Ludwig Van Beethoven.

The first 200 words of this essay...

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn, and was baptized on the 17th December 1770, and he was a German composer of the 18th century. He studied first wth his father, Johann, a singer and instrumentalist, but mainly with C.G. Neefe, a court organist. At 11 and a half, he was able to 'stand in' for Neefe; at 12 he'd had some music published. In 1787, he went to Vienna, but quickly returned when he heard that his mother was dying. Five years later he went back to Vienna, where he settled. Beethoven's public debut was in 1795; about the same time his first important publications appeared, where he performed three piano trios and three piano sonatas. As a pianist, it was reported, he had 'fire, brilliance and fantasy as well as depth and feeling'. Beethoven was usually at his best when performing his piano sonatas; the Pathetique from 1799, and the Moonlight ('Sonata quasi una fantasia') from 1801. These years also saw the composition of his first three piano concertos, his first two symphonies and a set of six string quartets.

1802, however, was a year of crisis for Beethoven, as he began to