Where and with whom did Beethoven study? Deaf composer

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in an era of great changes, the main of which was the French Revolution. That is why the theme of heroic struggle became the main one in the composer’s work. The struggle for republican ideals, the desire for change, a better future - Beethoven lived with these ideas.

Childhood and youth

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn (Austria), where he spent his childhood. Frequently changing teachers were involved in educating the future composer; his father’s friends taught him to play various musical instruments.

Realizing that his son had musical talent, the father, wanting to see a second Mozart in Beethoven, began to force the boy to study long and hard. However, hopes were not justified; Ludwig did not turn out to be a child prodigy, but he received good compositional knowledge. And thanks to this, at the age of 12, his first work was published: “Piano Variations on the Theme of Dressler’s March.”

Beethoven began working in a theater orchestra at the age of 11 without finishing school. Until the end of his days he wrote with errors. However, the composer read a lot and learned French, Italian and Latin without outside help.

The early period of Beethoven's life was not the most productive; in ten years (1782-1792) only about fifty works were written.

Vienna period

Realizing that he still had a lot to learn, Beethoven moved to Vienna. Here he attends composition classes and performs as a pianist. He is patronized by many music connoisseurs, but the composer behaves coldly and proudly towards them, sharply responding to insults.

This period is distinguished by its scale, two symphonies appear, “Christ on the Mount of Olives” - the famous and only oratorio. But at the same time, a disease makes itself known - deafness. Beethoven understands that it is incurable and is progressing rapidly. Out of hopelessness and doom, the composer delves into creativity.

Central period

This period dates from 1802-1012 and is characterized by the flowering of Beethoven's talent. Having overcome the suffering caused by the disease, he saw the similarity of his struggle with the struggle of the revolutionaries in France. Beethoven's works embodied these ideas of perseverance and steadfastness of spirit. They manifested themselves especially clearly in the “Eroica Symphony” (symphony No. 3), the opera “Fidelio”, “Appassionata” (sonata No. 23).

Transition period

This period lasts from 1812 to 1815. At this time, great changes were taking place in Europe; after the end of Napoleon's rule, it was going to be carried out, which contributed to the strengthening of reactionary-monarchist tendencies.

Following political changes, the cultural situation also changes. Literature and music move away from the heroic classicism familiar to Beethoven. Romanticism begins to take over the vacated positions. The composer accepts these changes and creates the symphonic fantasy “Battle of Vattoria” and the cantata “Happy Moment”. Both creations were a great success with the public.

However, not all of Beethoven's works from this period are like this. Paying tribute to the new fashion, the composer begins to experiment, look for new paths and musical techniques. Many of these finds were considered ingenious.

Later creativity

The last years of Beethoven's life were marked by political decline in Austria and the composer's progressive illness - deafness became absolute. Having no family, immersed in silence, Beethoven took in his nephew, but he only brought grief.

Beethoven's works of the late period are strikingly different from everything he wrote earlier. Romanticism takes over, and the ideas of struggle and confrontation between light and dark acquire a philosophical character.

In 1823, Beethoven's greatest creation (as he himself believed) was born - “Solemn Mass,” which was first performed in St. Petersburg.

Beethoven: "Fur Elise"

This work became Beethoven's most famous creation. However, during the composer's lifetime, Bagatelle No. 40 (formal title) was not widely known. The manuscript was discovered only after the composer's death. In 1865, it was found by Ludwig Nohl, a researcher of Beethoven's work. He received it from the hands of a certain woman who claimed that it was a gift. It was not possible to determine the time when the bagatelle was written, since it was dated April 27 without indicating the year. The work was published in 1867, but the original, unfortunately, was lost.

It is not known for certain who Eliza is, to whom the piano miniature is dedicated. There is even a suggestion, put forward by Max Unger (1923), that the original title of the work was “Für Teresa,” and Nohl simply misread Beethoven’s handwriting. If we accept this version as true, then the play is dedicated to the composer’s student, Teresa Malfatti. Beethoven was in love with the girl and even proposed to her, but was refused.

Despite the many beautiful and wonderful works written for the piano, Beethoven for many is inextricably linked with this mysterious and enchanting piece.

My willingness to serve poor suffering humanity with my art has never, since childhood... needed any reward other than inner satisfaction...
L. Beethoven

Musical Europe was still full of rumors about the brilliant miracle child - W. A. Mozart, when Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, into the family of a tenor player of the court chapel. He was baptized on December 17, 1770, naming him in honor of his grandfather, a venerable bandmaster, a native of Flanders. Beethoven received his first musical knowledge from his father and his colleagues. His father wanted him to become a “second Mozart” and forced his son to practice even at night. Beethoven did not become a child prodigy, but he discovered his talent as a composer quite early. He was greatly influenced by K. Nefe, who taught him composition and playing the organ, a man of advanced aesthetic and political convictions. Due to the poverty of the family, Beethoven was forced to enter the service very early: at the age of 13 he was enrolled in the chapel as an assistant organist; later worked as an accompanist at the National Theater in Bonn. In 1787, he visited Vienna and met his idol, Mozart, who, after listening to the young man’s improvisation, said: “Pay attention to him; he will someday make the world talk about himself.” Beethoven failed to become Mozart's student: a serious illness and the death of his mother forced him to hastily return to Bonn. There Beethoven found moral support in the enlightened Breuning family and became close to the university environment, which shared the most progressive views. The ideas of the French Revolution were enthusiastically received by Beethoven's Bonn friends and had a strong influence on the formation of his democratic beliefs.

