Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770. He studied with C.G. Neefe, court organist. At 12, he had some music published. In 1791 he went to Vienna, where he studied first with Franz Joseph Haydn, then Antonio Salieri. As a pianist, it was reported, he had fire and brilliance. 1802 was a year of crisis for Beethoven, with the realization that the impaired hearing he had noticed for some time was incurable and sure to worsen. That year, he wrote a will addressed to his two brothers, describing his bitter unhappiness over his going deaf. "Fidelio", unsuccessful at its premiere, was successful in its final version of 1814. After 1812, Beethoven didn't compose much, he was depressed by his deafness. He died on March 26, 1827, and 10,000 attended his funeral, which was unprecedented for a composer.