Ludwig van Beethoven

Despite numerous liaisons, Ludwig van Beethoven could not develop lasting relationship with any woman, remaining bachelor till his death. His sole heir was his nephew Karl.

When his brother Kasper died in 1815, he left Beethoven in charge of Karl jointly with his wife, a woman he never liked. After Kasper’s death, he fought a legal battle, ultimately winning the sole custody of his nephew.

In December 1826, Beethoven became seriously ill, dying three months later on 26 March 1827. Autopsy revealed significant liver damage as well as dilation of the auditory and other related nerves.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born into a musical family in Bonn. Although there is no record about it, most scholars accept 16 December 1770 as his date of birth; one reason being that, his family as well as his teacher, Johann Albrechtsberger, always celebrated his birthday on this day.

The church records at the parish of St. Regius also show that Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on 17 December, 1770. Since children at that time were baptized a day after their birth, it corroborates the assumption that he was born on 16 December 1770.

His father, Johann van Beethoven, was the son of Ludwig van Beethoven, the Kapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Cologne. Later he was appointed a tenor in the same establishment. To augment his income, he also provided keyboard and violin lessons; but was better known for his alcoholism.

His mother, Maria Magdalena nee Keverich, was previously married to Johann Georg Leym, who died when she was nineteen years old. Their son, Johann Peter Leym, also died in infancy.

Maria Magdalena had seven children with her second husband, Johann van Beethoven, out of which Ludwig van Beethoven was born second. As his elder brother, also named Ludwig van Beethoven, died in infancy, he became the eldest surviving child.

Ludwig van Beethoven began his music training under with his father, learning clavier and violin from him, from the age of five. However, the experience was not at all a happy for the young boy, who was regularly flogged and locked in the cellar for slightest mistakes.

Even if he hesitated, his father, who wanted to make another Mozart out of him, would beat him up brutally, yelling he was an embarrassment to the family. Weeping, the boy would continue to play while standing on a tool to reach the keys.

Apart from studying music from his father, he also took lessons from Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer, a family friend, who would often drag him out of his bed in the middle of the night to practice keyboard. Another important teacher during this period was Gilles van den Eeden, local church organist.

On March 26, 1778, Beethoven gave his first public performance at Cologne. Although by then he was seven years old his father declared him to be six because Mozart gave his first performance at the same age.

Sometime now, he was admitted to a Latin grade school called Tirocinium. He was an average student, poor in spelling and sums, which led to the belief that he might have been suffering from mild dyslexia. He had himself said "Music comes to me more readily than words."

By 1784, his father’s alcoholism deteriorated to such an extent that he could no longer support his family. Therefore, at the age of fourteen, Beethoven started his career, successfully applying for the position of the assistant organist at the court chapel, receiving a modest salary of 150 florins.

By 1787, the Elector sent Beethoven to Vienna; possibly to study with Mozart. But within two weeks of his leaving home his mother fell seriously ill, compelling him to return home. His mother died soon after and with that his father went deeper into alcoholism.

Ludwing van Beethoven now had to take care of his brothers and run the household, which he did by giving music lessons to the children of late Joseph von Breuning, slowly acquiring other wealthy pupils. Very soon the Breuning mansion became his second home.

In 1788, at the house of von Breuning, Beethoven first met Count Ferdinand von Waldstein. Belonging to Vienna’s highest aristocracy, he not only yielded tremendous influence, but also loved music. Very soon, he became one of Beethoven’s lifelong friends and a financial supporter.

In 1790, Beethoven received his first commission, possibly on the recommendation of Neefe, writing two Emperor Cantatas (WoO 87, WoO 88) on the death of Holy Roman Emperor Franz Joseph II and accession of Leopold II. However, they were not performed at that time, remaining lost until 1880.