In Bonn, Beethoven wrote a number of large and small works: 2 cantatas for soloists, choir and orchestra, 3 piano quartets, several piano sonatas (now called sonatinas). It should be noted that the sonatinas known to all beginning pianists salt And F major, according to researchers, do not belong to Beethoven, but are only attributed, but another, truly Beethoven Sonatina in F major, discovered and published in 1909, remains, as it were, in the shadows and is not played by anyone. A large part of Bonn's creativity also consists of variations and songs intended for amateur music-making. Among them are the familiar song “Groundhog”, the touching “Elegy for the Death of a Poodle”, the rebellious poster-like “Free Man”, the dreamy “Sigh of the Unloved and Happy Love”, containing a prototype of the future theme of joy from the Ninth Symphony, “Sacrifice Song”, which Beethoven loved it so much that he returned to it 5 times (last edition - 1824). Despite the freshness and brightness of his youthful compositions, Beethoven understood that he needed to study seriously.

In November 1792, he finally left Bonn and moved to Vienna, the largest musical center in Europe. Here he studied counterpoint and composition with J. Haydn, J. Schenk, J. Albrechtsberger and A. Salieri. Although the student was obstinate, he studied zealously and subsequently spoke with gratitude of all his teachers. At the same time, Beethoven began performing as a pianist and soon gained fame as an unsurpassed improviser and a brilliant virtuoso. On his first and last long tour (1796), he captivated the audiences of Prague, Berlin, Dresden, and Bratislava. The young virtuoso was patronized by many distinguished music lovers - K. Likhnovsky, F. Lobkowitz, F. Kinsky, Russian Ambassador A. Razumovsky and others; Beethoven's sonatas, trios, quartets, and later even symphonies were first heard in their salons. Their names can be found in the dedications of many of the composer's works. However, Beethoven's manner of dealing with his patrons was almost unheard of at the time. Proud and independent, he did not forgive anyone for trying to humiliate his dignity. The legendary words uttered by the composer to the patron of the arts who insulted him are known: “There have been and will be thousands of princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Of the many aristocratic women who were Beethoven's students, Ertman, the sisters T. and J. Bruns, and M. Erdedi became his constant friends and promoters of his music. Although he did not like to teach, Beethoven was nevertheless the teacher of K. Czerny and F. Ries in piano (both of them later won European fame) and the Archduke Rudolf of Austria in composition.

In the first Viennese decade, Beethoven wrote mainly piano and chamber music. In 1792-1802 3 piano concertos and 2 dozen sonatas were created. Of these, only Sonata No. 8 (“ Pathetic") has the author's title. Sonata No. 14, which bears the subtitle of a fantasy sonata, was called “Moonlight” by the romantic poet L. Relshtab. Stable names were also established for sonatas No. 12 (“With Funeral March”), No. 17 (“With Recitatives”) and later ones: No. 21 (“Aurora”) and No. 23 (“Appassionata”). The first Viennese period includes, in addition to the piano ones, 9 (out of 10) violin sonatas (including No. 5 - “Spring”, No. 9 - “Kreutzer”; both titles are also not the author’s); 2 cello sonatas, 6 string quartets, a number of ensembles for various instruments (including the cheerfully gallant Septet).

Since the beginning of the 19th century. Beethoven also began as a symphonist: in 1800 he completed his First Symphony, and in 1802 his Second. At the same time, his only oratorio, “Christ on the Mount of Olives,” was written. The first signs of an incurable disease - progressive deafness - that appeared in 1797 and the realization of the hopelessness of all attempts to treat the disease led Beethoven to a mental crisis in 1802, which was reflected in the famous document - the “Heiligenstadt Testament”. The way out of the crisis was creativity: “... A little was missing for me to commit suicide,” the composer wrote. - “It was only art that held me back.”

1802-12 - the time of the brilliant flowering of Beethoven's genius. His deeply developed ideas of overcoming suffering through the power of spirit and the victory of light over darkness after a fierce struggle turned out to be consonant with the basic ideas of the French Revolution and the liberation movements of the early 19th century. These ideas were embodied in the Third (“Eroic”) and Fifth Symphonies, in the tyrannical opera “Fidelio”, in the music for the tragedy of J. V. Goethe “Egmont”, in Sonata No. 23 (“Appassionata”). The composer was also inspired by the philosophical and ethical ideas of the Enlightenment, which he perceived in his youth. The natural world appears full of dynamic harmony in the Sixth (“Pastoral”) Symphony, in the Violin Concerto, in the piano (No. 21) and violin (No. 10) sonatas. Folk or close to folk melodies are heard in the Seventh Symphony and in quartets Nos. 7-9 (the so-called “Russian” ones - they are dedicated to A. Razumovsky; Quartet No. 8 contains 2 melodies of Russian folk songs: used much later also by N. Rimsky-Korsakov “Glory” and “Oh, is my talent, talent”). The Fourth Symphony is full of powerful optimism, the Eighth Symphony is permeated with humor and slightly ironic nostalgia for the times of Haydn and Mozart. The virtuoso genre is treated epically and monumentally in the Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos, as well as in the Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano with orchestra. In all these works, the style of Viennese classicism with its life-affirming belief in reason, goodness and justice, expressed at the conceptual level as a movement “through suffering to joy” (from Beethoven’s letter to M. Erdedi), and at the compositional level, found the most complete and final embodiment of the style of Viennese classicism - as a balance between unity and diversity and adherence to strict proportions at the largest scale of the composition.

