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"He inspires awe from his stature, qualities as a man...Sense of personal
dignity, pride, idealism,...He created some of the mightiest music conceived by
man" (Cross, Milton, Ewen 46); Beethoven's contribution to music was a miracle,
but that composition had a driving force. Besides Beethoven's musical
reputation, his life was full of conflict. It ranged from a bad domestic
childhood, to his unusual attempts at love, to his deafness, and his bad rapport
with society. He was one of the most confused and spiteful of men, but was a
great philosopher and man of emotion as well as a great composer, whose music
was affected by his family, by love and by the body. He looked for a sense of
identity throughout his life, first through the parts of his life, and then
through his music.
Beethoven, eldest of four children, was born in Bonn, Germany, December 16, 1770.
His father, Johann Van Beethoven, was a drunk, wasting his money and often
creating a home of violent scenes. His mother provided the only love and
comfort. She never smiled, and particularly lived for Ludwig. His father started
Beethoven on the piano, hoping he would be prodigious like Mozart. Johann forced
him to play hour after hour, dragging him out of the bed in the middle of the
night. Natural mistakes were rewarded by descending blows and beatings (Cross
Milton Ewen 46). Johann did not allow Ludwig to have many friends and left him
as an ugly and untidy child. Such an early lack of attention and care to a young
child should have destroyed his psyche. Ultimately, he had no father. He had no
one to teach him common things that growing children should learn, or to whom he
could express his thoughts and questions on life. Other than his music, the only
place to turn was to character, compassion, and personal attention found from
outside of the family.
Ludwig's first chance at what the world had to offer was performing and
exercising his growing talent. He first performed at eight years old. His father
claimed him to be six years old in hopes the public would be impressed enough to
pay more money to see a performance of Beethoven's. Not surprisingly
however, Ludwig was unsuccessful so early. A man named Christian Neefe gave him
many helpful lessons and Beethoven eventually became the court organist. At
fourteen years old, the "Elector" of the Electoral Church saw potential in
Ludwig and sent him with funds to Vienna, "the great center of music making"
(Cross, Milton, Ewen 47). He met Mozart here for the first time. Beethoven
admired Mozart greatly, but, unfortunately, when Beethoven performed, Mozart was
not very impressed. Mozart gave him a melody and young Ludwig was to improvise
on the given theme the best he could. He did so, amazing Mozart in the process,
gaining his compliments (Cross, Milton, Ewen 49). Suddenly, Beethoven had to
leave because his mother was dying in Bonn in 1787. She eventually died of Tuberculosis.
She was the person he had the best relationship with and love for; moreover, his
father was arrested for excessive drinking. Beethoven now had to support the
family alone. Beethoven did not have a true authority figure besides his mother
to correct his mistakes as a child and gradually became a skeptic of his
environment. This would make sense: since he was never successfully close to
anyone, his father a failure and his mother now dead, a pessimistic attitude
developed towards the success of any outside relationships. To add insult to
injury, his sister, Maria Margaretha died the same year, with the additional
subsequent death of both Beethoven's Father and Mozart 4 years after that.
From this surmounting set of ominous predicaments, he created his own morals, using
his music as a form of expression. He slowly engendered forms of rudeness and
contemptuousness. With that mindset, his endeavors to support the
family suffered, which for the most part only consisted of his remaining
brothers.
In 1792, (the year his father died), while passing by Bonn, Joseph Haydn visited the
church while Beethoven performed one day. Haydn became very interested in developing him.
He invited Ludwig to Vienna. Haydn became his only father figure,
besides Ludwig's admiration of Mozart, outside of his domestic life. Here was
someone to whom he could learn from and attach himself. Prince Lichnowsky had
also heard this fine young man play and did not mind offering Beethoven a place
to stay in his palace. Beethoven continued to study and develop. He recognized
he was untruthfully developing Mozart and Haydnic styles. In fact on Beethoven's
first 3 sonatas (Opus 2, nos. 1, 2, & 3), you see the words "Joseph Haydn
gewidmet", meaning "dedicated to Joseph Haydn". However Beethoven's mind was not
going that route and Haydn did not turn out to be an original musician to him.
Haydn taught Beethoven many things that were usually convention. Not much was
new about the music, he thought. His appreciation of Mozart and Haydn did not
cease, but he still ventured off into his own styles. Haydn criticized
Beethoven's musical ability as intractable and non-traditional. Other future
teachers like Albrechtsberger in 1794 and Salieri in 1799, also complained that he
did not choose to learn the common baroque and classical styles of music. He went his own
direction. Ironically, lesser men who taught the maestro, not too well known,
were more favorable to Beethoven. Beethoven's music grew into more new romantic
sounds. As nothing original was being developed out of convention, he was not
producing an original self from these teachers either. Not being allowed to try
something new restricted him and also restricted his practice in expressing
himself, both musically and in maturity.
