Famous composers beethoven. Beethoven

Ludwig Van Beethoven is a famous deaf composer who has created 650 pieces of music that are recognized as the world's classics. The life of a talented musician is marked by a constant struggle with difficulties and hardships.

In the winter of 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born in a poor quarter of Bonn. The baby was baptized on December 17th. The boy's grandfather and father are distinguished by their singing talent, therefore they work in court chapel... The childhood years of the baby can hardly be called happy, because a constantly drunk father and a beggarly existence do not contribute to the development of talent.

Ludwig bitterly recalls his own room, located in the attic, where there was an old harpsichord and an iron bed. Johann (dad) often drank himself into unconsciousness and beat his wife, taking out the evil. The son also got beatings from time to time. Mom Maria dearly loved the only surviving child, sang songs to the baby and brightened up the gray gloomy everyday life as best she could.

Ludwig's early age manifested musical ability, which Johann immediately noticed. Envious of fame and talent, whose name is already thundering in Europe, he decided to raise a similar genius from his own child. Now the kid's life was filled with exhausting lessons of playing the piano and violin.

The father, finding out the boy's giftedness, made him practice 5 instruments at the same time - organ, harpsichord, viola, violin, flute. Young Louis pored for hours on the music. The slightest mistakes were punishable by flogging and beatings. Johann invited teachers to his son, whose lessons were mostly mediocre and haphazard.

The man sought to quickly train Ludwig concert activities hoping for royalties. Johann even asked for an increase in salary at work, promising to arrange a gifted son in the chapel of the archbishop. But the family did not heal better, since the money was spent on alcohol. At the age of six, Louis, urged by his father, gives a concert in Cologne. But the royalties received were tiny.

Thanks to maternal support, the young genius began to improvise and take notes on his own works. Nature generously endowed the child with talent, but the development was difficult and painful. Ludwig was so deeply immersed in the melodies created in consciousness that he could not get out of this state on his own.

In 1782, Christian Gottloba was appointed director of the court chapel, who became Louis's teacher. The man saw in the youth glimpses of giftedness and took up his education. Realizing that musical skills do not give full development, he instills in Ludwig a love of literature, philosophy and ancient languages. become idols young genius... Beethoven eagerly studies the works of Handel, dreaming of working together with Mozart.

The young man first visited the musical capital of Europe, Vienna, in 1787, where he met Wolfgang Amadeus. The renowned composer, hearing Ludwig's improvisations, was delighted. To the astonished audience, Mozart said:

“Keep your eyes on this boy. One day the world will talk about him. "

Beethoven agreed with the maestro about several lessons, which had to be interrupted due to his mother's illness.

Returning to Bonn and burying his mother, the young man plunged into despair. This painful moment in his biography had a negative impact on the musician's work. The young man is forced to look after his two younger brothers and endure his father's drunken antics. The young man turned to the prince for financial help, who assigned the family a allowance of 200 thalers. The ridicule of the neighbors and the mockery of the children greatly wounded Ludwig, who said that he would get out of poverty and earn money by his own labor.

The talented young man found patrons in Bonn who provided free access to music gatherings and salons. The Breuning family took custody of Louis, who taught music to their daughter Lorkhen. The girl married Dr. Wegeler. Until the end of his life, the teacher maintained friendly relations with this couple.

Music

In 1792, Beethoven went to Vienna, where he quickly found friends and patrons of the arts. To improve skills in instrumental music he turned to, to whom he brought his own works for verification. The relationship between the musicians immediately went wrong, as Haydn was annoyed by the obstinate student. Then the young man takes lessons from Schenk and Albrechtsberger. Vocal writing is being improved together with Antonio Salieri, who introduced young man to the circle of professional musicians and titled persons.

A year later, Ludwig van Beethoven composes the music for the Ode to Joy, written by Schiller in 1785 for the Masonic Lodge. Throughout his life, the maestro modifies the anthem, strives for the triumphant sound of the composition. The audience heard the symphony, which caused fierce delight, only in May 1824.

Soon, Beethoven became Vienna's fashionable pianist. The debut took place in 1795 young musician in the cabin. Having played three piano trios and three sonatas of his own composition, he charmed his contemporaries. Those present noted the stormy temperament, richness of imagination and the depth of Louis' feelings. Three years later, the man is overtaken terrible disease- tinnitus, which develops slowly but surely.

Beethoven hid his malaise for 10 years. The surrounding people did not even know about the pianist's deafness that had begun, and reservations and answers were not in vain attributed to absent-mindedness and inattention. In 1802 he wrote the "Heiligenstadt testament", addressed to the brothers. In the work, Louis describes his own mental suffering and excitement for the future. The man orders this confession to be announced only after death.

The letter to Dr. Wegeler contains the line: "I will not give up and take fate by the throat!" The vitality and expression of the genius was expressed in the enchanting Second Symphony and three violin sonatas. Realizing that he would soon become completely deaf, he set to work with zeal. This period is considered the heyday of the work of the brilliant pianist.

The "Pastoral Symphony" of 1808 consists of five movements and occupies a separate place in the master's life. The man loved to relax in remote villages, communicated with nature and pondered new masterpieces. The fourth movement of the symphony is called “The Thunderstorm. The Tempest ", where the master conveys the raging elements of the raging, using the piano, trombones and piccolo flute.

In 1809, Ludwig received an offer from the management of the city theater to write the musical accompaniment to the drama "Egmont" by Goethe. As a sign of respect for the writer's work, the pianist refused monetary rewards. The man wrote music in parallel with theatrical rehearsals. Actress Antonia Adamberger joked about the composer, confessing that she had no singing talent. In response to the perplexed look, she skillfully performed the aria. Beethoven did not appreciate humor and said sternly:

"I see that you can still perform overtures, I will go and write these songs."

From 1813 to 1815 he wrote already fewer pieces, as he finally loses his hearing. A brilliant mind finds a way out. Louis uses a thin wooden stick to "hear" the music. One tip of the plate is clamped with teeth, and the other is leaning against the front panel of the instrument. And thanks to the transmitted vibration, it feels the sound of the instrument.