1812-15 - turning points in the political and spiritual life of Europe. The period of the Napoleonic wars and the rise of the liberation movement was followed by the Congress of Vienna (1814-15), after which reactionary-monarchical tendencies intensified in the domestic and foreign policies of European countries. The style of heroic classicism, expressing the spirit of revolutionary renewal at the end of the 18th century. and patriotic sentiments of the beginning of the 19th century, should inevitably either turn into pompous and official art, or give way to romanticism, which became the leading trend in literature and managed to make itself known in music (F. Schubert). Beethoven also had to solve these complex spiritual problems. He paid tribute to the victorious jubilation by creating the spectacular symphonic fantasy “The Battle of Vittoria” and the cantata “Happy Moment”, the premieres of which were timed to coincide with the Vienna Congress and brought Beethoven unprecedented success. However, in other works of 1813-17. reflected a persistent and sometimes painful search for new paths. At this time, cello (Nos. 4, 5) and piano (Nos. 27, 28) sonatas, several dozen arrangements of songs of different nations for voice and ensemble, and the first vocal cycle in the history of the genre “To a Distant Beloved” (1815) were written. The style of these works is, as it were, experimental, with many ingenious discoveries, but not always as integral as in the period of “revolutionary classicism.”

The last decade of Beethoven's life was marred both by the general oppressive political and spiritual atmosphere in Metternich's Austria and by personal adversity and upheaval. The composer's deafness became complete; from 1818, he was forced to use “conversational notebooks” in which his interlocutors wrote questions addressed to him. Having lost hope for personal happiness (the name of the “immortal beloved” to whom Beethoven’s farewell letter dated July 6-7, 1812 was addressed remains unknown; some researchers consider her to be J. Brunswick-Dame, others - A. Brentano), Beethoven accepted took care of raising his nephew Karl, the son of his younger brother who died in 1815. This led to a long-term (1815-20) legal battle with the boy's mother over sole custody rights. The capable but frivolous nephew caused Beethoven a lot of grief. The contrast between sad and sometimes tragic life circumstances and the ideal beauty of the works created is a manifestation of the spiritual feat that made Beethoven one of the heroes of European culture of the New Age.

Creativity 1817-26 marked a new rise in Beethoven's genius and at the same time became an epilogue to the era of musical classicism. Remaining faithful to classical ideals until his last days, the composer found new forms and means of their implementation, bordering on the romantic, but not turning into them. Beethoven's late style is a unique aesthetic phenomenon. The idea of the dialectical relationship of contrasts, the struggle between light and darkness, central to Beethoven, acquires an emphatically philosophical sound in his late work. Victory over suffering is no longer achieved through heroic action, but through the movement of spirit and thought. A great master of the sonata form, in which dramatic conflicts previously developed, Beethoven in his later works often turns to the fugue form, which is most suitable for embodying the gradual formation of a generalized philosophical idea. The last 5 piano sonatas (Nos. 28-32) and the last 5 quartets (Nos. 12-16) are distinguished by a particularly complex and sophisticated musical language, requiring the greatest skill from the performers, and soulful perception from the listeners. 33 variations on the Waltz of Diabelli and Bagateli op. 126 are also true masterpieces, despite the difference in scale. Beethoven's later work has long been controversial. Of his contemporaries, only a few were able to understand and appreciate his latest works. One of these people was N. Golitsyn, on whose order the quartets No. , and were written and dedicated to him. The overture “Consecration of the House” (1822) is dedicated to him.

In 1823, Beethoven completed the “Solemn Mass,” which he considered his greatest work. This mass, designed more for concert than for religious performance, became one of the landmark phenomena in the German oratorio tradition (G. Schütz, J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, W. A. Mozart, I. Haydn). The first mass (1807) was not inferior to the masses of Haydn and Mozart, but did not become a new word in the history of the genre, like the “Solemn”, which embodied all the skill of Beethoven as a symphonist and playwright. Turning to the canonical Latin text, Beethoven highlighted in it the idea of self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness of people and introduced into the final plea for peace the passionate pathos of the denial of war as the greatest evil. With the assistance of Golitsyn, the “Solemn Mass” was first performed on April 7, 1824 in St. Petersburg. A month later, Beethoven’s last benefit concert took place in Vienna, in which, in addition to parts from the mass, his final Ninth Symphony was performed with a final chorus based on the words of “Ode to Joy” by F. Schiller. The idea of overcoming suffering and the triumph of light is consistently carried through the entire symphony and is expressed with utmost clarity at the end thanks to the introduction of a poetic text that Beethoven dreamed of setting to music back in Bonn. The Ninth Symphony with its final call - “Embrace, millions!” - became Beethoven’s ideological testament to humanity and had a profound impact on symphony in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Beethoven's traditions were adopted and one way or another continued by G. Berlioz, F. Liszt, J. Brahms, A. Bruckner, G. Mahler, S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich. Beethoven was also revered as a teacher by the composers of the New Viennese school - the “father of dodecaphony” A. Schoenberg, the passionate humanist A. Berg, the innovator and lyricist A. Webern. In December 1911, Webern wrote to Berg: “Few things are as wonderful as the holiday of Christmas. ... Isn’t this how we should celebrate Beethoven’s birthday?” Many musicians and music lovers would agree with this proposal, because for thousands (and perhaps millions) of people, Beethoven remains not only one of the greatest geniuses of all times and peoples, but also the personification of an unfading ethical ideal, an inspirer of the oppressed, a consoler of the suffering, a faithful friend in sorrow and joy.

L. Kirillina

Beethoven is one of the greatest phenomena of world culture. His work ranks alongside the art of such titans of artistic thought as Tolstoy, Rembrandt, and Shakespeare. In terms of philosophical depth, democratic orientation, and courage of innovation, Beethoven has no equal in the musical art of Europe of past centuries.

Beethoven's work captured the great awakening of peoples, the heroism and drama of the revolutionary era. Addressed to all progressive humanity, his music was a bold challenge to the aesthetics of the feudal aristocracy.

Beethoven's worldview was formed under the influence of the revolutionary movement that spread in the advanced circles of society at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. As its unique reflection on German soil, the bourgeois-democratic Enlightenment took shape in Germany. Protest against social oppression and despotism determined the leading directions of German philosophy, literature, poetry, theater and music.

