Ludwig van Beethoven
Biography

or Beethoven and the viola

Just to give a personal example... I have a sister who one day, while getting ready to go and take an exam at the university, was listening to the radio broadcasting one of Beethoven’s symphonies. Later she said that she went to her exam with much more energy and felt that it had helped her in passing the exam. Since then, whenever she had an exam, she used to listen to that symphony on purpose while getting ready, to get the right energy for her exams.

The beginning of Beethoven's fifth symphony is one of the most famous pieces of music ever. Indeed he is best known for his instrumental music: symphonies, piano sonatas and concertos with orchestra and string quartets.

Back to Beethoven's biography.... As it was common in those times, Beethoven was a piano and violin player, although what hardly anyone knows is that he also played the viola and in this page you'll read about his life, his works and how he used the viola in his chamber music and symphonic works.

Youth in Bonn

Ludwig, who also had two younger brothers, was the son of a tenor at the court service, who played and taught also piano and violin. Ludwig started very early to take piano and violin lessons from his father and other local musicians and later was given viola lessons. He first appeared in a concert in 1778 playing piano.

Beethoven first important piano and composition teacher was Christian Neefe, who became court organist. Already since 1792 Beethoven (who was only 11) acted as his teacher deputy when he was out of Bonn.The first written mention of Beethoven is by Neefe, in a music magazine in 1783: it is about...

... a boy of 11 years of most promising talent. He plays the piano very skilfully and with power, ... the chief piece he plays is The Well Tempered Clavier of Sebastian Bach... Mr Neefe had nine variations for the piano, written by him..., engraved. ... This youthful genius is deserving of help to enable him to travel. He would surely become a second Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...

This was Beethoven’s first published work. Through his teacher, Beethoven also worked as organist and "cembalist in the orchestra". This enabled the young composer to hear all the popular operas of the time. He was also enjoying a reputation as a piano virtuoso in the area where he lived. In 1787 he visited Vienna, maybe met Mozart and had a few lessons, but had to go back to Bonn after only two weeks because of his mother bad health, who died soon after.

The viola that Beethoven played in Bonn orchestras Thanks to Stephen Wassel for this photo By playing an instrument, a composer would get to know it well and could then decide how to use it in his compositions and sure, by playing the viola in the orchestras, Beethoven did his apprenticeship and later used this acquired knowledge when writing for viola in his chamber music and symphonic works, as we'll see.

A series of family misadventures (his father, who worked as a tenor in the court choir, started to drink heavily and therefore couldn't perform his job properly), in 1789 led the young Beethoven, not yet 19, to place himself at the head of his family, composed now of his father and two brothers. He asked and obtained half of his father’s salary to support the family. Since then, for more than three years Beethoven earned his living by playing the viola in the two orchestras, those of the court chapel and of the theatre and began to be an active composer, forming a circle of friends from the most respected families in Bonn. Beethoven's viola and bow are now kept in his house-museum. You can see it there in a cabinet and even listen to how it sounds. They sell a CD with Beethoven's own Nocturne and other contemporary music played on it.

Over these years Beethoven also composed a number of works for the court celebrations, including a cantata on the death of the Emperor Joseph II. During these years, Beethoven had opportunities to travel when Bonn's elector had to leave the town for several weeks, with the orchestra always following him.

Among the friends he had in Bonn, some are worth mentioning briefly. Count Ferdinand Waldstein (to whom Beethoven will later dedicate a piano sonata) and Frau von Breuning, a widow with four children a bit younger than Beethoven. She was to become like a second mother to him.

Beethoven in Vienna until 1800

He was introduced into the aristocratic circles and became famous as a piano improviser, performing in private houses, variations on a given theme, although later on he developed a dislike for playing in society. Aristocratic families in Vienna used to spend a lot of money on music and some had their own orchestra or opera company, or at least a wind band or a string quartet, and organised private concerts in their palaces. Regular seasons of public concerts were not common, unlike in London and Paris, there were occasional virtuoso concerts. In 1795 Beethoven appeared at some important public concerts in Vienna as a virtuoso and a composer, playing an improvisation, a piano concerto of his and also one by Mozart.

When Beethoven began his career as a piano virtuoso, the piano was not the instrument as it is now, it was in its infancy. Beethoven contributed to its technical development, to the enlargement of its range. He was famous for his cantabile, legato playing.

His first works published in Vienna were three Piano Trios, his op.1, and three piano sonatas op.2 later.

One of Beethoven's supporters and patrons was Prince Lichnowsky; with him, in 1796, Beethoven went on a tour to Prague, Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin, giving concerts with great success. In Berlin he appeared before the king and played his cello sonatas and cello variations with the king's first cellist.

By this time, Beethoven's two brothers had also established themselves in Vienna. In the following years he published several works, the cello sonatas together with more piano sonatas, songs, the string trio op.3, the string quintet op.4, the string trios op.8 & 9 and more works, including his first set of string quartets, op.18.

Beethoven’s first big public concert in Vienna was in 1800, including his first symphony, a piano concerto and the Septet that became soon very popular. The first symphony was dedicated to Baron von Swieten, who had a large library of music and a passion for Bach's and Handel's music.

Another one among the many early supporters was Nikolaus Zmeskall von Domanovecz who became a lifelong friend. He was an amateur cellist and composer of quartets, who ardently promoted performances of Beethoven’s music. It’s very likely that Beethoven wrote his Duo for viola and cello "with two obligato eyeglasses" for this friend and himself to play it together. It was written in 1796 but never published until 1912.

Here are some chamber music works interesting for the viola, most of which written during this initial period in Vienna.

• Duo "with two obligato eyeglasses" for viola and cello
• Serenade op.8 for violin, viola and cello
• Septet op.20 for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and double bass in E flat
• Serenade op.25 for flute, violin and viola
• Nocturne op.42 for viola and piano (transcription of Serenade op.8 for violin, viola and cello)
• Quintets for two violins, two violas and cello: op.4, op.29, op.104, op.137 (Fugue)

Portrait of Ludvig Van Beethoven with a lyre, 1804
by Willibrord Joseph Mahler
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More pictures of Beethoven

Beethoven's deafness

... and more is coming

Funeral of Ludwig Van Beethoven in Vienna, 29th March 1827
Franz Stober
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More pictures of Beethoven

Other useful pages in this website about Beethoven

Download some free Beethoven MIDI files
Download some free Beethoven sheet music
Beethoven MP3
Beethoven posters

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