The compositions of this life period are filled with tragedy, depth and philosophical meaning... The works of the greatest musician are becoming classics for contemporaries and descendants.

Personal life

The personal history of the gifted pianist is extremely tragic. Ludwig was considered a commoner among the aristocratic elite, so he had no right to claim noble maidens. In 1801 he fell in love with the young Countess Julie Guicciardi. The feelings of the young people were not mutual, since the girl simultaneously met with Count von Gallenberg, whom she married two years after they met. The composer expressed the amorous torment and bitterness of the loss of his beloved in the "Moonlight Sonata", which became a hymn unrequited love.

From 1804 to 1810, Beethoven was passionately in love with Josephine Brunswick, the widow of Count Joseph Deim. The woman enthusiastically responds to the courtship and letters of an ardent lover. But the romance ended at the insistence of Josephine's relatives, who are sure that the commoner will not become a worthy candidate for wife. After a painful breakup, the man proposes to Teresa Malfatti on principle. He is refused and writes the masterpiece sonata "To Eliza".

The emotional excitement he experienced so upset the impressionable Beethoven that he decided to spend the rest of his life in splendid isolation. In 1815, after the death of his brother, he was involved in a legal battle related to the custody of his nephew. The child's mother has a reputation as a walking woman, so the court upheld the musician's demands. It soon became clear that Karl (nephew) had inherited his mother's bad habits.

The uncle brings up the boy in severity, tries to instill a love of music and eradicate alcohol and gambling addiction. Having no children of his own, a man is not experienced in teaching and does not stand on ceremony with a spoiled youth. Another scandal leads the guy to a suicide attempt, which was unsuccessful. Ludwig sends Charles to the army.

Death

In 1826, Louis caught a cold and fell ill with pneumonia. Stomach pains were added to the pulmonary disease. The doctor miscalculated the dosage of the medicine, so the malaise progressed daily. 6 months old man is bedridden. At this time, Beethoven was visited by friends trying to alleviate the suffering of the dying.

The talented composer died at the age of 57 - March 26, 1827. On this day, a thunderstorm raged outside the windows, and the moment of death was marked by a terrible thunderclap. Autopsy revealed that the master's liver had decomposed and the auditory and adjacent nerves were damaged. V last way Beethoven was seen off by 20,000 citizens, leading the funeral procession. The musician was buried at the Väring cemetery of the Holy Trinity Church.

• At the age of 12, he published a collection of variations for keyboards.
• He was considered the first musician to whom the city council awarded a cash allowance.
• Posted 3 love letters to the "Immortal Beloved", found only after death.
• Beethoven wrote the only opera called Fidelio. There are no more similar works in the biography of the master.
• The greatest delusion of contemporaries is that Ludwig wrote the following works: "Music of Angels" and "Melody of Rain Tears". These compositions were created by other pianists.
• He appreciated friendship and helped those in need.
• I could work on 5 works at the same time.
• In 1809, when he bombarded the city, he was worried that he would lose his hearing from the explosions of shells. Therefore, he hid in the basement of the house and covered his ears with pillows.
• In 1845, the first monument dedicated to the composer was unveiled in Beaune.
• The Beatles' song "Because" is based on "Moonlight Sonata" played in reverse order.
• “Ode to Joy” has been appointed as the anthem of the European Union.
• He died of lead poisoning due to medical error.
• Modern psychiatrists believe that he suffered from bipolar disorder.
• Beethoven's photographs are printed on German postage stamps.

Discography

Symphonies

• First C major op. 21 (1800)
• Second D major op. 36 (1802)
• Third E-major "Heroic" op. 56 (1804)
• Fourth B-dur op. 60 (1806)
• Fifth c-moll op. 67 (1805-1808)
• Sixth F major "Pastoral" op. 68 (1808)
• Seventh A-dur op. 92 (1812)
• Eighth F major op. 93 (1812)
• Ninth d-moll op. 125 (with chorus, 1822-1824)

Overtures

• "Prometheus" from op. 43 (1800)
• "Coriolanus" op. 62 (1806)
• "Leonora" No. 1, op. 138 (1805)
• "Leonora" No. 2, op. 72 (1805)
• "Leonora" No. 3, op. 72a (1806)
• "Fidelio" op. 726 (1814)
• "Egmont" from op. 84 (1810)
• "Ruins of Athens" from op. 113 (1811)
• "King Stephen" from op. 117 (1811)
• "Birthday" op. 115 (18 (4)
• "Consecration of the House" cf. 124 (1822)

More than 40 dances and marches for symphony and brass band

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn. The future great German composer was baptized on December 17 of the same year. In addition to German blood flowed in his veins Flemish, his paternal grandfather was born in Flanders in 1712, for some time he served as a choir in Louvain and Ghent, and then moved to Bonn. The composer's grandfather was a good singer, a very intelligent person and a perfectly trained instrumentalist. In Bonn, Beethoven's grandfather became the court musician of the chapel of the Archbishop of Cologne, then received the post of court conductor, he was highly respected by those around him.

Ludwig Beethoven's father's name was Johann, from childhood he sang in the chapel of the archbishop, but later his position became precarious. He drank a lot and led a hectic life. The mother of the future great composer Maria Magdalena Lyme was a daughter. Seven were born in the family, but only three sons survived, the eldest of them was Ludwig.

Childhood

Beethoven grew up in poverty, his father drank all his small salary. At the same time, he studied a lot with his son, taught him to play the piano and violin, hoping that young Ludwig would become the new Mozart and provide for his family. Subsequently, Beethoven's father was nevertheless given a salary with the expectation of the future of his hardworking and gifted son.

Little Beethoven was taught by very cruel methods, the father forced the four-year-old child to play the violin or sit at the piano for hours. As a child, Beethoven was uncertain about the violin, preferring the piano. He liked to improvise more than improve his playing technique. At the age of 12, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote three sonatas for the harpsichord, and at 16 he was already very popular in Bonn. His giftedness attracted the attention of some enlightened Bonn families.