Beethoven was first named the "Giant" of the pianoforte when he performed at two
public charity concerts. His name grew. He made new, darker,
alternatively-lighter, and more contemptuous forms of composition. His
music took dares and chances in the classic theory that
Mozart and Haydn usually used. It was surprising to the public, but stimulating.
A worn out example, but classic, is his fifth symphony. Beethoven's desire and
instinct to revolt his new ideas were in part a result of the attitude developed
from his childhood. He isolated his tastes, since neither his teachers nor his
father approved of them, whereas the public tended to be a little more receptive.
People admired him and loved him. By the 1800's, Beethoven was full of commissions
for his music. He was writing in the new romantic era of classical music. He enriched his playing
and structure so much that he moved the audience to tears. Minor, sweet,
ominous, aesthetic music was his affecting specialty (David 53). The rising
Ludwig once said, "I have six or seven publishers for each one of my works...I
name my terms and they pay!" (Cross, Milton, Ewen 50).
Continuing his development, Beethoven's style, attitude, and countenance evolved
into a very defined individual. He was finally getting into the swing of making
a living, composing, and providing for himself. His eyes and his mouth were
implacably benevolent, with very distinct dimples that complemented and gravely
sharpened his rudeness. He grew a harsh attitude. He grew large, gray, bushy,
untidy hair, with an overall huntsman's face, brownish and unhealthy-looking.
Ludwig had amazing lodgings: extremely dirty and disorderly in which sheets of
music notation - revised, erased, smeared - were scattered. Dishes and clothes
were on chairs and in sinks from previous days (Rodman and Kearns 92). Even
though he was messy and of a filthy nature, these types of things were less
important to him, for he was always trying to improve and revise his work
perfectly. He often had no time for household duties or even socialization. It
always paid off. He could not have been any better recognized as a musician.
With his new experienced attitude, he did believe in the audience's appreciation
of his music but not, however, in their comprehension of what his music was
about. Although people much admired his work, his temper did make enemies. He
did not tolerate mediocrity and laziness. Beethoven had two brothers Karl and
Johann. These brothers had played almost no part in his life. Ludwig had to
support them when his mother died and his father arrested.
Beethoven did not grow very fond of them. In his adult years, he kept an
eye on them though. Ludwig once played vigilante by getting a police order and
intervening with an affair Johann was having with his housekeeper (Rodman and
Kearns 93). He got into another quarrel with Karl also. He accused him of
stealing his music, which he later found hidden in a drawer. Nevertheless, he
grew to feel the world was against him and that any affection he received was
for his music alone - a cyclic fuel to his growing one-way introspection,
and the development of a general, contemptuous, and unconsciously embedded
attitude towards his associates and to his family. Later, Karl died
in 1815, and had to leave his younger son, Carl, to someone. Karl's wife
did not want Ludwig to have custody, but Beethoven won him in court by
accusing the wife of embezzlement. He felt he could be a better parent.
Furthermore, from 1821 to 1826, Beethoven regrettably took care of young
Carl. The adoption did not help Beethoven's temperament. Carl was
insolent and costly, and Carl's frequent attempts at suicide frustrated
Beethoven. Beethoven even tried him on the piano. Beethoven tried hard
to win Carl's love but was ignored. Joy came to Ludwig when Carl
eventually left for the Army.
An enormous example of his tolerance happened during the French
Revolution. Napoleon was an idol to Beethoven. Ludwig considered him the
hero of his age who introduced liberty and progress to all princely
states. Ludwig was sure of that, and in honor of his admiration,
Beethoven dedicated his grand third symphony to Bonaparte.
Unfortunately, Napoleon had grown so popular, he eventually worked his
way up to emperor, ignoring a democratically composed Europe. He was
playing a monarch again. As soon as Beethoven heard of the news, he
said, "Is he [Napoleon] then, too, nothing more than an ordinary human
being? Now he, too, will trample on all the rights of man and indulge
only his ambition. He will exalt himself above all others and become a
tyrant!" (David 88). Ludwig ripped Napoleon's name off the top of the
score of the symphony and replace it with the title: "Composed to
celebrate the memory of a great man," simply calling it the "Eroica."
He also, did not tolerate ignorance of his music and did not continue
performing for an audience in such a situation (David 53). He developed
crude manners. "The slightest affront aroused his violent temper,"
(Cross, Milton, Ewen 49). He was not easy to get along with, and the
nobles only tolerated him because of the magic of his music. He ignored
his enemies. "All that is called life shall be sacrificed to sublime
art," he said (Rodman and Kearns 92). He moved endlessly, dodging angry
landlords or disobedient servants, but his intent was positive.
This chaotic interactions again drove him further into himself. Although
his associations and his music had gotten him this far, he felt the
backlashes of not making many good impressions with friends, audiences
or possible romances.
