Beethoven was born in 1770 and died in 1827. He was a German composer who lived most of his life in Austria. He played both piano and violin.

Beethoven’s appearance and manner was unusual at that time. He was often dirty, dishevelled, rude, aggressive, unpredictable and eccentric – but his music told another story. He radically transformed every type of music he wrote, changing the ‘rules’ of symphonies, operas, concertos and solo pieces. His father treated him badly, forced him to practice for long hours and wanted him to become a child prodigy like Mozart.

Tragedy struck at age 28 when he began to go deaf and soon he could only hear his pieces by imagining the sounds in his head, this made him even more angry and difficult to be around. Beethoven tried out lots of inventions and devices to help him hear, such as using a big brass ear trumpet and a contraption fixed inside his piano which he bit down on to try to feel the vibrations in his head. None of it worked and soon he was locked into a world of silence. The opening part of his 5th symphony is possibly one of the most recognisable moments of music history.

❤️Music Lesson❤️

featuring Ludwig Van Beethoven

Lesson Resources:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces/articles/zrsf3k7