The young composer's education was unsystematic, but he played organ and viola and performed in the court orchestra. His first real music teacher was the Bonn court organist Nefe. Beethoven first visited the musical capital of Europe, Vienna, in 1787. Mozart heard Beethoven's play and predicted a great future for him, but soon Ludwig had to return home, his mother was dying, and the future composer was to become the sole breadwinner of the family.

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 child of the miracle - V. A. Mozart, when Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, in the family of the tenorist of the court chapel. He was baptized on December 17, 1770, named after his grandfather, a venerable bandmaster, a native of Flanders. The first musical knowledge Beethoven received from his father and his colleagues. The father wanted him to become the "second Mozart" and made his son exercise even at night. Beethoven did not become a child prodigy, but he discovered his talent for composing 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 Bonn National Theater. In 1787 he visited Vienna and met his idol, Mozart, who, after listening to the youth's improvisation, said: “Pay attention to him; he'll make the world talk about himself someday. " Beethoven did not succeed in becoming a student of Mozart: a serious illness and the death of his mother forced him to hastily return to Bonn. There, Beethoven found moral support in the enlightened Braining family and became close to a university environment that shared the most progressive views. Ideas French revolution were enthusiastically received by Beethoven's Bonn friends and had a strong influence on the formation of his democratic convictions.

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 novice pianists salt and F major to Beethoven, according to researchers, does not belong, but only attributed, but another, truly Beethoven's Sonatina in F major, discovered and published in 1909, remains, as it were, in the shadows and is not played by anyone. Most Bonn art is also composed of variations and songs intended for amateur playing. Among them are the familiar song "Marmot", the touching "Elegy for the Death of a Poodle", the rebellious poster " Free man", The dreamy" Sigh of the Unloved and Happy Love ", containing a prototype of the future theme of joy from the Ninth Symphony," Sacrificial Song ", which Beethoven loved 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 music Center Europe. Here he studied counterpoint and composition with J. Haydn, I. Schenk, I. Albrechtsberger and A. Salieri. Although the student was distinguished by obstinacy, he studied zealously and subsequently spoke with gratitude about all his teachers. At the same time, Beethoven began performing as a pianist and soon won the fame of an unsurpassed improviser and brilliant virtuoso. In his first and last long touring trip (1796), he conquered the public of Prague, Berlin, Dresden, Bratislava. The young virtuoso was patronized by many notable music lovers - K. Likhnovsky, F. Lobkowitz, F. Kinsky, the Russian ambassador A. Razumovsky and others, in their salons for the first time Beethoven's sonatas, trios, quartets, and later even symphonies were played. 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 never forgave anyone trying to belittle his dignity. The legendary words thrown by the composer to the patron of the insult are known: "There have been and will be thousands of princes, but Beethoven is only one." Of the numerous aristocratic women who were Beethoven's students, Ertman, the sisters of T. and J. Bruns, and M. Erdede became his constant friends and propagandists of his music. Not fond of teaching, Beethoven was nevertheless the teacher of K. Cerny and F. Ries in piano (both of them later won European fame) and Archduke Rudolph of Austria in composition.

In the first decade of Vienna, 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 name. Sonata No. 14, subtitled Sonata-Fantasy, was called "Moonlight" by the romantic poet L. Rel'shtab. Stable names were also strengthened for sonatas No. 12 ("With the Funeral March"), No. 17 ("With recitatives") and later: No. 21 ("Aurora") and No. 23 ("Appassionata"). The first Viennese period includes, in addition to the piano, 9 (out of 10) violin sonatas (including No. 5 - "Spring", No. 9 - "Kreutserova"; both titles are also unauthorized); 2 cello sonatas, 6 string quartets, a number of ensembles for various instruments (including the cheerful-gallant Septet).

Since the beginning of the XIX century. Beethoven also began as a symphonist: in 1800 he completed his First Symphony, and in 1802 - the Second. At the same time, his only oratorio, Christ on the Mount of Olives, was written. The first signs that appeared in 1797 incurable disease- progressive deafness 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 - "Heiligenstadt testament". The way out of the crisis was creativity: "... Little was lacking for me to commit suicide," the composer wrote. - "Only it, art, it kept me."

1802-12 - the time of the brilliant heyday of Beethoven's genius. The ideas, deeply endured by him, of overcoming suffering with the power of spirit and the victory of light over darkness after a fierce struggle turned out to be consonant with the main ideas of the French Revolution and liberation movements early XIX v. These ideas were embodied in the Third ("Heroic") and Fifth Symphonies, in the tyrannical opera "Fidelio", in the music for JV Goethe's tragedy "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 similar to folk melodies sound in the Seventh Symphony and in Quartets Nos. 7-9 (the so-called "Russians" - they are dedicated to A. Razumovsky; Quartet No. 8 contains 2 melodies of Russians folk songs: used much later also by N. Rimsky-Korsakov "Glory" and "Ah, my talan, talan"). The Fourth Symphony is full of powerful optimism, the Eighth is permeated with humor and slightly ironic nostalgia for the times of Haydn and Mozart. The virtuoso genre is treated epic and monumental in the Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos, as well as in the Triple Concerto for Violin, Cello and Piano and Orchestra. In all these works he found the most complete and final embodiment of 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. Erdede), and on the compositional - as a balance between unity and diversity and the observance of 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 in the internal and foreign policy European countries intensified reactionary-monarchist tendencies. The style of heroic classicism, expressing the spirit of revolutionary renewal late XVIII v. and patriotic sentiments of the beginning of the 19th century, had to inevitably either turn into pompous official art, or give way to romanticism, which became a leading trend in literature and managed to declare itself in music (F. Schubert). Beethoven also had to solve these complex spiritual problems. He paid tribute to victorious exultation by creating a 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 an unheard of success. However, in other works of 1813-17. persistent and sometimes painful searches for new ways were reflected. At this time, cello (No. 4, 5) and piano (No. 27, 28) sonatas were written, several dozen adaptations of songs of different nations for voice with an ensemble, the first vocal cycle in the history of the genre "To a distant beloved" (1815). The style of these works is, as it were, experimental, with many ingenious discoveries, but not always as integral as during the period of “revolutionary classicism”.

