Beethoven

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Born: December 17, 1770
Died: March 26, 1827

Ludwig van Beethoven may be the most important composer who ever lived. Born in
Bonn, Germany on December 17, 1770, he first studied music with his father who was a singer. When his father saw how musical Ludwig was, he thought he might try what Mozart's father had done—make money by putting his son on display playing concerts. By the time Beethoven was a teenager, he wound up supporting his family with
a job as a court musician. Beethoven played violin, viola, and—most of all—keyboard
instruments.

Beethoven was musical genius, but writing music did not come easy. He was
constantly changing the music he wrote. It got even harder for him when he started
going deaf at the age of 30. Even though he could no longer hear, he went on to write
some of his best music!

Beethoven is famous for his nine symphonies. But he also wrote many other
kinds of music: chamber and choral music, music for piano and string quartets, ballets, as
well as one opera.