Classic FM
The World's Greatest Music
Beethoven: 20 facts about the great composer
He reinvented the symphony, reshaped string quartets, and redefined piano sonatas - but there's much more to learn about Ludwig van Beethoven, the man who changed music forever.
-
1. Beethoven’s birth
-
2. Beethoven's father creates a child prodigy
-
3. Violin music
-
4. Beethoven's first composition?
-
5. Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart
-
6. Beethoven in Vienna
-
7. Beethoven and Bach
-
8. Beethoven goes deaf
-
9. Symphony No. 1 – a musical joke?
-
10. Deafness and despair: The Heiligenstadt Testament
-
11. Beethoven’s three musical periods: early period
-
12. Beethoven’s three musical periods: ‘heroic’ middle period
-
13. ‘Moonlight’ Sonata
-
14. Beethoven’s temper and Symphony No. 3, the ‘Eroica’
-
15. Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio
-
16. Beethoven’s three musical periods: late period
-
17. Beethoven at the movies
-
18. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the 'Ode to Joy'
-
19. Beethoven's boozing and cause of death?
-
20. Famous last words?
Beethoven’s birth
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in December 1770… but no one is sure of the exact date! He was baptised on 17 December, so he was probably born the day before. His birthplace (pictured) is now the Beethoven-Haus museum.
Comments