Ludwig Van Beethoven: Immortal Genius

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 17 in 1770 to a court musician and tenor singer named Johann van Beethoven. He was the second oldest of seven children; of his siblings four died in infancy. He was born into a musical family; his grandfather was a double bassist for the court orchestra of the German Electorate in Bonn from 1733 to 1761 and his father, Johann, was a violinist, keyboardist, and pedagogue.

Beethoven's father prepared him meticulously with the goal of showing him off as a child genius. He was said to be a violent man with an insufferable temper. He would come home late at night, often intoxicated, drag Ludwig from his bed and "beat" music into his head. There are also stories that claim he would force Beethoven to play his violin for the entertainment of his drinking partners. Despite the fact that he was subjected to such behaviors and abuses he developed a sensitivity and vision for music. At the age of ten his first works were published in the well-known Leipzig catalogue as the work of "Louis van Betthoven, aged ten."

He gave his first public performance at the age of eight as a pianist. In 1787 he was employed as a musician in the Bonn Court Orchestra. In the early part of that year he was granted a paid leave of absence to study in Vienna under Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the summer of 1787 his mother passed away and Beethoven returned home to Bonn to take care of his siblings. In 1792 his father also passed away and he opted to move to Vienna. By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist and was traveling in the circles of aristocracy. His future looked bright and he gave concerts in Prague, Berlin, Vienna, and other centers of great significance.

On April 2, 1800 he gave his first concert in which he launched his earliest symphony and introduced the world to the famous Septet op. 20. In 1802 Beethoven began suffering from hearing complications. In letters to his friends Beethoven admitted that he was suffering from hearing disorders.

"How often I wish you were here, for your Beethoven is having a miserable life, at odds with nature and its Creator, abusing the latter for leaving his creatures vulnerable to the slightest accident ... My greatest faculty, my hearing, is greatly deteriorated."
-In a letter to Karl Ameda on July 1, 1801.

"How can I, a musician, say to people "I am deaf!" I shall, if I can, defy this fate, even though there will be times when I shall be the unhappiest of God's creatures ... I live only in music ... frequently working on three or four pieces simultaneously. Free me of only half this affliction and I shall be a complete, mature man. You must think of me as being as happy as it is possible to be on this earth - not unhappy. No! I cannot endure it. I will seize Fate by the throat. It will not wholly conquer me! Oh, how beautiful it is to live - and live a thousand times over."
-In a letter to his friend, Wegeler, he saw his deafness as a challenge to contest and conquer.

In 1802 his doctor sent him to Heiligenstadt, a village just outside of Vienna. These new surroundings brought Beethoven back to a love of nature. During this time he wrote his high-spirited Symphony No. 2. By the time fall came around he felt weak again and did not think he would survive the winter. Consequently he wrote his will with firm instructions that it was to be opened only after his death. This document, called the "Heiligenstadt Testament" is an extensive, heartrending document that exposes more about his state of mind than the music he was writing at the time.

"O ye men who accuse me of being malevolent, stubborn and misanthropical, how ye wrong me! Ye know not the secret cause. Ever since childhood my heart and mind were disposed toward feelings of gentleness and goodwill, and I was eager to accomplish great deeds; but consider this: for six years I have been hopelessly ill, aggravated and cheated by quacks in the hope of improvement but finally compelled to face a lasting malady ... I was forced to isolate myself. I was misunderstood and rudely repulsed because I was as yet unable to say to people, "Speak louder, shout, for I am deaf" ... With joy I hasten to meet death. Despite my hard fate ... I shall wish that it had come later; but I am content, for he shall free me of constant suffering. Come then, Death, and I shall face thee with courage."
Heiligenstadt, 6 October 1802.

He withdrew into seclusion from the public and eventually became completely deaf. Beethoven, by nature, was intolerant, impatient, and impulsive. His deafness only added paranoia to these characteristics. He began accusing his friends of disloyalty and dismissed them as unworthy of his friendship. His mood swings would then compel him to write letters of apology explaining that he had misjudged them. By 1820 his only means of communication was writing.

Beethoven completed his fifth and sixth symphonies by the summer of 1808. In July of 1812 he wrote a letter to an unidentified woman whom he addressed as his Immortal Beloved. It was a powerful letter that spoke of love much in the same way his Heiligenstadt Testament spoke of despair and desolation. The letter was discovered after his death in a secret drawer in his desk.

July 6, 1806
My angel, my all, my very self -- only a few words today and at that with your pencil -- not till tomorrow will my lodgings be definitely determined upon -- what a useless waste of time. Why this deep sorrow where necessity speaks -- can our love endure except through sacrifices -- except through not demanding everything -- can you change it that you are not wholly mine, I not wholly thine? Oh, God! Look out into the beauties of nature and comfort yourself with that which must be -- love demands everything and that very justly -- that it is with me so far as you are concerned, and you with me. If we were wholly united you would feel the pain of it as little as I!
Now a quick change to things internal from things external. We shall surely see each other; moreover, I cannot communicate to you the observations I have made during the last few days touching my own life -- if our hearts were always close together I would make none of the kind. My heart is full of many things to say to you - Ah! -- There are moments when I feel that speech is nothing after all -- cheer up -- remain my true, only treasure, my all as I am yours; the gods must send us the rest that which shall be best for us.
Your faithful,
Ludwig

Beethoven's brother, Casper Carl, died in November of 1815; overcome with grief he nearly stopped composing. He was left as the appointed guardian of his brother's nine-year-old son, Karl. He shared this guardianship with Casper's wife, Johanna. Beethoven held Johanna to have immoral values and began legal proceedings to win sole custody over Karl. He finally obtained this custody in 1920 when Karl was twenty years old.

He completed his Ninth Symphony (Choral) in 1823. At his first performance of this composition, despite his deafness, he insisted on conducting the orchestra. Though he did not realize, another conductor sat out his sight beating time. As the last movement came to a close, Beethoven was unaware that the music had ended. He was also unaware of the remarkable applause that followed it. One of the performers took him by the arm and turned him to face the audience so that he might in fact see the standing ovation.

Beethoven returned to Vienna, with Karl, in early December of 1826. The journey brought with it a case of pneumonia. He quickly recovered from the pneumonia and soon after fell ill with cirrhosis of the liver. His condition continued to deteriorate and by the beginning of March his friends gathered around. The famous composer, Schubert, came to pay his respects. The following is an account by Huttenbrenner, a friend of Schubert's, describing Beethoven's death:

"At about 5:45 in the afternoon of 26 March, 1827, as a storm raged, Beethoven's room was suddenly filled with light and shaken with thunder. Beethoven's eyes opened and he lifted his right fist for several seconds, a serious, threatening expression on his face. When his had fell back, he half closed his eyes... Not another word, not another heartbeat."

Between 20,000 and 30,000 people gathered to mourn the composer at his funeral three days later. He was buried in Wahring Cemetery and in 1888 his remains were removed to Zentral-Friedhof in Vienna-a noble resting place for musicians.