Ludwig van Beethoven

1. Ludwig van Beethoven At Vienna, in 1791, Beethoven took lessons with Haydn, then with Albrechtsberger and Salieri. In 1794 he composed his opus 1, three trios for piano. The following year, Beethoven made his fist public performance at Vienna. BY WENDY LI Beethoven was baptised on December 17th 1770. At an early age, Beethoven took an interest in music, and his father taught him day and night. At the age of 7, he gave his first know public performance. Before the age of 12, Beethoven published his first work: 9 variations for piano. In 1801 Beethoven confessed to his friends at Bonn his worry of becoming deaf. In 1802, he wrote a famous text which expressed his disgust at the unfairness of life: that he, a musician, could become deaf. But music made him carry on. THE END His final letter: Free me of only half this affliction and I shall be a complete,mature man. You must think of me as being as happy as it is possible to be on this earth - not unhappy. No! I cannot endure it. I will seize Fate by the throat. It will not wholly conquer me! Oh, how beautiful it is to live - and live a thousand times over! Beethoven did not commit to suicide, rather, knowing that his handicap was getting worse and worse, he threw himself into his greatest works: exceptional sonatas for piano, notably The Storm, opus 31. He had once been despaired about the unfairness of fate, in his letter to his friend Wegler, he wrote: How can I, a musician, say to people "I am deaf!“ I shall, if I can, defy this fate, even though there will be times when I shall be the unhappiest of God's creatures ... Beethoven’s stubborn nature strengthened him. In his letter five months after the despairing one above, it becomes quite clear that Beethoven, as always, stubborn, unyielding and struggling against destiny, saw his deafness as a challenge to be fought and overcome.