One of the Greatest Composers of All Times

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One of the Greatest Composers of All Times - By: Victor Epand, Posted on: 2008-04-02

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn on December 16 in the year of 1770. He had a strong interest in music from a very young age that eventually led him to move to Vienna, Austria. There, he studied with Joseph Haydn, a well known composer at the time. It was not too long before his reputation grew as a virtuoso pianist, but it was also during this time when Ludwig van Beethoven was losing his hearing; however, this did not stop him from doing what he loved. His love for music drove him to continue to compose and perform even when he had become completely deaf.

When Ludwig van Beethoven was a young boy, his father taught him about music. Later, when it appeared that young Beethoven had a gift for music, he began to learn how to play the viola, organ and piano. When he was older, he decided that he wished to go to Vienna, Austria where he wanted to study with Mozart. Unfortunately, Mozart passed away before Beethoven could make it to Vienna. After only a short time in Vienna, he returned home to look after his two younger siblings because his mother had passed away and his father was dealing with alcoholism.

Overall, Beethoven was not a wealthy musician. He was always hard pressed to make enough money to cover expenses and his worsening hearing only made things more difficult. He was eventually able to gain a position as chapel maestro at the court of Jerome Bonaparte. After this he was able to acquire a pension from Archduke Rudolf, who was attempting to keep Beethoven in Vienna. Unfortunately, it was not enough money and Beethoven's debts did not improve much. Besides the small pension he received, he attempted to gain more income through selling the rights to his compositions.

His social life did not suffer too much as he appeared to have a close circle of friends around him all the time, but his attempts at finding happiness in marriage failed. Many of the women he sought after were out of his reach because they were either members of the aristocracy or they were already married to someone else. Despite this, his focus on his music almost never drifted. There were times when he would not work much on his music or compositions when he was involved in the custody battle of his nephew.

That dark chapter aside, he continued to compose and perform music, though as he grew older he performed less and focused more on composing. His health quickly declined after he lost custody of his nephew and he passed away in 1827 at the age of 57. His life may have been difficult and he may not have been successful in making money for his talent, but he was successful in the pieces he was able to compose and perform. The effort and energy he put into his work was not spent in vain as even today his pieces are performed and enjoyed by an audience. He continues to live on through the masterpieces he was able to create, even after he had become deaf because he refused to let his loss of hearing get in the way of what he loved to do.

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Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments. You can find the best marketplace for used CDs, autographed CDs, and used musical instruments at these sites for used beethoven CDs, autographed beethoven CDs, and used harpsichords.