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

Creativity 1817-26 marked the new rise of Beethoven's genius and at the same time became the epilogue of the era of musical classicism. Until his last days, remaining faithful to classical ideals, the composer found new forms and means of their embodiment, bordering on romantic ones, but not passing into them. Beethoven's late style is a unique aesthetic phenomenon. Central for Beethoven, the idea of ​​the dialectical interrelation of contrasts, the struggle between light and darkness, acquired an emphatically philosophical sound in his later work. Victory over suffering is no longer given 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 5 latest piano sonatas (nos. 28-32) and the 5 last quartets (nos. 12-16) are distinguished by a particularly complex and refined musical language, which requires the greatest skill from the performers, and from the listeners - heartfelt perception. 33 variations on waltz Diabelli and Bagateli op. 126 are also true masterpieces, despite the difference in scale. Later, Beethoven's work was controversial for a long time. Few of his contemporaries were able to understand and appreciate his latest works. One of such people was N. Golitsyn, on whose order Quartets Nos., And are written and dedicated to him. The overture "Consecration of the House" (1822) is also dedicated to him.

In 1823, Beethoven completed the Solemn Mass, which he himself considered his greatest work. This mass, designed for concert rather than cult performance, became one of the milestone 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 "Solemn", in which all the mastery of Beethoven as a symphonist and playwright was embodied. Turning to the canonical Latin text, Beethoven singled out in it the idea of ​​self-sacrifice in the name of the happiness of people and introduced into the final prayer for peace the passionate pathos of denying war as the greatest evil. With the assistance of Golitsyn, "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 with the final chorus to the words "Ode to Joy" by F. Schiller was performed. 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 poetic text, which Beethoven dreamed of putting to music back in Bonn. The Ninth Symphony with its final appeal - "Hug, millions!" - became Beethoven's ideological testament to mankind and had a strong impact on symphonism in the 19th and 20th centuries.

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

L. Kirillina

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

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

Beethoven's worldview was shaped by revolutionary movement, spread in the advanced circles of society at the turn of the XVIII and XIX centuries. As its original reflection on German soil, the bourgeois-democratic Enlightenment took shape in Germany. The 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 the young Goethe were imbued with a civic feeling. Against the petty morality of feudal-bourgeois society, the playwrights of the "storm and onslaught" movement rebelled. The challenge to the reactionary nobility is heard in Lessing's Nathan the Wise, Goetz von Berlichingen by Goethe, and Schiller's The Robbers and Treachery and Love. The ideas of the struggle for civil liberties permeate Schiller's Don Carlos and Wilhelm Tell. Tension social contradictions reflected in the image of Goethe's Werther, "rebellious martyr", in the words of Pushkin. Every outstanding work of art of that era, created on German soil, is marked with a spirit of challenge. Beethoven's work was the most generalizing and artistically perfect expression in the art of German folk movements at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The great social upheaval in France had an immediate and powerful impact on Beethoven. This brilliant musician, a contemporary of the revolution, was born in an era that corresponded perfectly to the shape of his talent, his titanic nature. With rare creative power and emotional acuteness, Beethoven glorified 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 the feelings of civic heroism.

The revolutionary theme does not in any way exhaust Beethoven's legacy. Undoubtedly, the most outstanding works of Beethoven belong to the art of the heroic-dramatic plan. The main features of his aesthetics are most vividly embodied in works reflecting the theme of struggle and victory, glorifying the universal democratic beginning of life, the desire for freedom. "Heroic", Fifth and Ninth symphonies, overtures "Coriolanus", "Egmont", "Leonora", "Pathetic Sonata" and "Appassionata" - it was this circle of works that almost immediately conquered Beethoven's 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 proportions. It is not surprising that his innovation in the heroic-tragic realm, earlier than in others, attracted general attention; mainly on the basis of Beethoven's dramatic works, both contemporaries and immediately succeeding generations made judgments about his work as a whole.

However, the world of Beethoven's music is staggeringly diverse. There are other fundamentally important aspects in 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 a new man, freed from feudal bonds, was revealed in Beethoven not only in the conflict-tragic plan, but also through the sphere of high inspirational thought... His hero, possessing indomitable courage and passion, is endowed at the same time 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 reflection. No secular composer before Beethoven had reached such a philosophical depth and scale 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 peculiar way. Through the prism of a sublime and deep intellect, life in all its diversity is refracted in Beethoven's music - violent passions and aloof reverie, theatrical dramatic pathos and lyrical confession, pictures of nature and scenes of everyday life ...

Finally, against the background of the creativity of its predecessors, Beethoven's music stands out for that individualization of the image, which is associated with the psychological principle in art.

Not as a representative of the estate, but as a person with his own wealth inner peace, a man of a new, post-revolutionary society realized 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 such a richness of shades in the transmission of mood in Beethoven's music that each of them is perceived as unique. With an unconditional commonality of ideas that permeate all of his work, with a deep imprint of a powerful creative individuality lying on all Beethoven's works, each of his works is an artistic surprise.

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

Beethoven is usually spoken of as the 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, finally, the confusion that inevitably arises when the single word "classical" is used to characterize the summit, "eternal" phenomena of any art, and to define one stylistic category.We, by inertia, continue to use the term "classical" in relation to both the musical style of the XVIII century, and to classic designs in music of other styles (for example, romanticism, baroque, impressionism, etc.).) an era in music, on the other hand, it opens the way “ romantic age". In a broad historical sense, this formulation is not objectionable. However, it does little to understand the essence of Beethoven's style itself. For, touching some aspects at certain stages of evolution 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 signs with the requirements of either style. Moreover, it is generally difficult to characterize it with the help of stylistic concepts that have developed on the basis of studying the work of other artists. Beethoven is an inimitable individual. At the same time, 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 speak of 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 more early 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 inherent in the 20th century. But Beethoven in this sense is in no way inferior to the above-named luminaries. It is enough to compare almost any, arbitrarily chosen works of Beethoven to be convinced of the incredible versatility of his style. Is it easy to believe that the graceful septet in the style of the Viennese divertissement, the monumental dramatic “Heroic 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 piano music... Not a single piece typifies his quest in the symphonic sphere. Sometimes in the same year, Beethoven publishes works so contrasting with each other that at first glance it is difficult to recognize the features of commonality between them. Let us recall at least the well-known Fifth and Sixth Symphonies. Every detail of thematicism, every method of shaping in them is as sharply opposed to each other as the general artistic concepts of these symphonies are incompatible - the acutely tragic Fifth and idyllic Pastoral Sixth... If we compare the works created at different, relatively distant stages of the creative path - for example, the First Symphony and "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 the first impression they are unconditionally perceived as the product of not only different intelligences, but also different artistic eras... Moreover, each of the mentioned opuses in the highest degree characteristic of Beethoven, each is a miracle of stylistic completeness.

