CLASSIC MUSIC
MARCH 11, 2021
Beautiful Symphony From Ludwig Van Beethoven
One of the most admired composers in the history of Western music is Ludwig van Beethoven with his eternal masterpiece compositions.
We can divide his career in three stages : early, middle and late period. Spanning from transition of the classical period to the romantic era in classical music his works are among the most performed of the classical music repertoire.
His composition was rooted in the Classical traditions of Joseph Haydn and Mozart, he became a big influence for the work of Romantics for his followers. As a musical form he was an innovator, by widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto and quartet.
Born in Bonn, Germany he was baptized on December 17, 1770. At early age he already showed his musical genius when his father Johann van Beethoven taught him intensively. At age 21 he moved to Vienna and studied composition with Haydn. He gained reputation as a virtuoso pianist and composed his three Opus 1 piano trios in 1795.
During 1801 his hearing began to deteriorate but he continued his works composing his Third and Fifth Symphonies in 1804 and 1808. He was almost completely deaf in 1814, which forced him to stop public performing, Still he managed to compose great compositions like opera Fidelio in 1805, Missa Solemis in the years 1819-1823 and his final extraordinary masterpiece, the Ninth Symphony in 1822-1824.
The main cause of his hearing loss is unknown. Some said it was from syphilis to lead poisoning, typhus and his habit plunging his head into cold water. “For the last three years my hearing has grown steadily weaker… ” as he wrote a letter in 1800 to a friend – his childhood friend working as a doctor in Bonn – when he was 30 years old. He had begun hearing buzzing and ringing in his ears around the age of 26.
He continued to perform but he ended up banging the piano so hard in order to hear the notes. When conducting the premiere of his massive Ninth Symphony, Beethoven insisted on conducting so the orchestra hired another conductor to stand alongside him. The symphony was a huge extravaganza show, receiving big applause which sadly Beethoven could not hear. Legend tells that a young contralto had to turned the maestro around to face the audience to watch the ovation.
Unlike in music works, Beethoven was not a lucky guy in terms of having romantic relationship with women. in 1801 he mentioned about “a dear sweet girl who loves me and whom I love” in letters to his friend. This was associated to have been the countess Giulietta Guicciardi to whom he dedicated the Piano Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Opus 27, No. 2, known as the Moonlight Sonata.
But the lady married another man and Beethoven proposed to marry her cousin, Josephine. The relationship lasted for three years until it was brought to an end partly by Beethoven himself and some by Josephine’s family. In 1810 a woman by the name Therese Malfatti came to surface as a prospective bride. But this too was not ended up well and Beethoven remained a bachelor.
Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 (age 56 years old) in Vienna, Austria. In his birthplace, Bonn, Germany, there is a museum for him, The Beethoven house. Bonn has hosted a musical festival, the Beethovenfest since 1845 and from 2007 it was annually performed there.
Not just on Earth, the beautiful symphony from Ludwig Van Beethoven also appears in space where the third largest crater on Mercury is named after him and his music features twice on the Voyager Golden Record. This is a record containing various sample of images, sound, words and music on Earth, sent into outer space, carries by the two Voyager space probes across the Universe.
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