Lessing raised the banner of the struggle for the ideals of humanism, reason and freedom. The works of Schiller and young Goethe were imbued with a civic feeling. The playwrights of the Sturm und Drang movement rebelled against the petty morality of feudal-bourgeois society. The challenge to the reactionary nobility is heard in Lessing’s “Nathan the Wise,” in Goethe’s “Götz von Berlichingen,” and in Schiller’s “The Robbers” and “Cunning and Love.” The ideas of the struggle for civil liberties permeate Schiller's Don Carlos and William Tell. The tension of social contradictions was also reflected in the image of Goethe’s Werther, the “rebellious martyr,” as Pushkin put it. The spirit of challenge marked every outstanding work of art of that era created on German soil. Beethoven's work was the most general and artistically perfect expression in the art of popular movements in Germany at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The great social upheaval in France had a direct and powerful impact on Beethoven. This brilliant musician, a contemporary of the revolution, was born in an era that perfectly suited his talent and his titanic nature. With rare creative power and emotional acuity, Beethoven sang the majesty and tension of his time, its stormy drama, the joys and sorrows of the gigantic masses. To this day, Beethoven's art remains unsurpassed as an artistic expression of feelings of civic heroism.

The revolutionary theme in no way exhausts Beethoven's legacy. Undoubtedly, the most outstanding Beethoven works belong to the art of heroic-dramatic nature. The main features of his aesthetics are most clearly embodied in works that reflect the theme of struggle and victory, glorifying the universal democratic principle of life and the desire for freedom. “Eroica”, Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, overtures “Coriolanus”, “Egmont”, “Leonore”, “Sonata Pathétique” and “Appassionata” - it was this circle of works that almost immediately won Beethoven the widest world recognition. And in fact, Beethoven’s music differs from the structure of thought and manner of expression of its predecessors primarily in its effectiveness, tragic power, and grandiose scale. It is not surprising that his innovation in the heroic-tragic sphere, earlier than in others, attracted general attention; It was mainly on the basis of Beethoven's dramatic works that both his contemporaries and the generations immediately following them made judgments about his work as a whole.

However, the world of Beethoven's music is staggeringly diverse. There are other fundamentally important aspects to his art, outside of which his perception will inevitably be one-sided, narrow and therefore distorted. And above all, this depth and complexity of the intellectual principle inherent in it.

The psychology of the new man, freed from feudal shackles, is revealed in Beethoven not only in terms of conflict and tragedy, but also through the sphere of high inspired thought. His hero, possessing indomitable courage and passion, is also endowed with a rich, finely developed intellect. He is not only a fighter, but also a thinker; Along with action, he is characterized by a tendency to concentrated thinking. No secular composer before Beethoven achieved such philosophical depth and breadth of thought. Beethoven's glorification of real life in its multifaceted aspects was intertwined with the idea of the cosmic greatness of the universe. Moments of inspired contemplation coexist in his music with heroic and tragic images, illuminating them in a unique way. Through the prism of sublime and deep intellect, life in all its diversity is refracted in Beethoven’s music - violent passions and detached daydreaming, theatrical dramatic pathos and lyrical confession, pictures of nature and scenes of everyday life...

Finally, compared to the work of his predecessors, Beethoven's music stands out for its individualization of the image, which is associated with the psychological principle in art.

Not as a representative of a class, but as an individual possessing his own rich inner world, a man of a new, post-revolutionary society recognized himself. It was in this spirit that Beethoven interpreted his hero. He is always significant and unique, every page of his life is an independent spiritual value. Even motives that are related to each other in type acquire in Beethoven’s music such a richness of shades in conveying mood that each of them is perceived as unique. Given the unconditional commonality of ideas that permeate all of his work, with the deep imprint of a powerful creative individuality lying on all Beethoven’s works, each of his opuses is an artistic surprise.

Perhaps it is precisely this undying desire to reveal the unique essence of each image that makes the problem of Beethoven's style so complex.

Beethoven is usually spoken of as a composer who, on the one hand, completes the classicist (In Russian theater studies and foreign musicological literature, the term “classicist” has been established in relation to the art of classicism. Thus, the confusion that inevitably arises when the single word “classical” is used to characterize the peak, “eternal” phenomena of any art, and to define one stylistic category. We, by inertia, continue to use the term “classical” in relation to the musical style of the 18th century, and to classical examples in music of other styles (for example, romanticism, baroque, impressionism, etc.). era in music, on the other hand, opens the way to the “romantic age”. From a broad historical perspective, this formulation is not objectionable. However, it gives little insight into the essence of Beethoven's style itself. For, while in some respects at certain stages of evolution it comes into contact with the work of the classicists of the 18th century and the romantics of the next generation, Beethoven’s music does not actually coincide in some important, decisive ways with the requirements of either style. Moreover, it is generally difficult to characterize it using stylistic concepts developed on the basis of studying the work of other artists. Beethoven is inimitably individual. Moreover, he is so many-sided and multifaceted that no familiar stylistic categories cover all the diversity of his appearance.

With a greater or lesser degree of certainty, we can only talk about a certain sequence of stages in the composer’s quest. Throughout his career, Beethoven continuously expanded the expressive boundaries of his art, constantly leaving behind not only his predecessors and contemporaries, but also his own achievements of an earlier period. Nowadays, it is customary to be amazed at the versatility of Stravinsky or Picasso, seeing in this a sign of the special intensity of the evolution of artistic thought characteristic of the 20th century. But Beethoven in this sense is in no way inferior to the above-mentioned luminaries. It is enough to compare almost any randomly selected works of Beethoven to be convinced of the incredible versatility of his style. Is it easy to believe that the elegant septet in the style of the Viennese divertissement, the monumental dramatic “Eroic Symphony” and the deeply philosophical quartets op. 59 belong to the same pen? Moreover, they were all created within one, six-year period.