About one artistic principle characterizing the works of Beethoven, we can speak only in the most general terms: throughout the entire creative path, the composer's style took shape as a result of the search for a truthful embodiment of life. The powerful coverage of reality, the richness and dynamics in the transmission of thoughts and feelings, finally a new, in comparison with its predecessors, understanding of beauty led to such many-sided original and artistically unfading forms of expression that can only be summarized by the concept of a unique "Beethoven style".

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

Just as Lessing advocated an accurate and avaricious speech against the artificial, ornamental style of salon poetry, saturated with graceful allegories and mythological attributes, so Beethoven rejected everything decorative and conventionally idyllic.

Not only exquisite ornamentation, inseparable from the style of expression of the 18th century, disappeared in his music. Balance and symmetry musical language, the smoothness of the rhythm, the chamber transparency of the sound - these stylistic features, characteristic of all, without exception, Viennese predecessors of Beethoven, were also gradually ousted from his musical speech... Beethoven's idea of ​​beauty demanded an emphasized nakedness of feelings. He was looking for other intonations - dynamic and restless, harsh and stubborn. The sound of his music became rich, dense, dramatically contrasting; his themes acquired hitherto unprecedented laconicism, severe simplicity. To people brought up on the musical classicism of the 18th century, Beethoven's manner of expression seemed so unusual, "unsmooth", sometimes even ugly that the composer was repeatedly reproached for striving to be original, they saw in his new expressive techniques a search for strange, deliberately dissonant sounds that cut the ear.

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

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

Most closely Beethoven's work is associated with the art of Germany and Austria.

First of all, one can feel the continuity with the Viennese classicism XVIII 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 deeply perceived the system of heroic and tragic images of Glukovskaya musical drama partly through the works of Mozart, which in their own way refracted this figurative beginning, partly directly from the lyrical tragedies of Gluck. Beethoven is equally clearly perceived as the spiritual successor of Handel. Triumphant, light heroic images of Handel's oratorios began new life on an instrumental basis in Beethoven's sonatas and symphonies. Finally, clear successive threads connect Beethoven with that philosophical-contemplative line in musical art, which has long been developed in choral and organ schools in 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 indisputable and can be traced from the First Piano Sonata to the Ninth Symphony and the last quartets created shortly before his death.

Protestant chant 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 song and the intonation of modern urban folklore. Essentially, everything organically national in the culture of Germany and Austria is reflected in Beethoven's sonata-symphonic works.

The art of other countries, especially France, also contributed to the formation of his multifaceted genius. In Beethoven's music, one can hear the echo of Rousseauist motifs that were embodied in French comic opera in the 18th century, starting with Rousseau's "The Village Wizard" and ending with Gretry's classics in this genre. The poster, severely solemn nature of the mass revolutionary genres of France left an indelible mark on it, marking a break with the chamber art XVIII century. Cherubini's operas brought an acute pathos, spontaneity and dynamics of passions, close to the emotional structure of Beethoven's style.

Just as Bach's work absorbed and summarized at the highest artistic level all any significant schools of the previous era, so the horizons of the genius symphonist of the 19th century embraced all viable musical trends of the previous century. But Beethoven's new understanding of the musically beautiful reworked these sources into such an original form that in the context of his works they are far from always easily recognizable.

In exactly the same way, the classicist structure of thought is refracted in the work of Beethoven in a new form, far from the style of expression of Gluck, Haydn, Mozart. This is a special, purely Beethoven variety 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 for Beethoven, such freedom of development within the framework of sonata form formation, about such diverse types of musical themes, 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 the Bach generation. And nevertheless, Beethoven's belonging to the classicist structure of thought clearly stands out against the background of those new aesthetic principles that began to unconditionally dominate the music of the post-Beethoven era.

Greetings, dear readers of the site, dedicated to creativity Beethoven. It would be logical to start this section from the childhood of the great composer, as we will do.

In fact, not much is known about Ludwig's childhood. However, we know that the musical future of little Beethoven was planned or, one might even say, "destined" from his earliest childhood, because some members of his family were directly associated with musical activity.

Beethoven's musical prophecy

A little background. German city Bonn, located in western Germany, is part of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Rhine River, which flows in close proximity to the city, certainly gives it its charm and charm.

Bonn today is the result of centuries of development and continuous improvement. During its existence, it has managed to "accumulate" a truly amazing number of attractions, among which the famous Kommende castle can be distinguished, and Cathedral Square, whose center is marked by the Monastery of St. Martin, the Museum of Arithmetic ...

But you and I are interested in the city of Bonn for another reason - it was in this wonderful city that the great composer was born, to whom our site is dedicated.

If you dig very deeply, then it all started with the fact that in 1733 a musician was invited to the Bonn court chapel - this was the grandfather of the future great composer.

Bonn at that time was the capital of the electors Koln, in which the ruler (elector) was chosen not by citizens, but by the Church. As a rule, potential rulers were princes or archbishops who were relatives of the current rulers.

The ruler of Cologne and some neighboring electors at that time was Clemens August - a very educated and enlightened person. He just at that time completed the construction of a new palace and theater in Bonn and, given his love of culture, did not mind enjoying wonderful music (what was left for him when his subordinates did all the work for him - almost all the inhabitants of Bonn worked in one way or another) for the benefit of the elector). It was with him that Ludwig van Beethoven the Elder was noticed, after which he was invited to Bonn.

