Beethoven. German composer. Born in Bonn on December 16, 1770; died in Vienna on March 26, 1827.

Early learning and development

Beethoven was forced to practice musical instruments at the age of four; he gave concerts at the age of eight; he studied with the court organist Nephi at the age of eleven. Nephi saw that Beethoven had creative genius, so he constantly encouraged and helped him.

When the slogans of freedom, equality and fraternity were shouted loudly, Beethoven came to Vienna, the capital of music. The popular idealism at that time advocated that people should practice their human potential and redeem themselves. Beethoven could not help but be attracted to these ideas. So the early romantic thoughts and the music in Beethoven's soul were combined into shocking music.

Heidelberg's suicide note

Beethoven achieved extremely high achievements in his first ten years in Vienna. Unfortunately, I started to become deaf at the age of twenty-eight, and eventually became completely deaf. This incident caused a great blow to Beethoven, and he even thought of committing suicide, leaving behind the famous "Heidelberg Suicide Note". But Beethoven was not knocked down by fate in the end.

Creating a new style of music

After being isolated from outside sounds, Beethoven began to compose music with his "heart". At this time, American independence and the French Revolution brought the concept of freedom and equality to Europe. Therefore, due to Beethoven's psychological journey of deafness and this revelation, his works entered another new realm. The original aristocratic elegance disappeared, replaced by strong passion and turbulent emotions. The intensity contrast of the music is increased, the distance between the vocal range is widened, and the connection of chords breaks away from the classical category. It frees music from the tradition of classical music and creates a new style.

Beethoven

Strive to do good, love freedom above all else, and never deceive the truth even for the sake of the throne. ——Beethoven (1792 Manual)

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom, philosophy, and philosophy.

Hold the throat of fate! !

Ludwig van Beethoven (born December 17, 1770 in the German city of Bonn - died on March 26, 1827 in the Austrian capital of Vienna) was a classicist who Dacheng, a European classical music composer who pioneered romanticism. Beethoven is revered as the Saint of Music by later generations.

Life

In 1770, he was born into a civilian family in the German city of Bonn. His grandfather was originally from the Netherlands and later moved to Germany. He served as the local court music director. His father was a tenor singer and an alcoholic, and his mother was the daughter of the palace cook. Beethoven showed musical talent from an early age.

In 1774, in order to make Beethoven a musical prodigy like Mozart, his father forced the young Beethoven to learn music and practice piano for a long time.

In 1778, he began performing on stage at the age of eight.

In 1781, he studied Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" and its composition with band conductor Neve.

In 1783, he served as harpsichordist in the court band.

In 1787, he met Mozart in Vienna.

Being a violist in an opera band in 1788

Studying at the University of Bonn in 1789

Going to Austria in 1792 with the encouragement and support of Haydn He furthered his studies in Beijing and Vienna and made rapid progress in art. Beethoven believed in peace and advocating heroes, and created a large number of outstanding works full of the flavor of the times

In 1795, he held his first concert in Vienna. The program was the Second Piano Concerto, composed by him. I play the piano. The show was a success.

In 1796, signs of ear disease appeared.

In 1803, the epoch-making "Third Symphony" was completed and prepared to be dedicated to Napoleon.

When Napoleon became emperor in 1804, Beethoven tore off the title page of the Third Symphony that was dedicated to Napoleon and wrote the sentence "In memory of a great man"

In 1808, he published the Fifth Symphony "Destiny" and the Sixth Symphony "Pastoral" at the same time.

In 1809, he completed the Fifth Piano Concerto "Emperor".

On November 15, 1815, his brother Karl passed away, and Beethoven became the guardian of his nephew Karl.

From 1815 to 1819, he experienced a four-year period of creative decline. On the one hand, he was affected by the feudal restoration in Europe at that time and was depressed. On the other hand, he collected and sorted out folk songs from all over Europe.

In 1824, the Ninth Symphony was completed and premiered on May 7, with unprecedented success.

In 1826, his nephew Karl attempted suicide. Beethoven was severely depressed and his health deteriorated day by day.

He died in Vienna on March 26, 1827.

On March 29, 1827, 20,000 Vienna citizens attended his funeral, and the authorities sent out troops to maintain order.

Cause of death

There are different opinions on the reasons for Beethoven's early death.

The doctors at the time concluded that the cause of death was edema.

Some people think he died of syphilis.

Medical tests conducted by later experts on the hair left by Beethoven showed that Beethoven died of mercury poisoning. Although this discovery has certain support for the speculation that syphilis caused death, it is now generally believed that this was due to industrial pollution of the fish in the Danube River at that time, and Beethoven liked to eat fish in this area, so the mercury in the fish was higher than in other areas. Death due to deposition on the body. It was not caused by Beethoven taking mercury-containing medicine into his body to treat syphilis. Beethoven had a manic personality and suffered from chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain physically, both caused by mercury.