None of Beethoven's sonatas can be singled out as the most characteristic of the composer's style in the field of piano music. Not a single work typifies his quest in the symphonic sphere. Sometimes in the same year Beethoven releases works that are so contrasting with each other that at first glance it is difficult to recognize the common features between them. Let us at least recall the well-known Fifth and Sixth Symphonies. Every detail of thematicity, every formative technique in them is as sharply opposed to each other as the general artistic concepts of these symphonies - the acutely tragic Fifth and the idyllically pastoral Sixth - are incompatible. If we compare works created at different, relatively distant stages of the creative path - for example, the First Symphony and the “Solemn Mass”, quartets op. 18 and the last quartets, the Sixth and Twenty-ninth piano sonatas, etc., etc., then we will see creations so strikingly different from each other that at first impression they are unconditionally perceived as the product of not only different intellects, but also from different artistic eras. Moreover, each of the mentioned opuses is highly characteristic of Beethoven, each is a miracle of stylistic completeness.

One can only speak about a single artistic principle that characterizes Beethoven’s works in the most general terms: throughout his entire career, the composer’s style evolved as a result of the search for a truthful embodiment of life. The powerful embrace of reality, the richness and dynamics in the transmission of thoughts and feelings, and finally, a new understanding of beauty compared to its predecessors led to such multifaceted, original and artistically timeless forms of expression that can only be summarized by the concept of the unique “Beethoven style.”

According to Serov's definition, Beethoven understood beauty as an expression of high ideology. The hedonistic, gracefully diversified side of musical expressiveness was consciously overcome in Beethoven's mature work.

Just as Lessing advocated precise and meager speech against the artificial, decorative style of salon poetry, saturated with elegant allegories and mythological attributes, so Beethoven rejected everything decorative and conventionally idyllic.

In his music, not only the exquisite ornamentation, inseparable from the style of expression of the 18th century, disappeared. Balance and symmetry of musical language, smooth rhythm, chamber transparency of sound - these stylistic features, characteristic of all of Beethoven's Viennese predecessors without exception, were also gradually crowded out of his musical speech. Beethoven's idea of beauty required emphasized nakedness of feelings. He was looking for different intonations - dynamic and restless, sharp and persistent. The sound of his music became rich, dense, and dramatically contrasting; his themes acquired hitherto unprecedented laconicism and stern simplicity. To people brought up on the musical classicism of the 18th century, Beethoven’s manner of expression seemed so unusual, “unsmoothed,” and sometimes even ugly, that the composer was repeatedly reproached for striving to be original, and they saw in his new expressive techniques a search for strange, deliberately dissonant sounds that grate the ear.

And, however, with all the originality, courage and novelty, Beethoven’s music is inextricably linked with the previous culture and with the classicist system of thought.

Advanced schools of the 18th century, spanning several artistic generations, prepared Beethoven's work. Some of them received a generalization and final form in it; the influences of others are revealed in a new original refraction.

Beethoven's work is most closely connected with the art of Germany and Austria.

First of all, there is a noticeable continuity with Viennese classicism of the 18th century. It is no coincidence that Beethoven entered the history of Culture as the last representative of this school. He began on the path paved by his immediate predecessors Haydn and Mozart. Beethoven also deeply perceived the structure of heroic-tragic images of Gluck's musical drama, partly through the works of Mozart, which in their own way refracted this figurative principle, and partly directly from Gluck's lyrical tragedies. Beethoven is equally clearly perceived as Handel's spiritual heir. The triumphant, lightly heroic images of Handel’s oratorios began a new life on an instrumental basis in Beethoven’s sonatas and symphonies. Finally, clear successive threads connect Beethoven with that philosophical and contemplative line in musical art, which has long been developed in the choral and organ schools of Germany, becoming its typical national principle and reaching its peak expression in the art of Bach. The influence of Bach's philosophical lyrics on the entire structure of Beethoven's music is deep and undeniable and can be traced from the First Piano Sonata to the Ninth Symphony and the last quartets, created shortly before his death.

Protestant chorale and traditional everyday German song, democratic Singspiel and Viennese street serenades - these and many other types of national art are also uniquely embodied in Beethoven's work. It recognizes both the historically established forms of peasant songwriting and the intonations of modern urban folklore. Essentially everything organically national in the culture of Germany and Austria was reflected in the sonata-symphonic work of Beethoven.

The art of other countries, especially France, also contributed to the formation of his multifaceted genius. In Beethoven's music one can hear echoes of Rousseauian motifs, which were embodied in the 18th century in French comic opera, starting with "The Village Sorcerer" by Rousseau himself and ending with the classical works in this genre by Grétry. The poster, sternly solemn character of the mass revolutionary genres of France left an indelible mark on it, marking a break with the chamber art of the 18th century. Cherubini's operas introduced acute pathos, spontaneity and dynamics of passions, close to the emotional structure of Beethoven's style.

Just as Bach’s work absorbed and generalized at the highest artistic level all the significant schools of the previous era, so the horizons of the brilliant symphonist of the 19th century embraced all the viable musical movements of the previous century. But Beethoven's new understanding of musical beauty reworked these origins into such an original form that in the context of his works they are not always easily recognizable.

In exactly the same way, the classicist system of thought is refracted in Beethoven’s work in a new form, far from the style of expression of Gluck, Haydn, and Mozart. This is a special, purely Beethovenian type of classicism, which has no prototypes in any artist. Composers of the 18th century did not even think about the very possibility of such grandiose constructions that became typical of Beethoven, such freedom of development within the framework of sonata formation, about such diverse types of musical thematics, and the complexity and richness of the very texture of Beethoven’s music should have been perceived by them as unconditional a step back to the rejected manner of Bach's generation. And yet, Beethoven’s belonging to the classicist system of thought clearly appears against the background of those new aesthetic principles that began to unconditionally dominate in the music of the post-Beethoven era.

