help of his wife. Beethoven took this duty seriously but found it difficult to communicate with the young boy due to his hearing loss. Beethoven continued to work on his music and compose other great works at this time.

Numerous pain points

Passing of mother

Loss of hearing

Abdominal pain

The pain shallOnly cause me toWork harder!!!He had other health aliments not just his hearing that caused him great pain. He began feeling a large amount of pain in his abdominal around the age of 20 which would last the course of his life. These things caused him great heartache and also allowed him to dive deeper into his work to forget the pain they caused him.

5th Symphony

Written around 1804-1808

One of the most famous

Listen to it here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4IRMYuE1hI

Beethoven

Passes away at the age of 56

10,000 30,000 people attend funeral

Left behind some of the greatest works we know

Beethoven Rests Here

Later in his life he worked hard to make his works known among people during his time. He always worked to make the best pieces that he could possibly come up with and make them enjoyable and carry meaning and every note. Many of his later works work successful but did not bring in a lot of money for him. He still had money saved up but he was keeping it for his nephew in which his brother left to his care after his brothers death. He was constantly working on his works even unto the end. He passed away on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. He had caught a cold which caused other things he was dealing with health wise to complicate his medical condition. This in turn lead to him not being able to fight off all the ailments and he finally passed away while surrounded by his closest friends. They estimate that anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 people attended the funeral which was held in a church. The coffin bearers were fellow musicians who admired the man who brought to this world works of music that will probably never be forgotten as long as the earth shall fly through the vastness that is space.

Symphony No. 6 in F Major, OP. 68 Pastoral

Written while finishing the 5th Symphony

Displays his gratitude for nature.

The sixth symphony was written almost while Beethoven was still finishing up the fifth symphony. Although it was written around the exact same time the theme differs from the fifth. Some consider it to be the love the composer had for nature as he wrote the music. In numerous letters he wrote at the same time as writing this symphony he talks about the joys and happiness he feels being able to walk through the things in nature and be among them.

4 Different Parts

Recollection of life in the Countryside

Scenes at the creek

Joyful Reunions of Peasants

The Tempest

Part 4 is my favorite. The picture describes it perfectly!

Even the name gives evidence of these things and the titles to each part as well. The Pastoral Symphony as it is referred to at times also means the recollection of the life in the countryside. Part two of the symphony is called the scene at the creek. Part three Joyful reunion of peasants, part four the tempest. Even in these first four parts we can see by the titles alone that it was nature that he was focused on while writing the symphony. The last part which is probably my favorite is called feelings of joy and gratitude after the storm. I love the smell right after it rains and the way the world seems to be washed clean after the storm comes by. I really do have feelings of joy and gratitude after the storm myself and listening to the music you can feel it through music the joy that storms bring everyone around the world. It makes sense that he made a symphony to give thanks to nature. For if someone is to go out and experience nature they are going to hear the symphony that nature has to offer. Although it is never the exact same you can always expect to hear a wonderful chorus of music. He probably found great inspiration while listening to birds, the wind go through the trees and rivers and streams making their way down the countryside. Even the storms as they pass by the thunder working with the small droplets piercing the ground must make a wonderful melody as they strike different things on the ground. Even the smells that nature has to offer could have influenced the music that he wrote.

Work finished and performed

Performed Dec 1808

Listen to it here:http://app.rhapsody.com/artist/ludwig-van-beethoven/album/the-only-beethoven-album-you-will-ever-need

Taken for a ride

Feeling as if you are walking beside Beethoven as he explains his feelings through music.

1:07The rhythm slows and stays slow with small upbeat moments in between. It has an overall slowness feel to it. The dynamics slow as well causing the feeling to get more serious. Very quiet and slow things start moving at the end of this section of the symphony.

Favorite part

13:46A wonderful rhythm and dynamic take over to feel ones soul in a fire works like ending. The texture is rich as one could almost pull it out of the air and touch it. The timbre is pure and perfect. There is a flavor left in your senses that leave you wanting more.