Ludwig van Beethoven (Beethoven Ludwig van)

(1770-1827)
His works are treated as classicism and romanticism to, but actually it is beyond the scope of such definitions: works by Beethoven - primarily an expression of his brilliant personality.
Origin. Childhood and adolescence. Beethoven was born in Bonn, presumably December 16, 1770 (baptized December 17). In his veins flowed the addition of German and Flemish blood: the composer's grandfather on his father's, . also Ludwig, . Born in 1712 in Malin (Flanders), . served as a chorister in Ghent and Louvain, and in 1733 moved to Bonn, . where he became a court musician in the chapel of the Elector-Archbishop of Cologne,
. It was a clever man, a good singer, professionally trained instrumentalist, he was promoted to the position of court Kapellmeister and enjoyed the respect of others. His only son, Johann (the other children died in infancy) from childhood to sing in the same chapel, but his situation was precarious, as he drank heavily and acted disorderly life. Johann took his wife Maria Magdalena Lyme, daughter of a cook. They had seven children, of whom survived three sons, Ludwig, the future composer, was the eldest of them.

Beethoven grew up in poverty. The father drank away his meager salary, he worked with his son playing the violin and piano in the hope that he will be a geek, a new Mozart, and provide family. Over time, his father added a salary in the calculation for the future of his gifted and industrious son. For all that, the boy hesitantly mastered the violin and piano (and violin), loved to improvise more than improve the playing technique.

General education Beethoven was as unsystematic as musical. In the latter, however, the practice has played a major role: he played the viola in the Court Orchestra, performed by the Executive on the keyboard instruments, including the organ, which was able to quickly master. KG nave, in 1782 the Bonn court organist, became the first real teacher of Beethoven (among other things, he took with him the entire Well-Tempered Clavier by JS Bach). Duties of Beethoven as a court musician has expanded considerably, when Archduke Maximilian Franz became Elector of Cologne and began to care about the musical life of Bonn, where his residence was located. In 1787, Beethoven was able to visit Vienna for the first time - while the music capital of Europe. It is said that Mozart, after listening to the game boys, praised his improvisations, and he predicted a great future. Soon, however, Beethoven had to return home - his mother was dying. He remained the sole breadwinner of the family, consisting of a dissolute father and two younger brothers

. Talented boys, his thirst for musical impressions, passionate and sensitive nature attracted the attention of some enlightened Bonn families, and the brilliant piano improvisations provided him with free entry to any music collection
. Especially done enough for him Broyning family, which took custody of awkward, but the original young musician. Dr. FG Vegeler became his lifelong friend, and Earl F. E. G. Wallenstein, his enthusiastic admirer, managed to convince the Archduke send to the teachings of Beethoven in Vienna.

Vienna. 1792-1802. In Vienna, where Beethoven came the second time in 1792 and where he remained until his death, he quickly found the titular fellow patrons.

People who met the young Beethoven, the composer described as a stocky twenty young man, inclined to dandyism, sometimes arrogant, but good-natured and sweet in relations with friends. Realizing the inadequacy of his education, he went to Joseph Haydn, Vienna recognized authority in the field of instrumental music (Mozart died a year earlier) and some time was brought to him for verification exercises in counterpoint. Haydn, however, soon lost interest in obstinate student, and Beethoven had secretly started taking lessons with MI Shenk and then a more thorough IG Albrehtsbergera. In addition to this, wanting to perfect vocal in the letter, he attended for several years, the famous opera composer Antonio Salieri. Soon he entered the circle, uniting titled amateur and professional musicians. Prince Charles introduced Lihnovsky young provincial in their circle of friends.

The question of how environment and the spirit of the age effect on creativity, ambiguous. Beethoven read the works of FG Klopstock, one of the predecessors of the movement 'Sturm und Drang'. He was familiar with Goethe and deeply respected philosopher and poet. Political and social life of Europe at that time was alarming: when Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, the city was excited news of the revolution in France. Beethoven enthusiastically took revolutionary slogans and sang freedom in his music. Volcanic, explosive nature of his work - certainly the embodiment of the spirit of the time, but only in the sense that the nature of the creator was in some measure formed by this time. Bold violation of generally accepted norms, the powerful self-affirmation, the atmosphere of a storm of Beethoven's music - all this would have been unthinkable in the era of Mozart.

Nevertheless, early Beethoven works largely follow the canons of 18.: This refers to the trio (string and piano), violin, piano and cello sonata. Piano was then Beethoven's closest instrument to the piano works, he with the utmost sincerity, expressed deepest feelings, and the slow movements of some sonatas (eg, Largo e mesto of the sonata Op. 10,? 3) has permeated the romantic longings. Pathetique Sonata, Op. 13 - too obvious anticipation of the later Beethoven experiments. In other cases, its innovation is in the nature of a sudden invasion, and the first students perceived it as an obvious arbitrariness. Published in 1801, six string quartets op. 18 may be considered the biggest achievement of this period, Beethoven is clearly in no hurry to publish, knowing what a model in quartet letters left Mozart and Haydn. The first experience of Beethoven's orchestral associated with two concerts for piano and orchestra (? 1, . in C and? 2, . B-flat major), . created in 1801: in them he, . apparently, . also was not sure, . Being familiar with the great achievements of Mozart in this genre,
. Among the most famous (and causing the least) early works - septet op. 20 (1802). Next opus, the First Symphony (published in late 1801) - the first purely orchestral composition by Beethoven.
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. Continuation of the biography of Beethoven
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. Continuation of the biography of Beethoven
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. Continuation of the biography of Beethoven