Um dos maiores compositores da história, Beethoven escreveu suas maiores obras praticamente surdo.
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Ludwig Van Beethoven
A German composer whose symphonies are beloved classics, Ludwig Van Beethoven ironically composed some of his greatest works while going deaf.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German pianist and composer. His innovative compositions combined vocals and instruments. He is the crucial transitional figure connecting the Classical and Romantic ages of Western music.
Beethoven’s personal life was marked by his deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life, when he was practically unable to hear. He died at the age of 56.
He was born on or about December 16, 1770, in the city of Bonn, in the Holy Roman Empire (today's Germany). Although his exact date of birth is uncertain, Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770, so December 16 is his most likely birthdate.
Born in a musical family, he moved to Vienna to study music. He studied with the most brilliant musicians of the time: piano with Haydn, vocal composition with Antonio Salieri and counterpoint with Johann Albrechtsberger. Beethoven quickly made a reputation as a great pianist who was especially good at improvisation. He soon became a well-known composer, having written a total of 722 works, ranging from piano sonatas to orchestral symphonies.
For a variety of reasons, Beethoven never married or had children. Despite his extraordinary talent, he was short-tempered, constantly fighting with his brothers, his publishers, his housekeepers, his students and his patrons.
At the same time as Beethoven was composing some of his most immortal works, he was struggling with a shocking and terrible fact that he tried to hide from everyone: he was going deaf. He revealed in a heart-breaking letter to his friend Franz Wegeler, in 1801: "I must confess that I lead a miserable life. For almost two years I have ceased to attend any social functions, just because I find it impossible to say to people: I am deaf. If I had any other profession, I might be able to cope with my condition; but in my profession it is a terrible handicap."
One of his masterpieces, the 9th Symphony, became one of the world's most well-known compositions and is also the anthem of the European Union.
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VOCABULARY
Deaf (adjective)
Unable to hear.
Short-tempered (adjective)
Impatient, someone who easily fights with people.
Housekeeper (noun)
Someone who is paid to take care of a person or family's house.
Patron (noun)
Someone who finances an artist
To cease, ceased (verb)
To stop doing something.
To cope (verb)
To be able to deal effectively with something difficult to do.
Handicap (noun)
A condition that restricts a person's abilities physically, mentally, or socially.
Anthem (noun)
The music that officially represents a country, state, or union.
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