After settling in Bonn, Ludwig the Elder first got a job as a courtier singer-bassist(1733), and then even rose to Kapellmeister(1761, after the death of Clemens Augustus).

And, in general, Ludwig the Elder was a very respected person in Bonn- passers-by recognized him, greeted him, bowed to him when they met him on the street. But, despite the respect from the inhabitants of Bonn, Ludwig the Elder, like any other musician of the chapel, did not bathe in gold, for the greedy Elector Maximilian Friedrich , who replaced Clemens August after his death, was not particularly generous to musicians (however, like his predecessor).* Let me remind you that Ludwig the Elder became Kapellmeister only after the death of Clemens Augustus. Before that, he was just a singer.

In this regard, in addition to musical activities, Ludwig the Elder ran a wine business. At first, this activity was not difficult for the musician, since he owned 2 small wine cellars, and wine was sold mainly by his wife.

However, it should be noted that trade alcoholic beverage gradually contributed to the development of a passion for alcohol in Ludwig the Elder's wife, and therefore he was forced to send his wife to a monastery until the end of her days, because her addictions negatively reflected on the authority of an accomplished musician.

The bright name of Ludwig the Elder was spoiled not only by his drunken wife, but also, perhaps, his most important disappointment - his own son, who later became the father of Ludwig the Younger, the future great composer, to whom our site is dedicated.

The daughter of a chef from Koblenz, she married Johann van Beethoven when she was 19 years old. It is worth noting that this was the second marriage for Mary Magdalene - her first husband died about a year after marriage.

Ludwig was the second of seven children of Johann and Mary Magdalene, given that their firstborn died. As for the younger brothers of Beethoven - only two of them will also survive - born 4 years later, and also born 6 years after Ludwig.

The Keverich family (Ludwig's mother), although not fabulously wealthy, formally stood above the Beethoven family in terms of social status - among the closest relatives of Mary Magdalene were merchants, advisers and even senators. As for the personal qualities of Beethoven's mother, contemporaries note her unusually kind character and how she tried to make her son's childhood as carefree as possible.

The birth of a genius. Beethoven's childhood

Like grandfather and grandmother, the parents of the future great composer Ludwig got married in church of St. Remigius that was not far from the house.

It was in the same church that Ludwig, who was born the day before, was baptized. However, this church did not survive - already during Ludwig's life, a smaller church was built in its place, where a little later Beethoven played the organ.

Speaking about the date of birth of the composer, it is probably worth mentioning two dates at once:

• 16.12.1770 - the day when Beethoven was born (most likely. December 15 is also allowed, but less likely);
• 17.12.1770 - the day when Beethoven was baptized (according to the customs of those times, babies were to be baptized within 24 hours after birth).

It is worth noting that the composer himself believed that his true date of birth was 1772 and stubbornly insisted on this date. However, all the materials of that time prove that Beethoven was wrong, and he was born nevertheless in 1770.

Beethoven's primary general and musical education

Ludwig spent the first years of his childhood with his family, in the harmonious and fruitful atmosphere of Bonn. Johann Beethoven (father) had, in principle, a good financial position, but he could not afford to live in luxury. Ludwig the Elder, the grandfather of the future composer, provided significant material support to his son's family.

However, such a harmonious atmosphere gradually fades after the death of Ludwig the Elder on December 24, 1773 (right at Christmas). Without the support of his father, it becomes much more difficult for Johann to provide for his family. And Johann's passion for alcohol demanded more money than a mediocre tenor could earn in a chapel.

Gradually, the insidious demon of alcohol, who possessed Ludwig's father, forces the latter to sell various property assets of the family, including items of his own inheritance. That very family harmony deteriorates in direct proportion to Johann's "drunkenness".

In 1775, Johann Beethoven and his family moved to the "Zoom Walvis" house, owned by a local baker named Fisher... This house, in which Johann and his father periodically lived before this move, was located on the Rhine street (Rheingasse, 934), named after the river Rhine, which flowed next to beautiful landscape... Apparently, it was here that little Ludwig's love for nature began to manifest itself. Now this house does not exist - it was destroyed in 1944 during an air raid, and according to new maps it should be located on the same street, but already in the area of ​​house number 24 (now the Beethoven hotel is located next to this address).

In the future, one of the first friends of the future composer, the son of that very baker Fischer, will tell in his manuscripts how little Beethoven sitting by the window, watching these landscapes, hardly sinking into a trance. But at the same time, according to the same Fischer, Ludwig was not some boring melancholic, but, on the contrary, was that still "live" and mischievous boy.

Until the age of 10, Ludwig attended school. Little Beethoven had clearly not a mathematical mindset, but, on the contrary, was interested in languages, philosophy, poetry, and, in general, read a lot. This, let's call it "good" habit of Beethoven haunted him until the end of his life.

Although Beethoven did not graduate from school due to an even greater deterioration financial situation family, soon he will still actively study Latin, as well as French and Italian.

Unfortunately, Ludwig's father, Johann, was not the most exemplary parent. Although not outstanding, but in principle a good musician (violinist and tenorist), Johann was imprinted in biographical sources primarily as an alcoholic who terrorized his talented son in order to raise a “second Mozart” in order to earn money in his name.

Teaching little Ludwig to play the violin and harpsichord, the gloomy and unpredictable Johann, being his first teacher, showed incredible severity and cruelty, systematically beating the future great composer for every mistake. Still: after all, Ludwig, unlike his older colleague, Mozart, was not a child prodigy, and therefore could not master the flow of musical skills that his father imposed on him.

And yet it is worth noting that the music lessons that he taught little Ludwig (albeit with cruelty and lack of competent methodology), undoubtedly, played a significant role in the upbringing of a genius.

The musical achievements of little Beethoven progressed, although not at the same incredible speed as it was at a similar age with Mozart, but still it was enough for the boy to play concerts in Cologne at the court of the then Elector at the age of 7 - Maximilian Friedrich Koenigseg-Rothenfelsky, however, apparently, the boy did not produce a special "wow-effect" on the public at that time.