Back in 1770, a boy was born into a family of German musicians who was destined to become a brilliant composer. Beethoven's biography is extremely interesting and fascinating; his life's journey contains many ups and downs, ups and downs. The name of the greatest creator of brilliant works is known even to those who are far from the world of art and are not fans of classical music. The biography of Ludwig van Beethoven will be briefly presented in this article.

Musician's family

Beethoven's biography has gaps. It was never possible to establish the exact date of his birth. But it is known for certain that on December 17 the sacrament of baptism took place over him. Presumably, the boy was born the day before this ceremony.

He was lucky to be born into a family that was directly related to music. Ludwig's grandfather was Louis Beethoven, who was the director of the choir. At the same time, he was distinguished by a proud disposition, enviable capacity for work and perseverance. All these qualities were passed on to his grandson through his father.

Beethoven's biography has sad sides. His father Johann Van Beethoven suffered from alcohol addiction, this left a certain imprint on both the boy’s character and his entire future fate. The family lived in poverty, the head of the family earned money only for his own pleasure, completely disregarding the needs of his children and wife.

The gifted boy was the second child in the family, but fate decreed otherwise, making him the eldest. The firstborn died after living only one week. The circumstances of death have not been established. Later, Beethoven's parents had five more children, three of whom did not live to adulthood.

Childhood

Beethoven's biography is full of tragedy. Childhood was overshadowed by poverty and despotism of one of the closest people - his father. The latter came up with a fantastic idea - to make a second Mozart out of his own child. Having become familiar with the actions of Amadeus's father, Leopold, Johann sat his son at the harpsichord and forced him to play music for long hours. Thus, he did not try to help the boy realize his creative potential; unfortunately, he was simply looking for an additional source of income.

At the age of four, Ludwig's childhood ended. With unusual enthusiasm and inspiration, Johann began to drill the child. To begin with, he showed him the basics of playing the piano and violin, after which, “encouraging” the boy with slaps and slaps, he forced him to work. Neither the child's sobs nor the wife's pleas could shake the father's stubbornness. The educational process crossed the boundaries of what was permitted, young Beethoven did not even have the right to walk with friends, he was immediately installed in the house to continue his musical studies.

Intensive work on the instrument took away another opportunity - to receive a general scientific education. The boy had only superficial knowledge, he was weak in spelling and mental arithmetic. A great desire to learn and learn something new helped fill the gap. Throughout his life, Ludwig was engaged in self-education, becoming familiar with the works of such great writers as Shakespeare, Plato, Homer, Sophocles, Aristotle.

All these adversities failed to stop the development of Beethoven's amazing inner world. He was different from other children, he was not attracted to fun games and adventures, an eccentric child preferred loneliness. Having devoted himself to music, he realized his own talent very early and, no matter what, moved forward.

The talent developed. Johann noticed that the student surpassed the teacher, and entrusted classes with his son to a more experienced teacher, Pfeiffer. The teacher has changed, but the methods remain the same. Late at night, the child was forced to get out of bed and play the piano until the early morning. To withstand such a rhythm of life, you need to have truly extraordinary abilities, and Ludwig had them.

Beethoven's mother: biography

The bright spot in the boy's life was his mother. Mary Magdalene Keverich had a meek and kind disposition, so she could not resist the head of the family and silently watched the abuse of the child, unable to do anything. Beethoven's mother was unusually weak and sickly. Her biography is little known. She was the daughter of a court cook and married Johann in 1767. Her life's journey was short-lived: the woman died of tuberculosis at the age of 39.

The beginning of a great journey

In 1780, the boy finally found his first real friend. Pianist and organist Christian Gottlieb Nefe became his teacher. Beethoven's biography (you are reading a summary of it now) pays a lot of attention to this person. Nefe’s intuition suggested that the boy was not just a good musician, but a brilliant personality capable of conquering any heights.

And the training began. The teacher approached the learning process creatively, helping the student develop impeccable taste. They spent hours listening to the best works by Handel, Mozart, Bach. Nefe strictly criticized the boy, but the gifted child was distinguished by narcissism and self-confidence. Therefore, sometimes stumbling blocks arose, however, later Beethoven highly appreciated the teacher’s contribution to the formation of his own personality.

In 1782, Nefe went on a long vacation, and he appointed eleven-year-old Ludwig as his deputy. The new position was not easy, but the responsible and intelligent boy coped well with this role. Beethoven's biography contains a very interesting fact. The summary says that when Nefe returned, he discovered how skillfully his protégé handled the hard work. And this contributed to the fact that the teacher left him nearby, giving him the position of his assistant.

Soon the organist had more responsibilities, and he transferred some of it to young Ludwig. Thus, the boy began to earn 150 guilders a year. Johann's dream came true; his son became support for the family.

Significant event

Beethoven's biography for children describes an important moment in the boy's life, perhaps a turning point. In 1787, he had a meeting with the legendary figure - Mozart. Perhaps the extraordinary Amadeus was not in the mood, but the meeting upset young Ludwig. He played the piano for a recognized composer, but heard only dry and restrained praise addressed to him. Nevertheless, he told his friends: “Pay attention to him, he will make the whole world talk about himself.”

But the boy did not have time to be upset about this, because news arrived of a terrible event: his mother was dying. This is the first real tragedy that Beethoven's biography speaks of. For children, the death of a mother is a terrible blow. The weakened woman found the strength to wait for her beloved son and died soon after his arrival.

Great loss and heartache

The grief that befell the musician was immeasurable. His mother’s joyless life passed before his eyes, and then he witnessed her suffering and painful death. For the boy, she was the closest person, but fate so happened that he had no time for sadness and melancholy; he had to support his family. In order to abstract yourself from all troubles, you need an iron will and nerves of steel. And he had it all.

