Name: Ludwig van Beethoven Birthday: December 16, 1770 Constellation: Sagittarius Birthplace: Bonn, a city not far from France on the Rhine River Status: German composer, The pianist "strives to do good, love and freedom above all else, even if he forgets the throne, do not forget the truth." - Beethoven (notes in 1792) Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) the great A German composer and one of the representatives of the Vienna Classical School, he played a decisive role in the development of world music (from the classicism period to the romanticism period) and was revered as the "Music Saint" by the world. Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn, a small town on the Rhine River not far from France. He was born into the Flemish family, a musical family. His grandfather, Luttwik, was the conductor of the Bonn Court Orchestra, and his father was an alcoholic tenor singer. His mother was a maid, the daughter of a cook. Beethoven's musical talent has been revealed since he was a child. His father was eager to train him to become a prodigy like Mozart. He was kept at home with the violin since he was a child, or was forced to practice next to the harpsichord all day long. At the age of eight, he began to perform in concerts and try to compose music. However, the music education he received during this period has been very fragmented and unsystematic. At the age of twelve, he was already able to play freely and served as the assistant of organist Christian Gottlob Neefe (1748-1798). It was at this time that he began to formally study music with Nie Fei. Nie Fei was a musician with many talents. He expanded Beethoven's artistic vision, made Beethoven familiar with some excellent examples of German classical art, and consolidated Beethoven's understanding of lofty purposes. Beethoven's formal learning and systematic upbringing actually began with Nie Fei's careful teaching and training: Nie Fei also guided him to Vienna to teach Mozart in 1787. After hearing his performance, Mozart predicted that one day Beethoven would shock the world. Beethoven received news of his mother's death soon after arriving in Vienna, and he had to rush back to Bonn immediately. Due to family burdens, he did not come to Vienna for the second time until the death of his father in the autumn of 1792, but by this time Mozart was no longer alive. After Beethoven came to Vienna for the second time, he quickly won the title of Vienna's most outstanding performer (especially improvisation). Later, he studied first with Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), and later with Schenck, Johann Albrechtsberger (1736-1809) and Antonio Salieri. , 1750-1825) and others studied. Through his contacts with the intellectual Breining in Bonn, he came into contact with many famous professors, writers and musicians at that time, and from them he was influenced by the ideological trend of the "Turbulence Movement". His democratic ideas had reached maturity in the years before the French Revolution, but they grew particularly rapidly during the revolutionary years. The progressive ideology of the French bourgeois revolution in 1789 inspired him a lot, thus laying the foundation for his humanistic world. He believed deeply in human equality, pursued justice and individual freedom, and hated the oppression of feudal autocracy. Although the three famous composers of the Vienna Classical School lived in a very close era, Beethoven's thoughts obviously did not belong to the same "era" as Haydn and Mozart. Haydn was humiliated throughout his life. Although he was occasionally provoked, he always accepted it. The progressive literary trends and revolutionary sentiments at that time rarely excited him, and his music was always insulated from struggle. Mozart suffered no less spiritually than Haydn. He was brave enough to resist and would rather be poor than endure the insult of the archbishop. However, in his music, behind the joy full of sunshine and youthful vitality, you can often still feel a trace of it. Emotions of pain, melancholy and sadness. Only Beethoven not only angrily opposed the tyranny of the feudal system, but also used his music to call on people to fight for freedom and happiness. Most of Beethoven's creations during his Bonn period (1782-1792) were small piano pieces, ensembles and songs. During this period, it can be said that he was only in the preparatory stage of creation.

Among his creations in the first ten years (1792-1802) in Vienna, the only famous works are "Pathétique", "Moonlight" Piano Sonata, "Kreutzer" Violin Sonata and Third Piano Concerto. But during this period, he gained a better understanding of social and political issues, and was able to realize the goals he wanted to pursue. From 1802 to 1812, his creation entered a mature period, which later became his "heroic age". The maturation process of Beethoven's creative activities appears to be quite slow on the surface, but in fact it is very stable. He only began to write his first symphony when he was thirty years old. At this age, Mozart had already written about forty symphonies. Beethoven's life was very rough and he became deaf in his later years; he had been feeling his hearing weakening since 1796 when he was 26 years old, but it was not until 1801, when he was convinced that his ear disease was incurable, that he told him about it. friend. However, his love for art and life overcame his personal pain and despair - suffering became the source of his creative power. When such a spiritual crisis reached its peak, Beethoven overcame many difficulties with a strong will and began to compose his optimistic third "Eroic" Symphony. The "Eroica" Symphony marked a spiritual turning point for Beethoven and also marked the beginning of his "Heroic Age" of creation. During Beethoven's later period in Vienna, because Europe was experiencing a period of severe political reaction, that is, a period when Metternich's reactionary rule was particularly rampant, his creations also temporarily declined (1813-1817). From 1818 onwards, during the last ten years of Beethoven's life (1818-1827), despite being completely deaf, suffering from deteriorating health, living in poverty, and suffering mental torture, he still created """" with giant-like perseverance. The Ninth "Chorus" Symphony" summarizes his glorious and epic life and shows the best wishes of mankind. Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827; no relatives were by his side when he died, but when he was buried on the 29th of the same month, there was a mass wave. All schools were closed to express condolences, and 20,000 people The crowd escorted his coffin, and his tombstone was engraved with the inscription by the Austrian poet Greer Bacze (1791-1872): "When you stand in front of his coffin, what envelopes you is not dejection." It is mourning, but a noble emotion; only for a person like him can we say: He has accomplished a great cause... Beethoven is one of the great composers in the history of world art, and his creations embody his His giant-like character reflects the progressive thinking of that era, and his image of revolutionary heroism can be summarized as "through suffering - to joy; through struggle - to victory." His works are both magnificent and simple and vivid. , its music is rich in content, and at the same time easy to understand and accept by the audience. Beethoven's music embodies the pain and joy, struggle and victory of the people of his time, so it has always inspired and inspired people. Beethoven's works "Ninth Choral Symphony", "Fifth Symphony of Destiny", "Sixth Pastoral Symphony", "Third, Fourth, No. "Five Emperors Piano Concerto", "Moonlight", "Pathetique Piano Sonata", "Missa Solemnis", etc., these are all beautiful movements that break away from classicism and show freedom and enthusiasm.