The Life and Music of Ludwig van Beethoven
German pianist and compost Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770 and has long been hailed as the greatest composer of all times. his innovative compositions are a combination of vocal and instrumental music, allowing the scope for sonatas, concertos and symphonies to expand significantly. Beethoven’s musical genius acts as a transition between the Classical and Romantic eras of music, and he is fondly remembered all over the world for his contributions to the field of Western Classical music. According to Knapp and Budden, Beethoven’s music was rooted in the classical traditions of Haydn and Mozart, incorporating the spirit of humanism and incipient nationalism present in the works of some of his older contemporaries in other creative fields.
Music was perhaps Beethoven’s destiny, for he was the son of a court musician, who had the patronage of the local nobility. His father’s hold on music, and thus the access to instruments developed a musical leaning in Beethoven at a very tender age. Under his father’s early guidance and tutelage, Beethoven began playing the piano at a very early age and gave his first concert at the age of only eight (Siepmann). Recognizing his prodigious talent, Beethoven’s father encouraged him to pursue a career in music and aspired for him to become a child prodigy. By 1787, Beethoven’s father’s influence and his own skill in music had helped him gain a position in the court, where he was employed as a court musician.
While Beethoven’s earliest training occurred under the tutelage of his father, he also had the opportunity to train under Haydn and Mozart – both of them legends of their times. with neither of these teachers did Beethoven have a satisfying relationship (Landon). This is possibly because Beethoven was a very emotional person, whose emotional episodes often had lasting impacts on his personal life as well as his musical abilities. This is evident from the sporadic episodes of compositions that he made throughout his life and musical career. As Siepman correctly points out, Beethoven’s personal life and musical career were intricately intertwined. As a result, there are three distinct phases in Beethoven’s music – the early, middle and late periods (Siepmann). These periods correspond with personal incidents and events in Beethoven’s life.
Early Period
Beethoven’s father, in his quest to make him a child prodigy, followed the example of Mozart. However, Beethoven’s father Johann was incapable of bringing him up like Mozart, since he was himself both physically and emotionally abusive. Johann’s lofty ambitions for his son – not having achieved any musical greatness himself, led to his son’s perpetual abuse which had a damaging effect on Beethoven and he struggled with these issues throughout his life (Lockwood). When he came of age, Beethoven left his home and his position as the court musician in Bonn to move to Vienna. Beethoven had already began composing music by this time, having briefly tutored under Christian Gottlob Nieffe, the court organist (Landon). When he left Bonn, Beethoven had already developed a strong reputation and the groundwork for his early compositional works had been established.
Beethoven’s first attempts to leave Bonn and his father’s abusive influence behind did not work well. even though he left Bonn in 1787, seeking tutelage under Mozart, he had to return shortly after because of his mother’s failing health, and soon after he returned, she passed away (Lockwood). After her death, Beethoven felt responsible for his family, and stayed back in Bonn till 1792. By the time he decided to leave for Vienna once again, Mozart had passed away – thus ending his opportunity to learn under him. in 1792, Beethoven left Bonn forever. In Vienna, Beethoven quickly won himself patronage from some of the most influential composers of the time and thus had the opportunity to train under Albrechtsberger, Salieri, and Haydn at various points in time (Siepmann). In 1795, he published his first composition – a set of three piano trios (Landon). During this entire time, the piano remained his instrument of choice and his combination of compositional and piano playing skills earned him quite a reputation in the musical circles. In the early period, Beethoven became popular for his chamber music. He composed both string quartets and trios – both of which have a high aesthetic value. Beethoven’s early music was completely dominated by the piano and during this period, he ended up writing 20 sonatas, 6 variations in F major, 15 variations on an original theme, and an original fugue. While Beethoven wrote a lot of high quality compositions during this time, his 8th piano sonata is considered timeless. The Piano Sonata 14 and 15 were also written during this time, and their emotional arcs continue to be appreciated to this date. At this time, Beethoven also began writing his symphonies, but understanding the intricacies of symphonies as well as the respect they commanded, Beethoven waited till he had come of age before he began trying his hand on them (Lockwood).