It is worth noting that Johann not only gave lessons to his son, but also attracted other teachers. During his childhood, Ludwig was taughtat least 5 teachers... One of them wasGilles van der Eden - an old chapel organist and a friend of the then late grandfather of Beethoven, Ludwig the Elder. He, at Johann's request, began to teach Ludwig, and for free.

Another well-known teacher of a little musician after Eden was a very talented musician, but also a drinking companion of Ludwig's father, a tenor vocalist Tobias Pfeifer .

Although the latter was enough talented musician and played different instruments, his pedagogical methods were not the most effective. In particular, it was common for him to drink alcohol with Ludwig's father, and at night suddenly remember that "Today he forgot to teach his son a lesson".

As a result, Pfeifer could simply wake up the sleeping Ludwig, who, with tears, was dragging him to the harpsichord. In turn, Johann only approved of this style of "teaching". However, it is worth noting that Beethoven, as it turned out later, did not have such a negative attitude towards this teacher, and in the future, having moved to Vienna, he even thanked Pfeiffer by providing him with financial assistance.

Later, Pfeiffer was replaced by another teacher of Ludwig - organist Willibald Koch ... We do not know how good a teacher he was for the young prodigy, but we do know that it was at this time that Ludwig was already playing the organ quite well.

Moreover, at the moments when Koch, due to lack of time, could not play the organ (he was a monk and played during church service), little Beethoven easily replaced him, because he was already playing quite well.

Another teacher of Ludwig was another monk, with the surname Hantsman... It is only known that Ludwig simply hated this teacher, in contrast to the same Koch.

Well, and probably worth mentioning Franz Georg Rovantini , who taught Ludwig the violin and viola for some time, but died suddenly in 1781. By the way, the Rovantini and Beethoven families were related. Rovantini's maternal grandmother, Maria Magdalene Daubach (1699-1762) and Ludwig's maternal grandmother, Anna Clara Keverich (1704-1768), were daughters of Jacob Westorf and his wife, Mary Magdalene.

Nefe is one of Beethoven's best teachers

It just so happened that since 1779 a wonderful theatrical troupe settled in Bonn Grossman , music director which was (by the way, it was with the Grossmann troupe that the aforementioned Tobias Pfeifer arrived in Bonn).

And after the death in 1782 of that same Eden, who some time ago taught little Ludwig to play the organ, Nefe becomes court organist(It is worth noting that Nefe received the last position with great difficulty, because he did not belong to the Catholic Church, but nevertheless he succeeded).

By a fortunate circumstance, the cleverest man and brilliant teacher Nefe took up teaching little Ludwig. The latter, in turn, thanks to his talent and quick learning, soon became an unofficial assistant to the organist Nefe, sometimes replacing him at work.

Without a doubt, Nefe not only taught Beethoven music disciplines, but also instilled in him a love of literature and philosophy, in which he himself was very strong. Nefe was a very good teacher for Ludwig, and in many ways, thanks to him, the talent of the young musician developed very intensively.

It was Nefe who instilled in Ludwig a love for the work of Handel and Bach. It is worth noting that in those days few people knew about the famous "HTK" by Bach - these works were especially rare, but at the same time extremely valuable for any musician. In general, it was Nefe who turned out to be not only a good teacher for Ludwig, but also his first mentor, who opened his eyes to many aspects of life.

It was under Nephus and not without his authoritative view from the side of young Ludwig that he wrote his first works. These were written for piano (1782-83).As a theme for variations, Ludwig took "March" Ernst Dressler - Kassel opera singer, about which they know almost nothing now:

In general, until the end of his life, Ludwig was very fond of this genre (variations). This is understandable - being just a brilliant improviser, Beethoven could take any theme as a basis and, sitting at the piano, endlessly develop this theme in any key.

Literally after composing these Variations, Ludwig creates, dedicating them to the then Elector - already old Maximilian Friedrich.

There is even an opinion among biographers that the young and cunning Beethoven, composing these 3 sonatas, pursued a goal - material gain. Indeed, in theory, the Elector, having received such a gift, could generously thank Ludwig.However, in any case, the avaricious Maximilian Friedrich simply accepted this gift, and that's it.

In parallel with studying with Nefe, Ludwig is very interested in theater life Bonn. He was especially attracted by the famous aforementioned Grossmann troupe, which was at that time in Bonn. By the way, this troupe had its own orchestra, which did not lag behind the Bonn Chapel in composition. Considering that the music director of the theater was the teacher of Ludwig Nefe, the young and curious Beethoven had the opportunity to watch the rehearsals and performances of the troupe.

Several times Ludwig even worked part-time in this theater (again, thanks to Nefa). He loved to communicate with the members of the troupe, personally taught with them vocal parts and got great pleasure from it. Of course, the close relationship with the Grossmann troupe also affected Beethoven's upbringing. Especially the little musician was influenced by the strongest discipline that reigned in this troupe. Also, largely thanks to this troupe, Ludwig gets acquainted with the operatic art of different countries.

Personnel reforms inside the chapel

In 1784, Maximilian Friedrich dies, and another elector comes to replace him - Maximilian Franz ... After a while, the new elector decided to carry out cost-effective personnel changes among the chapel employees, demanding from his advisors information about all the chapel employees (there were 36 of them in total).

Together with the personnel reform, the new elector suspends the activities of the "national theater". Consequently, Grossman's troupe also disbanded, the actors of which dispersed to different cities.

One of the elector's advisers suggested that he fire Nefe and appoint Ludwig to his post. Considering that Ludwig at that time worked for free, from the point of view of an adviser, the young organist could “gladly work for a salary three times less than his teacher.” Moreover, Ludwig by that time played the organ very well and could completely replace his teacher, because Beethoven's skills would have been quite enough to perform a not very complicated "church" repertoire.

This adviser, to put it mildly, disliked Nefe, for he was not a Catholic, but a Calvinist. This, in principle, explained the fact that much less valuable for the chapel Johann Beethoven (Ludwig's father), already famous for his love of alcohol, he did not ask to be fired, although he himself partially admitted his uselessness. And, in general, apparently, he had a very positive attitude to the Beethovens.