Character

Posterity has always believed that Beethoven's life was a life of unyielding struggle with fate and the inequality of human society. He was abused by his alcoholic father since he was a child and was trained to be eager for quick success. When he grew up, his mother passed away, and the burden of the family fell on Beethoven, the eldest brother. Admiration and disillusionment with Napoleon. Despite the ear problems that appeared in his middle age, the unfilial piety of his nephew, the poverty of life, and the fact that he was never married, Beethoven always accepted the situation and used the language of music to express the spirit of resistance in his heart. He never gave up for three buckets of rice. His famous saying "hold the throat of fate" is a true portrayal of his life spirit. It is said that before he died, there was thunder and lightning. As he was lying on the hospital bed, he suddenly straightened up and reached out to grab the air, as if to grasp something. This scene is considered by later generations to be Beethoven's own visualization of this famous saying.

Legend has it that once Beethoven and Goethe were walking on a path when a noble carriage drove towards them. The two of them had to stand aside. But their attitudes were completely different. Goethe bowed to the nobles passing by, while Beethoven was serious and proud. The nobles in the car also greeted the two of them politely. Later, Beethoven doubted Goethe's character, and the friendship between the two broke down.

Beethoven was deeply influenced by the French Revolution at that time, and the advocacy themes of "liberty, equality, and fraternity" can be clearly seen in his works. The Overture Coriolan, the Eroica Symphony and the Choral Symphony, and even the prisoner chorus scene in the opera "Fidelio" directly "sing" the strong desire for freedom "Oh, freedom, freedom, what are you?" It’s time to come back to you.”

In terms of action, once, when Beethoven heard that a concert was going to be held to raise donations for the poor people, he immediately went on stage to perform despite being sick, dedicating his strength to the people he sympathized with.

Although Beethoven was serious and proud, he was not without love. He also fell in love, which ended in failure, but gave birth to the Fourth Symphony and the Violin Concerto. He was very affectionate, even doting, towards his brother's son Carl. One time, Beethoven went out in the rain in order to take the latter home. In the end, because of the rain soaking through his body, he got sick and his health deteriorated greatly.

Music

Many people consider Beethoven to be the greatest composer of all time. There is no denying that he is indeed the most famous and beloved of them all. His most famous works include Symphony No. 3 (Eroica), Symphony No. 5 (Destiny), Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral), Symphony No. 9, Pathetique Sonata and Moonlight Sonata" and so on. Its 32 piano sonatas, including "Pathétique" and "Moonlight", are revered as the "New Testament" of the piano (the "Old Testament" is Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier"). His early music has the court music style of Haydn and Mozart, focusing on formal beauty, such as the First Symphony.

The later he gets, the more he shows his strong personal style, and even expresses his ideals and demands through music.

Beethoven can be said to have inherited the musical essence of German and Austrian composers Bach, Haydn and Mozart, and pushed classical music to the extreme in form.

Especially his symphonies, except for the Sixth Symphony, which is divided into five movements, the other eight are all four movements, following the symphony structure established by Haydn Mozart, that is, the first movement Allegro, the second movement The movement is Adagio, the third movement is Minuet or Scherzo and the fourth movement is Presto or Allegro. At the beginning of the Third Symphony, the form and content began to unify, and a clear clue theme or idea ran through the entire symphony. This was particularly clear in the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, and this was Beethoven's previous composition. The family didn't do it. The result is that Beethoven's symphonies have more realistic expression and emotional portrayal. The listener no longer only enjoys the beautiful melody, but also needs to think about and figure out the composer's intention and motivation. This greatly enriches the connotation of music. It can be said that this is also the basis of romantic music.

Some people say that all the works Beethoven created throughout his life revolve around the theme of "hero". The nine symphonies, in particular, describe a hero's growth and ideals.

Beethoven's creation is usually divided into four periods:

Early period: from when he studied music composition to around the age of 32

He was a talented composer Like most famous musicians, he created a lot of music that people still think sounds good today. At the same time, he also has strong music creation ability, and he is good at writing sad and lyrical songs.

Peak period: about ten years

He was deaf in life, but ideologically influenced by the French Revolution, he wrote a lot of ethical thoughts into his music. The music of this period is typical Beethoven-style music. Including those major symphonies, the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, and several famous piano sonatas. Compared with the early days, the music has become more thoughtful and has its own emotions.

Decline: About ten years

Beethoven was already a celebrity in Vienna society, but his creations entered a low ebb, as if he had returned to the era of an ordinary musician. Personal will is also relatively depressed.

Late period: the last ten years

In the last few years of his life, he suddenly created miracles again. Some of his late works are large-scale and magnificent, such as the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony; others enter an abstract realm. Works from this period are treasures in the eyes of musicians. But because it is usually very abstract, it is not as good-sounding as the early ones, and may be difficult for ordinary listeners to understand.