Deaf but brilliant, cursed with an unhappy life and increasingly ill, Ludwig van Beethoven has been the darling of the cognoscenti everywhere since, composing innovative sonatas, quartets, concertos, and symphonies despite his challenges. Born in December 1770 AD in Bonn, Beethoven began learning music from his father, Bonn’s most eminent musician … with a certain vigor. His father was a harsh Kapellmeister, beating the small boy for every hesitation and mistake; on daily basis young Beethoven was flogged, locked in the cellar, and made to practice for hours without rest. But he mastered the violin, clavier, and organ, giving his first public recital in 1778.

In 1784, when his father was no longer able to support the family, Ludwig took a position as Assistant Organist at the court for the modest salary of 150 florins annually. In 1787, to broaden his musical experience, the court dispatched Beethoven to Vienna, where he may have met the celebrated Mozart. But after only a few weeks, Beethoven returned to Bonn, where his mother had fallen ill. Over the next years, his own celebrity grew among the wealthy and elite. With Napoleon’s armies sweeping across the states of Germany, Beethoven returned to Vienna. There he studied piano with Haydn, voice with Salieri, and counterpoint with Albrechtsberger.

Considered a virtuoso pianist, he soon gained a number of patrons. This finally gave him the wherewithal to compose, and in 1795 he premiered his first piano concerto, the one in C Major. In 1800 he debuted his Symphony No. 1. Once started, and greeted with acclaim for the beauty of his works, Beethoven eventually produced nine symphonies, 32 piano sonatas (and ten for the violin), 16 string quartets, as well as chamber music and choral works. He died in 1827 and the world wept.