Further, the biography of Ludwig van Beethoven briefly reports on his internal struggle and mental anguish. An unstoppable force pulled him forward, his active nature demanded change, feelings, emotions, fame, but because of the need to provide for his relatives, he had to give up his dreams and ambitions and be drawn into daily grueling work to earn money. He became hot-tempered, aggressive and irritable. After the death of Mary Magdalene, the father sank even more; the younger brothers could not count on him to become support and support.

But it was precisely the trials that befell the composer that made his works so heartfelt, deep and allowing one to feel the unimaginable suffering that the author had to endure. The biography of Ludwig Van Beethoven is replete with similar events, but the main test of strength is still ahead.

Creation

The work of the German composer is considered the greatest value of world culture. He is one of those who participated in the formation of European classical music. An invaluable contribution is determined by symphonic works. The biography of Ludwig van Beethoven puts additional emphasis on the time in which he worked. It was restless, the Great French Revolution was going on, bloodthirsty and cruel. All this could not but affect the music. During the period of residence in Bonn (hometown), the composer’s activities can hardly be called fruitful.

A short biography of Beethoven talks about his contributions to music. His works have become the precious heritage of all mankind. They are played everywhere and loved in every country. He has written nine concertos and nine symphonies, as well as countless other symphonic works. The most important works can be highlighted:

Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight”.
Symphony No. 5.
Sonata No. 23 "Appassionata".
Piano piece "Fur Elise".

In total it was written:

9 symphonies,
11 overtures,
5 concerts,
6 youth sonatas for piano,
32 sonatas for piano,
10 sonatas for violin and piano,
9 concerts,
opera "Fidelio"
ballet "The Creation of Prometheus".

Great Deaf

A short biography of Beethoven cannot fail to touch upon the disaster that happened to him. Fate was unusually generous with difficult trials. At the age of 28, the composer began to have health problems; there were a huge number of them, but they all paled in comparison with the fact that he began to develop deafness. It is impossible to express in words what a blow this was for him. In his letters, Beethoven reported suffering and that he would humbly accept such a fate if not for a profession that required perfect pitch. My ears buzzed day and night, life turned into torture, and every new day was difficult.

Developments

The biography of Ludwig Beethoven reports that for several years he managed to hide his own flaw from society. It is not surprising that he sought to keep this a secret, since the very concept of a “deaf composer” contradicts common sense. But as you know, sooner or later everything secret becomes clear. Ludwig turned into a hermit; those around him considered him a misanthrope, but this was far from the truth. The composer lost confidence in himself and became gloomier every day.

But this was a great personality, one fine day he decided not to give up, but to resist evil fate. Perhaps the composer's rise in life is the merit of a woman.

Personal life

The source of inspiration was Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. She was his charming student. The composer's subtle spiritual organization required the greatest and ardent love, but his personal life was never destined to work out. The girl gave her preference to a count named Wenzel Gallenberg.

A short biography of Beethoven for children contains few facts about this event. It is only known that he sought her favor in every possible way and wanted to marry her. There is an assumption that the countess’s parents opposed the marriage of their beloved daughter to the deaf musician and she listened to their opinion. This version sounds quite plausible.

The most outstanding masterpiece - the 9th symphony - was created when the composer was already completely deaf.
Before composing another immortal masterpiece, Ludwig dipped his head in ice water. It is not known where this strange habit came from, but perhaps it was what triggered the hearing loss.
With his appearance and behavior, Beethoven challenged society, but he, of course, did not set such a goal for himself. One day he was giving a concert in a public place and heard that one of the spectators started a conversation with a lady. Then he stopped playing and left the hall with the words: “I won’t play with such pigs.”
One of his best students was the famous Franz Liszt. The Hungarian boy inherited his teacher's unique playing style.

“Music should strike fire from a person’s soul”

This statement belongs to a virtuoso composer; his music was exactly like that, touching the most subtle strings of the soul and making hearts burn with fire. A short biography of Ludwig Beethoven also mentions his death. In 1827, on March 26, he died. At the age of 57, the rich life of a recognized genius was cut short. But the years were not lived in vain, his contribution to art cannot be overestimated, it is colossal.

Beethoven is the greatest creator of all time, an unsurpassed Master. Beethoven's works are difficult to describe using ordinary musical terms - any words here seem insufficiently bright, too banal. Beethoven is a brilliant personality, an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of music.

Among the many names of the world's great composers, the name Ludwig van Beethoven are always highlighted. Beethoven is the greatest creator of all time, an unsurpassed Master. People who consider themselves far from the world of classical music fall silent, enchanted, at the very first sounds of the “Moonlight Sonata”. Beethoven's works are difficult to describe using ordinary musical terms - any words here seem insufficiently bright, too banal. Beethoven is a brilliant personality, an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of music.

No one knows the exact date of birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. It is known that he was born in Bonnet, in December 1770. Contemporaries who personally knew the composer over the years noticed that he inherited his character from his grandfather, Louis Beethoven. Pride, independence, incredible hard work - these qualities were inherent in the grandfather - they were inherited by the grandson.

Beethoven's grandfather was a musician and served as a bandmaster. Ludwig’s father also worked in the chapel - Johann van Beethoven. My father was a talented musician, but he drank a lot. His wife served as a cook. The family lived poorly, but Johann still noticed his son’s early musical abilities. Little Ludwig was taught little music (there was no money for teachers), but was often forced to practice with shouts and beatings.

By the age of 12, young Beethoven could play the harpsichord, violin, and organ. The year 1782 was a turning point in Ludwig's life. He was appointed director of the Bonn Court Chapel Christian Gottloba Nefe. This man showed interest in the talented teenager, became his mentor, and taught him modern piano style. That year, Beethoven's first musical works were published, and an article about the “young genius” was published in the city newspaper.