Although Beethoven never married, he was said to be
involved with several women, though people had revealed that
Ludwig did have his many impulses of love. After his death, a
famously mentioned letter was found in a drawer. With no
address or date, its only reference was to a deeply loved and admired
someone whom he called his "Immortal Beloved." No name was given, and
there is no way to find out who the Maestro was referring to. However,
his words do tell that he longed to be loved, and he needed it, despite
his outward appearance. He was lonely. Even though he wanted some part
in that idealistic fate, "he feared the loss of his identity by being
lost in another" (Rodman and Kearns 69). We already knew anyway that he
had a problem with developing close relationships to begin with from his
younger life, which greatly discouraged the chance for romance. His
identity was now set. He commented to Schindler once, "If I had wished
to give my vital powers with that life [marriage], what would have
remained for what's better?" (Rodman and Kearns 69).
By 1801, (and probably earlier)
Beethoven realized the gradual increase in his hearing loss.
When he asked his only doctor for advice, the doctor recommended that
Ludwig stay in Heiligenstadt for a summer and see if he could recover.
After the vacation, it only got worse. Beethoven had times in which he
would have committed suicide if not for the sake of his music. He was
very ashamed of his deafness. He avoided society whenever possible to
conceal it. While on vacation, he wrote the "Heiligenstadt testament" in
which he meticulously described his views upon his fellow men and his
suffering from being deaf. He said that those who scorned him were wrong
in their judgment. He stated that he knew he was born with an active,
fiery temperament, and that he eventually found himself compelled to
live life alone. He was forced to be a philosopher at only that age of
twenty-eight, and explains that what he superficially seems to be is not
what he hoped to be, but is what he was eminently destined for, so that
whomever was to find the testament could tell those who wronged him what
they did not know. The testament is a sum of his morals, his fears,
and his reasons why he is everyone's
equal. The deafer he became though, the more irascible he became. "An
innocent incident might cause a violent rupture with the closest friend"
(Cross, Milton, Ewen 50-51).
Eventually Beethoven lost his depression and continued to compose music,
despite his being deaf. Beethoven was by far profoundly
experienced enough by now that he knew the structure of melody and pitch
by heart, and if he could not hear the sounds directly, he could at
least get a sense of the vibrations. Beethoven cut off the legs of his
piano, laid it on the floor and lay down with his ear on the floor or
top of the piano. He miraculously composed some most exceptional pieces
while he was deaf that were sometimes better than when he could hear,
such as the Appassionata sonata, Eroica Symphony, Moonlight,
fifth symphony, and more. His hearing as an obstacle only made
him more determined to continue, making his music a mess of
revision. By 1810, he knew his strength: "with whom need I be
afraid of measuring my strength?" (Cross, Milton, Ewen 51-52).
After all the intense parts of his life, Beethoven had calmed
for about a period of five years - 1812 to 1817 - and his
composition entered a stage of very little. Beethoven
was a religious man, but was often puzzled why he had
the life he did. He became very spiritual during these
years and built up to his last performance. This was on
May 7, 1824 in Vienna. It was his final symphony, the
9th. As his others, he conducted it deaf and amazingly
received an enormous applause for many obvious mistakes
that he could not hear. He even continued to conduct
through the thunderous applause several minutes after
the end until someone walked down and turned him around
so that he would know it was over.
In 1826, Beethoven caught pneumonia, jaundice, and
dropsy. He was dying an unnatural death. People cheered
him with gifts while in bed, and in 1827, he signed off
his will and went unconscious. On March 26, 1827 when it
was thundering, lightning, and raining outside,
characteristic of the ferocity of his music and the way
he had lived his life, Beethoven suddenly leaned up in
bed, raised his fist to the heavens and fell back dead,
scorning just one more person before passing away.
Throughout his life, Beethoven composed 9 symphonies, 3
overtures, 7 concertos, 32 sonatas, 16 chamber music
string quartets, a Gross Fugue, 10 violin/piano sonatas
(and 5 with cello), one opera name Fidelio, Missa
Solemnis for choral, 8 trios, variations on a theme of
Diabellie, and 32 piano variations. He led a proud life,
but also one of conflict. What he failed to find in his
family, he made the most of in his associates and teachers, in
love, and in his never-ending talent for music, which he
ended up living for. The best thing for him to do
after such a resume was to be satisfied with himself. To
do that, he needed to be further isolated from the
world. Being deaf helped seal off that endeavor
in an unfortunate way, but his musical
accomplishments balanced that by providing with success
and immortality in all that hear.
1. Cross, Milton, Ewen. Encyclopedia of the
Great Composers and Their Music. Garden City,
NY; Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1962.
2. Jacobs, David. Beethoven. New York; American
Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., 1970.
3. Rodman, and Kearns. The Heart of Beethoven.
New York; Shorewood Publishing Co., 1962.
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