Middle Period
During the middle period of his career, Beethoven transitioned from Classical to the Romantic period. This was a time of rapidly changing ideas and philosophies, and thus compelled Beethoven to change his compositional ideas as well. By the middle period of his career, Beethoven had already established a strong reputation as a musician. However, at the same time, he was struggling with a developing hearing impairment. By 1797, Beethoven had actively acknowledged his deafness and had began to seek treatment – but to no avail (Lockwood). In about six months after beginning treatment, Beethoven lost his hearing completely and sank into despair, imagining his musical career to have ended. At the same time, in 1815, Beethoven began a fateful affair with The Countess Deym, nee Countess von Brunswick Josephine (Lockwood). This added to his heartbreak and left him in lasting despair – even contemplating suicide. He became increasingly reclusive and directed his efforts of composition towards connoisseurs, instead of the public. As he began to actively seek patronage his musical ideas also became more experimental and ambitious. He also began delving in orchestral music more regularly, which led to the Symphony 3, which was his first major work in the area. He went on to compose the 5th symphony, introducing the famous four note motive. Some of his most noted works during this time included Symphony 6, Piano Concerto 5, String Quartet #7 in F major, Piano Trio #7, Piano Sonatas #21 and #23 and the opera Fidelio – which was the only opera Beethoven wrote in his entire career (Siepmann). Unfortunately, despite the continuing genius in the music field, Beethoven’s personal life was excruciatingly painful as he struggled with his deafness and ultimately retired as a performer since he could no longer hear music. By the end of the middle phase of his career, Beethoven had become highly reclusive.
Late Period
During the late period of his musical career, Beethoven had become almost nearly deaf and yet, his ambition to create innovative compositions and new sounding music clearly shines through his work. Beethoven increasingly began looking back at his predecessors in the field for inspiration. He incorporated the polyphonic sounds of Bach and Handel into his works (Siepmann). However, this was the time when his musical genius had nearly dried up as this was the period of his career in which he composed the least amount of music. In 1815, about the time that marks the beginning of the last phase of his musical career, Napoleon – Beethoven’s personal hero, had been defeated and monarchy had been restored. Beethoven had cherished and supported the idea of Republicanism, and its end haunted him significantly (Landon). Also, adding to his miseries was his dire financial condition. He had already stopped playing concerts, and his reclusive nature as well as his work-for-patronage model caused a lack of available money. In addition, he was also spending on the custody battle and upbringing of his nephew – of whom he was the self-appointed guardian. At the same time, Beethoven’s health was failing him and he was frequently bed ridden. The little music that Beethoven composed in this period, was for the exclusive use of his patrons, many of whom did not appreciate his new style of music and his reliance on polyphonic sounds. The music written during this period is distinctly different from the music that he had composed throughout his career. During this period, Beethoven produced only five piano sonatas and the Diabelli Variations – a set of very long theme and variations. Beethoven wrote piano Sonata 29 returning to his pioneering four movement structure, Sonata 30 which returns to the three movement structure, Sonata 32 – his final sonata, Missa Solemnis and the 9th Symphony – the work for which he became immortal in the field of music.
Beethoven’s works have influenced millions of musicians across the world, but the music that emerged from the last phase of his career profoundly influenced generations of composers. Beethoven’s humble beginnings, the abuse by his father, and his determination to create phenomenal music, have all been an inherent part of his musical journey. As a musician, Beethoven moved from success to success but during his lifetime, he never quite achieved material gains from his genius. At the same time, his personal life remained devoid of any major happiness. He was first ravaged by his deafness and declining health, then by a failed love affair and finally by a long, tedious and expensive custody battle for his nephew. All these events had distinct impacts on his musical works, and with each major personal event in his life, the turn of his music can be easily distinguished. Yet, despite the variations that one can see in his music throughout his career, he continues to be deemed one of the greatest musicians and composers of all times.
References
Landon, HC Robbins, ed. Beethoven: his life, work and world. CNIB, 1993.
Lockwood, Lewis. Beethoven: The music and the life. WW Norton & Company, 2005.
Knapp, Raymond. L., and Budden, Julian. M. (2018). “Ludwig van Beethoven”, Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ludwig-van-Beethoven
Siepmann, Jeremy. Beethoven: his life & music. Sourcebooks Inc, 2006.