Under the guidance of Nefe, the young musician continued to improve his skills and received a general education. At the same time, he worked a lot in the chapel to support his family.

Young Beethoven had a goal - to meet Mozart. To fulfill this goal, he went to Vienna. He achieved a meeting with the great maestro and asked to examine him. Mozart was amazed by the talent of the young musician. New horizons could have opened up for Ludwig, but misfortune happened - his mother became seriously ill in Bonn. Beethoven had to return. The mother died, and the father died soon after.

Ludwig remained in Bonn. He was seriously ill with typhoid and smallpox, and worked hard all the time. He had long been a virtuoso musician, but did not consider himself a composer. He still lacked skill in this profession.

In 1792, a happy change occurred in Ludwig's life. He was introduced to Haydn. The famous composer promised support to Beethoven and recommended that he go to Vienna. Once again Beethoven found himself in the “abode of music.” He had about fifty works to his credit - in some ways they were unusual, even revolutionary for that time. Beethoven was considered a freethinker, but he did not deviate from his principles. He studied with Haydn, Albrechtsberger, Salieri- and teachers did not always understand his works, finding them “dark and strange.”

Beethoven's work attracted the attention of patrons, and his business was going well. He developed his own style and emerged as an extraordinary and innovative composer. He was invited to the highest circles of the Viennese aristocracy, but Beethoven did not want to play and create for the needs of a wealthy public. He maintained his independence, believing that talent was an advantage over wealth and high birth.

When the maestro was 26 years old, a new disaster occurred in his life - he began to lose his hearing. This became a personal tragedy for the composer, terrible for his profession. He began to avoid society.

In 1801, the composer fell in love with a young aristocrat Juliet Guicciardi. Juliet was 16 years old. The meeting with her changed Beethoven - he began to be in the world again, to enjoy life. Unfortunately, the girl’s family considered a musician from the lower circles an unworthy match for their daughter. Juliet rejected the advances and soon married a man in her circle - Count Gallenberg.

Beethoven was destroyed. He didn't want to live. Soon he retired to the small town of Heiligenstadt, and there he even wrote a will. But Ludwig’s talent was not broken, and even at this time he continued to create. During this period he wrote brilliant works: "Moonlight Sonata"(dedication to Giulietta Guicciardi), Third Piano Concerto, "Kreutzer Sonata" and a number of other masterpieces included in the world musical treasury.

There was no time to die. The master continued to create and fight. "Eroica Symphony", Fifth Symphony, "Appassionata", "Fidelio"– Beethoven’s efficiency bordered on obsession.

The composer again moved to Vienna. He was famous, popular, but far from rich. New failed love for one of the sisters Brunswick and financial problems prompted him to leave Austria. In 1809, a group of patrons awarded the composer a pension in exchange for a promise not to leave the country. His pension tied him to Austria and limited his freedom.

Beethoven still created a lot, but his hearing was virtually lost. In society, he used special “conversation notebooks.” Periods of depression alternated with periods of fantastic performance.

The apotheosis of his work was Ninth Symphony, which Beethoven completed in 1824. It was performed on May 7, 1824. The work delighted the public and the performers themselves. Only the composer did not hear either his music or the thunder of applause. A young singer from the choir had to take the maestro by the hand and turn him to face the audience so that he could bow.

After this day, the composer was overcome by illness, but he was able to write four more large and complex quartets. One day he had to go to his brother Johann to persuade him to write a will in favor of the sole right to guardianship of Ludwig’s beloved nephew, Karl. The brother refused the request. Beethoven went home upset; he caught a cold on the way.

On March 26, 1827, the composer died. The Viennese, who had already begun to forget their idol, remembered him after his death. A crowd of thousands followed the coffin.

The brilliant composer and great man Ludwig van Beethoven was always independent and unyielding in his convictions. He proudly walked the path of life and left many immortal creations to humanity.

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Where and when was Beethoven born? Let's share what distinguished the city in which Beethoven was born? Has the legacy of the famous composer been preserved? 5 extraordinary facts about Beethoven.

In what city was Beethoven born?

Ludwig van Beethoven– cult composer of the 18th century, born in Bonn (Westphalia) December 17, 1770, buried in Vienna, March 26, 1827.

North Westphalia- Federal district of the German Republic. Located on the Rhine River, it has about 320 thousand inhabitants. From 1949 to 1990 was the capital of Germany before unification.

Attractions in Bonn:

The house where Ludwig van Beethoven was born is now a museum.
Exhibition Center (http://www.bundeskunsthalle.de)
University of Bonn.

5 facts about Beethoven that they won't tell you in school

What everyone should know about Beethoven:

Beethoven's date of birth is unknown. A mystery that biographers struggle with. According to one version, Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770, but this is just the date of his baptism. Maybe you can find the true date?
Beethoven was a bachelor before his death, but in love. A loner for the rest of his life, Beethoven devoted himself not only to music, but also to Elisabeth Röckel. According to research by Klaus Kopitz, a German musicologist, the famous work “Fur Elise” is dedicated to her. Or pianist Teresa Malfatti – musicologists still haven’t decided.
Beethoven is the last of the classical Viennese composers. Did the classics die after Beethoven? It’s unlikely to be so categorical; most likely, it gradually faded away. W. A. Mozart is considered the penultimate Viennese classic.
Beethoven – provocateur and revolutionary. Like every self-confident creator, Beethoven had his own opinion about the meaning of music in human life. Revolutionary-minded social activists found pro-radical sentiments in the composer’s statements and often used them to excite the ears of onlookers.
Beethoven was a rich man. The composer knew how to manage his accounts, as well as business negotiations on the topic of royalties. By the standards of that time, Beethoven was exorbitantly rich and did not need anything. After death, most of the fortune went to museums.

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