However, Maximilian Franz, despite the obvious economic benefits, left Nefe in his post, but at the same time cut his salary by 2 times. Moreover, he now officially put Ludwig in office "Assistant organist", and now the young musician is already receiving money for this.

Perhaps the very productive classes with Nefe can be called the end of the "childhood period" in the biography of Ludwig van Beethoven.

A few words about Beethoven's childhood friends

A positive influence on the young Beethoven, of course, was exerted by his close friends who lived near his home. Medical student Frans Gerhard Wegeler became a close friend of Ludwig and remained so until the end of the life of the great composer.

The list of close friends of Beethoven from 1784 to the very end of his life also included Eleanor Bruining who later became Wegeler's wife, as well as her brothers: Christophe , Stephen and Lorenz(Lenz). By the way, later young Ludwig taught Elernor and Lenz to play the piano.

The Breunings, being representatives of an educated and cultured family, became simply family for Beethoven. And their mother, a very intelligent and intelligent widow, treated the friend of her own children as own son... Young Ludwig often liked to stay at the Breuning house, and from time to time traveled with them around the country (in the future).

In the future, we will make separate issues about each character from Ludwig's life.

Other periods of Beethoven's biography:

• Next period:

All information about Beethoven's Biography

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), a German composer and pianist who vividly represented the "classical Viennese school", is one of the world's most performed composers. He wrote compositions for choirs, music for dramatic performances and operas. Concerts and sonatas for violin, cello and piano are considered the most significant of his works.

Childhood

On December 16, 1770, a boy was born in Bonn, who was given the name Ludwig. The next day he was christened in the Catholic Church of St. Remigius.

The boy's dad, Johann Beethoven, was a singer, sang in the court chapel as a tenor. Ludwig's mother, Mary Magdalene (maiden name Keverich), was the daughter of a cook, her father served at the court in Koblenz. Johann and Maria were married in 1767, during the marriage they had seven children, but only three survived, Ludwig was the eldest child in the family.

His paternal grandfather was also called Ludwig; in addition to German, Flemish blood flowed in his veins. He was also a singer, served in the same chapel, where his son Johann was later taken. My musical career he graduated as Kapellmeister and was a highly respected man.

Ludwig Beethoven's childhood years were spent in poverty, as his father drank heavily and spent almost all his salary on booze and girls. At the same time, he wanted to raise a second Mozart out of his son, and he taught him to play the violin, piano and harpsichord.

But the miracle child did not work out of Ludwig, he did not master the violin confidently, and on the piano he did not so much master the technique of performance as improvised.

His father gave Ludwig to study with his friends and colleagues, one studied the violin with the boy, the other the organ.

But he was really taught to play musical instruments by the organist and composer Christian Nefe, who arrived in Bonn in 1780. He immediately managed to discern talent in the child.

Youth

When my grandfather died, the family became very difficult financially. Ludwig had to stop studying at school and go to work. Already at the age of 12, he helped the court organist. And he continued his studies on his own, learned Latin, Italian and French, read a lot, especially loved Homer and Plutarch, Goethe, Schiller and Shakespeare.

At the same time, the first written musical works of Beethoven also fell. While he did not publish anything, he later revised many of his youthful writings.

In 1787, Ludwig had the opportunity to visit Vienna, the musical capital of Europe. There, Mozart himself listened to his improvisations, who predicted a great future for the guy.

Unfortunately, the young man was forced to return home, his mother was near death, and two younger brothers and a dissolute father remained on him.

When his mother died, Beethoven lived and worked in Bonn for another five years. Enlightened urban families drew attention to the gifted young man, and thanks to his ardent nature, greed for music, Beethoven quickly became a part of any musical gatherings.

The Breuning family especially helped the talented young composer, they made him continue his studies in Vienna.

And in 1792 Ludwig left for Vienna, where he remained until the end of his life.

Vein

Arriving in Vienna, Ludwig began to look for a teacher. Unfortunately, Mozart had died the year before. At first, Beethoven studied with Haydn, then his mentor left for England and transferred the student to Albrechtsberger. Later, Ludwig began to study with Antonio Salieri.

Beethoven quickly found friends-patrons in Vienna, Prince Likhnovsky introduced the young composer to a circle where both professional and titled amateur musicians gathered. Ludwig played to impress the audience ─ and gradually fame came to him virtuoso pianist.

Ludwig combined a kind disposition with a very stern character. One day while he was playing the piano, someone started talking to a neighbor. Beethoven stopped playing, saying: “And for such pigs I don’t play!” And no amount of persuasion helped bring him back to the instrument.

What else he differed from the young people of that time was his careless appearance. He always walked around unkempt and clumsily dressed.

But neither his impudent character, nor external data prevented him from creating unique works:

• the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives;
• about twenty sonatas and three piano concertos;
• The First and Second Symphonies;
• eight violin sonatas;
• ballet "Creations of Prometheus".

His writings were widely published and were a huge success.

Deafness, solitude, death

In 1796, Ludwig developed an inflammation of the inner ear, and his hearing began to disappear. Desperate, he retired in a small provincial town Heiligenstadt, he even had thoughts of suicide. However, realizing how much more he could have done, Ludwig drove this nonsense away from himself. During this period, he began work on the Third Symphony, which was later named Heroic, as it was written by a deaf composer.

Due to deafness, Ludwig rarely left the house, he became gloomy and unsociable. But it was during this period that it was created. best works.

Beethoven was quite amorous, but never received reciprocity in return. Its famous " Moonlight Sonata”He dedicated to the young Countess Juliet Guicciardi. He really liked this girl, and he even thought to propose to her, but stopped in time, deciding that a deaf composer was not the most suitable part for a young beauty.

Last years life Beethoven wrote much less often. After the death of his brother, he took care of his nephew, tried in every possible way to give him a decent education, but the young man was only interested in billiards and cards. Ludwig was very worried about this.

Liver problems were added to deafness and nervous experiences. The composer's health began to deteriorate sharply. In mid-March 1827, Ludwig's lungs became inflamed. On March 26, the composer passed away. He was buried in the Central Vienna cemetery, 20 thousand people followed the coffin, and his favorite "Requiem" sounded.