Ludwig van Beethoven is an ingenious German composer who uplifted the levels of composing music through his charming works. He is most notable for works like Symphony 9, Symphony 5, moonlight sonata, etc. that are revolutionary compositions till date. The life of Beethoven is so mysterious that historians don’t even know the right birth date of the composer. However, there are records that he was baptized on 17th of December, 1770. But, Beethoven always insisted that he was born in the year 1772. Find more about the famous composer from the following Beethoven interesting facts:
Beethoven Interesting Facts #1 – His Father
Ludwig van Beethoven was the second child to Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Keverich. Johann identified at an early age, the potential of Ludwig and became his teacher. However, it is known that Johann constantly chided Ludwig if he made a mistake while learning. Beethoven, however, was interested in trying out new notes instead of those presented before him and this made Johann punish the boy. This has made Ludwig van Beethoven stronger, stubborn and eager to upgrade himself every moment.
Beethoven Interesting Facts #2 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was a legendary figure in composing music when Beethoven was still at a young age polishing his skills. Beethoven was encouraged to pursue his musical interests in Vienna under the guidance of Mozart. After the audition, Mozart immediately recognized the talent of Beethoven and said that he had greatness in offer. But, Mozart couldn’t become the teacher of Beethoven as the young boy had to return home because his mother was seriously ill. However, this serves as an example that a genius can always recognize another and as Mozart predicted Ludwig van Beethoven has become the most prominent composers of all time.
Beethoven Interesting Facts #3 – Deafness
Deafness is a severe curse to anyone, but for a musician! It would be Hell. Beethoven gradually lost hearing from the year 1796. At this time he was famous but not legendary. As the problems of hearing increased gradually, Beethoven’s fame also increased. It is incredible that a deaf individual can compose such magical notes and timeless pieces. He had to read the notes of others to communicate and it is a great difficulty for a man of such stature to have conversations like that. But, Beethoven was strong and was so passionate about his work that deafness couldn’t defeat his will. His loss of hearing was due to distended inner ear, which has led to the development of lesions. This was found out by doing an autopsy after his death.
Beethoven Interesting Facts #4 – Nephew
Karl was the nephew of Beethoven and he believed that the child has so much potential and learning capabilities. When Karl’s father [Beethoven’s brother] passed away the musician was very eager to take custody of the kid. So, he had to fight against Karl’s mother and in the end he had to manipulate the custodian orders by bribing the officers. Karl’s mother was declared immoral and the kid was sent to live with his uncle. However, Beethoven expected so much of Karl that he pushed the kid too much. He was joined in many schools and his life was made miserable. The kid tried to commit suicide many times and Beethoven was criticized as a poor care taker with less or zero fathering abilities.
Beethoven Interesting Facts #5 – Single Opera
It comes as a surprise to many admirers of Beethoven that he wrote only a single opera in his entire life. He wrote nine symphonies and some of them were critically acclaimed as wonderful pieces; but he only tried to perfect Opera once. Fidelio is the name of the Opera composed by Beethoven and tells of a wife who disguises herself as a male guard so that her husband can be rescued from the prison. The premiere in the year 1805 did not yield any positive reactions and Beethoven created as many as nine versions to make sure that his Opera is liked by everyone. But, Fidelio is one of the least known works of Beethoven.
Beethoven was confined to bed in the final stages of his life. He consumed more alcohol and later it was found out that there was significant liver damage, which might have been the cause for his death. He died in the year 1827 and many had different opinions about the cause of death such as lead poisoning, alcoholic cirrhosis, infectious hepatitis, Whipple’s disease and so on. After his death, Beethoven’s locks were cut and preserved as an eternal memory of the composer. His fame escalated to the Heavens afterwards and now Beethoven is considered as the prime composer of all ages.
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