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Biography of Ludwig van Beethovenor Beethoven and the viola | ||||
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In this biography of Ludwig van Beethoven you’ll find some unusual
information about this composer and his relation with the viola. Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most widely popular and admired classical music composers, thanks to the powerful communicativeness of his music. 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: symponies, piano sonatas and concertos with orchestra and string quartets. His
music has been exploited politically, and now the theme for the last
movement of the ninth symphony is the European Union anthem. 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 played the viola too 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 A plaque on the wall of Beethoven's house in Bonn, commemorating his birthplace IN THIS HOUSE LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN WAS BORN ON 17TH DECEMBER 1770 | ||||
| Beethoven was born in Bonn, in the house
that you can see in
this photo, which has now it has been turned into
Beethoven
museum. I was in Bonn some time ago and of course went to
visit it. I always love to
visit famous peoples' homes,
to me it's a great way to understand more about them as men. There you
can see his instruments, original manuscripts, letters,
paintings, objects from his everyday life and his viola.
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 have piano and violin lessons from his father and later was given viola lessons. He first appeared in a concert in 1778 playing piano. The
first written mention of Beethoven is by his first important teacher,
Neefe, in a music magazine in 1783: it is about...
This was Beethoven’s first published work. Through his teacher, Beethoven worked as a cembalist in the orchestra and organist. 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 soon because of his mother bad health, who died later.
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 apprentship and later used this acquired
knowledge when writing for viola in his chamber music and symphonic
works, as we'll see. Over these years Beethoven also composed a number of works for the court celebrations. Beethoven in ViennaIn 1792 Beethoven moved to Vienna to study composition with Haydn. On leaving, the powerful Count Ferdinand Waldstein, who had become a devoted friend and patron, wished him “to receive Mozart’s spirit from Haydn’s hands”. In Vienna Beethoven began to take lessons from Haydn, Albrecthsberger and Salieri. They commented about his stubbornness and his self-will.He was introduced into the aristocratic circles and became famous as a piano improviser, performing 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 plaaces. In 1795 Beethoven appeared at some important concerts as a virtuoso and a composer, playing a piano concerto of his and also a Mozart's one. 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 and three piano sonatas later. One of Beethoven's supporters and patrons was Prince Lichnowsky. With him Beethoven went on a tour to Prague, Leipzig, Dresden and Berlin, giving concerts with great success. Beethoven’s first big public concert in Vienna was in 1800, including his first symphony, a piano concerto and the Septet. The first symphony was dedicated to Baron von Swieten. 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. 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.
together with more piano sonatas, cello sonatas, songs, string trios op.8 and more works. From this time there are letters with the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister (also a composer of two viola concertos and viola studies), who was also friend of Mozart and published some of his works, as well as of Beethoven's First Symphony, the Second Piano Concerto, the Septet and the famous Piano Sonata "Patetique".
Beethoven's deafnessFrom the biography of Ludwing van Beethoven, what greatly impresses most people is learning that Beethoven was deaf and yet was able to compose such wonderful music.Indeed Beethoven was not yet 30 when he realised that he was losing his hearing. He had kept it secrect for a couple of years before writing to two old friends of his, in 1801. This was a tragic fact for a musician and affected very seriously Beethoven's profession and social life. In his letters he says that he, by nature a very sociable person, was leading a miserable life, avoiding people, appearing as a misanthrope, not being able to say that he was deaf. In 1802 he wrote a letter to his two brothers and to the world, the so-called Heilingenstadt testament (after the name of the place outside Vienna where he was spending some time), expressing all the despair of this condition, thoughts of suicide, that only his art withheld him, with the idea of having to complete all he could produce. This letter was found only after his death, and helped to better understand his character. At this time he was also in love with a young girl who soon after married somebody else (he never had much success with women and never married). Many experts think that she was the girl for whom Beethoven wrote his Moonlight piano sonata. Listen to a bit of music: Quartet n.3 op. 59, listen to the viola starting the fugue (recording borrowed from Beethoven museum). ... and more is coming
Other useful pages in this website about Beethoven Download some free Beethoven MIDI files Download some free Beethoven sheet music Beethoven MP3 Beethoven posters  Viola-in-music.com is recommended by the Encyclopaedia Britannica under The Web’s Best Sites.
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|  The house in Bonn where Beethoven was born | |||
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