Search results
Beethoven died on 26 March 1827 in Vienna, aged 56, after a prolonged illness. His last words were "Pity, pity—too late!" and his autopsy revealed liver damage, deafness, and other ailments.
- Overview
- The early years
Beethoven is widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived, in no small part because of his ability—unlike any before him—to translate feeling into music. His most famous compositions included Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 (1808), Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op 92 (1813), and Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 (1824).
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
Listen to an excerpt from Symphony No. 5 in C Minor.
Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
Listen to an excerpt from Symphony No. 7 in A Major.
How did Ludwig van Beethoven get his start in music?
Beethoven was the eldest surviving child of Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven. The family was Flemish in origin and can be traced back to Malines. It was Beethoven’s grandfather who had first settled in Bonn when he became a singer in the choir of the archbishop-elector of Cologne; he eventually rose to become Kappellmeister. His son Johann was also a singer in the electoral choir; thus, like most 18th-century musicians, Beethoven was born into the profession. Though at first quite prosperous, the Beethoven family became steadily poorer with the death of his grandfather in 1773 and the decline of his father into alcoholism. By age 11 Beethoven had to leave school; at 18 he was the breadwinner of the family.
Having observed in his eldest son the signs of a talent for the piano, Johann tried to make Ludwig a child prodigy like Mozart but did not succeed. It was not until his adolescence that Beethoven began to attract mild attention.
Britannica Quiz
Music Quiz
When in 1780 Joseph II became sole ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, he appointed his brother Maximilian Francis as adjutant and successor-designate to the archbishop-elector of Cologne. Under Maximilian’s rule, Bonn was transformed from a minor provincial town into a thriving and cultured capital city. A liberal Roman Catholic, he endowed Bonn with a university, limited the power of his own clergy, and opened the city to the full tide of the German literary renaissance associated with Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, and the young Goethe and Schiller. A sign of the times was the nomination as court organist of Christian Gottlob Neefe, a Protestant from Saxony, who became Beethoven’s teacher. Although somewhat limited as a musician, Neefe was nonetheless a man of high ideals and wide culture, a man of letters as well as a composer of songs and light theatrical pieces; and it was to be through Neefe that Beethoven in 1783 would have his first extant composition (Nine Variations on a March by Dressler) published at Mannheim. By June 1782 Beethoven had become Neefe’s assistant as court organist.
In 1783 he was also appointed continuo player to the Bonn opera. By 1787 he had made such progress that Maximilian Francis, archbishop-elector since 1784, was persuaded to send him to Vienna to study with Mozart. The visit was cut short when, after a short time, Beethoven received the news of his mother’s death. According to tradition, Mozart was highly impressed with Beethoven’s powers of improvisation and told some friends that “this young man will make a great name for himself in the world”; no reliable account of Beethoven’s first trip to Vienna survives, however.
Beethoven died on 26 March 1827 at the age of 56; only his friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner and a "Frau van Beethoven" (possibly his old enemy Johanna van Beethoven) were present. According to Hüttenbrenner, at about 5 pm there was a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder: "Beethoven opened his eyes, lifted his right hand and looked up for ...
Apr 10, 2023 · Beethoven died of cirrhosis in 1827, likely caused by hepatitis B, alcohol and genetic predisposition. Researchers used his hair to sequence his genome and disprove other theories, such as syphilis or lead poisoning.
- Jesse Greenspan
Jul 5, 2023 · Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna on 26 March 1827. The composer was given a public funeral, and the procession was said to have been watched by a crowd of 10,000 people, some said there was double that figure.
- Mark Cartwright
- Ludwig van Beethoven's death was caused by his heavy drinking and consequent liver disease.
- Ludwig van Beethoven was able to continue composing and playing despite being deaf since he, like many professional musicians, could hear pitch-per...
- Ludwig van Beethoven is famous for being one of the greatest of all composers. His music bridged Classical and Romantic music. He is best known for...
- Beethoven was completely deaf when he died in 1827. The composer began to lose his hearing from around 1798 and was totally deaf by 1818.
Jul 17, 2024 · FULL NAME: Ludwig van Beethoven BORN: December 1770 BIRTHPLACE: Bonn, Germany DIED: March 26, 1827 DEATHPLACE: Vienna, Austria ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius Fact Check We strive for...
People also ask
How did Ludwig van Beethoven Die?
How old was Beethoven when he died?
Who was Ludwig van Beethoven?
Who witnessed Beethoven's death?
Mar 23, 2023 · Death from liver disease. The latest study suggests that Beethoven probably died from liver disease brought on by a combination of viral hepatitis, alcohol consumption and genetic factors....
