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    Beethoven

    • Beethoven Home
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    When and how did Beethoven die?

    This image appears in the gallery:
    Beethoven: Compositions, biography, siblings and more facts

    Beethoven wine

    20. When and how did Beethoven die?

    We all like a tipple, but Beethoven may have been more partial to a pint than most. He was once arrested for being a tramp by an unsuspecting policeman who didn’t recognise him! After his death in 1827, his autopsy revealed a shrunken liver due to cirrhosis.

    1. Image 1: Beethoven Haus Bonn
    2. Image 2: Ludwig's father Johann van Beethoven
    3. Image 3: Beethoven's brother
    4. Image 4: music manuscript violin
    5. Image 5: classical piano
    6. Image 6: Count Waldstein
    7. Image 7: Vienna
    8. Image 8: Bach's well tempered clavier
    9. Image 9: young Beethoven
    10. Image 10: Hofftheatre Vienna 21 images

    See the full gallery: Beethoven: Compositions, biography, siblings and more facts

    Beethoven latest

    See more Beethoven latest

    Largest string orchestra world record,  Recklinghausen, Germany

    1,350 musicians break world record for largest string orchestra with immense ‘Ode to Joy’

    Scientific reconstruction reveals Beethoven’s ‘true’ face 200 years after his death

    Scientific reconstruction reveals Beethoven’s ‘true’ face 200 years after his death

    18-year-old pianist Zak plays Beethoven and Chopin medley at Sheffield train station

    18-year-old pianist stuns with original Beethoven and Chopin medley at Sheffield train station

    Discover Music

    Great classical music. Pictured: Gustavo Dudamel, Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall, and cellist Margarita Balanas

    10 pieces of classical music everyone should know

    Discover Music

    Yuja Wang plays a piano with three pedals – but what are they for?

    Why do pianos have three pedals, and what do they do?

    Discover Music

    Stephen Schwartz, composer of Wicked.

    ‘I just stole it from Beethoven’: Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz on how he wrote ‘Defying Gravity’

    Young boy conducts in the Carlo Felice Theatre

    Conductor dad sits his son on the podium, who reveals his incredible baton skills

    Videos

    Peter Schickele Beethoven 5 parody

    PDQ Bach delivered the ultimate classical music and sport parody in this Beethoven performance

    We ranked Beethoven’s nine symphonies from worst to greatest

    We ranked Beethoven’s nine symphonies from worst to greatest

    French Army Choir and children sing Beethoven in Omaha Beach D-Day ceremony

    Armed forces and children sing Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ in stirring D-Day commemoration

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

    The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

    The 25 greatest conductors of all time

    Discover Music

    Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

    The 30 greatest classical music composers of all time

    Latest on Classic FM

    Long-lost ‘Mendelssohn’ Stradivarius violin taken in Nazi Germany traced in Japan

    Long-lost ‘Mendelssohn’ Stradivarius violin taken in Nazi Germany has been traced in Japan

    Discover Music

    Pope Leo XIV is a pianist

    The new Pope, Leo XIV, is a pianist who can play fiendish Bartók piano solos

    Discover Music

    Andre Rieu plays violin at UEFA Champions League in Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Netherlands national anthem: what are the Dutch lyrics and English translation?

    Discover Music

    'O mio babbino caro' - a Puccini aria often performed by soprano Renée Fleming

    What are the lyrics and translation of ‘O mio babbino caro’?

    Puccini

    La Scala bans flip-flops and shorts in beachwear crackdown at top opera house

    La Scala bans flip-flops and shorts in beachwear crackdown at top opera house

    Discover Music

    Laufey sings ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ in memory of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota.

    Laufey sings ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at Liverpool church in memory of footballer Diogo Jota

    5-year-old pianist to make history as youngest ever performer at Carnegie Hall

    5-year-old prodigy to make history as youngest ever pianist to perform at Carnegie Hall

    Discover Music

    Classic FM Live at 25 with Viking at the Royal Albert Hall

    Classic FM Live at 25 with Viking: join us for a spectacular concert at the Royal Albert Hall in October 2025!

    Events

    Erik Satie

    27 lost works by Erik Satie heard for the first time, 100 years after the composer’s death

    Aled Jones and Stuart Burrows

    Child star Aled Jones sings with late tenor in poignant ‘Panis Angelicus’ duet

    Aled Jones

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