Hi friends!

Quite recently, December 17 was the birthday of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He would have been 248 years old. He was an unusual man with unusual habits. During his creative life, Ludwig van Beethoven created beautiful musical works. His work is classified as both classical and romantic; in fact, it goes beyond such definitions: Beethoven's works are primarily an expression of his brilliant personality.

Beethoven's father, Johann, was a singer (tenor) in the court chapel. His mother, Mary Magdalene (nee — Keverich), was the daughter of a chef who worked at court. He was the eldest son in the family, had six younger brothers. The father wanted to make a small Ludwig II of Mozart, from an early age taught him to play the violin and harpsichord.

Beethoven stood out with his appearance among the ladies and gentlemen of the time. Almost always he was found casually dressed and unkempt. Beethoven was extremely harsh. Once, when he was playing in a public place, one of the guests began to talk to the lady; Beethoven immediately interrupted the performance and added: "I will not play such pigs!". And no amount of apologies and entreaties did not help. However, despite such a severe character, Beethoven's friends considered him a rather kind person.

In 1796 Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He develops tinitis-inflammation of the inner ear, leading to ringing in the ears. On the advice of doctors, he retires for a long time in the small town of Heiligenstadt. However, peace and quiet do not improve his health. Beethoven begins to realize that deafness is incurable. Because of deafness, Beethoven rarely leaves the house and loses sound perception. He becomes sullen, withdrawn. It was during these years that the composer created his most famous works one after another.

Each time, before sitting down at the table and starting to compose music, Beethoven lowered his head into a basin of icy water. This technique is so entered into his habit that the composer could not abandon it until the end of life.

For some time Beethoven studied with the Austrian composer and music theorist Johann Albrechtsberger, the author of an excellent textbook on composition. His stubbornness Beethoven endlessly irritated the teacher, so he once said: "this fool has learned nothing and will never learn anything!"

             Beethoven's Statements:

A true artist is devoid of vanity, he understands too well that art is inexhaustible.

Raise your children in virtue: only she alone can give happiness.

There are no barriers for a person with talent and love to work.

Music should strike fire from the human soul.

There is nothing higher and more beautiful than to give happiness to many people.

Music is a revelation higher than wisdom and philosophy.

Great art should not defile itself by addressing immoral subjects.

You can listen to Beethoven's music endlessly. All his works leave a lasting impression, but here we consider only a small part of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z4KK7RWjmk&feature=youtu.be

Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 (1808). One of the most famous and frequently performed symphonies. Beethoven began to write this Symphony when he was 35 years old(1804). At this time he already had big problems with hearing. His work on this masterpiece progressed slowly, and he often stopped to write other works (Sonata No. 23, Symphony No. 4, and others). "So fate knocks at the door," Beethoven said about the main motive of the first movement of the Symphony. In 1809, Beethoven wrote a Symphony dedicated to the Prince. von Lobkowitz and count Razumovsky. The Symphony was completed in 1808, and the first public performance took place in the same year. The Symphony became one of the symbols of classical music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU&feature=youtu.be

Sonata for piano No. 14, Op. 27 No. 2 "moonlight Sonata" (1801). One of the most famous classical music and probably difficult to find a person who has never heard the "Moonlight Sonata". Beethoven finished this Sonata in 1801, experiencing great mental anguish. He lost his hearing, already at this time he had to come closer to the orchestra to hear high sounds. And the second blow was the break with the young Countess Giulietta, Guicciardi that Beethoven was in love and wanted to marry her. He dedicated this Sonata to her.

Its name owes Sonata music critic Ludwig Rellstab, which compared it with "moonlight on lake Lucerne". However, many music critics believe that in this Sonata there is nothing " lunar "and the name" lunar Sonata " does not reflect the spirit of the work. Beethoven himself called this work "a Sonata in the spirit of fantasy".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGnUxSq2GKk&feature=youtu.be

Bagatelle No. 25 in a minor, WoO 59, "für Elise" ("Für Elise") (approximately 1810). Another world-famous work of Beethoven. It is widely used in teaching, and is a mandatory program in music schools around the world. This bagatelle play was first published in 1867, after the composer's death. In 1865, the manuscript was found by Beethoven's biographer Ludwig Zero. According to him there was a date on April 27 without year. Also on the manuscript were sketches for "Egmont" (op. 84), and so "to Elise" dated 1810 year. The manuscript itself is lost. There are several versions of who is dedicated to this bagatelle. According to one version, because of illegible handwriting Zero not properly read the inscription, and indeed the manuscript was written "To Teresa", dedicated to Beethoven his pupil Therese von Drosdick (Malfatti), who was in love. According to another version, Beethoven dedicated this work to Elizabeth Rekel, Beethoven's close friend, who was called Eliza in Vienna. According to one version, the play is dedicated to the wife of the Russian Emperor Alexander I Elizabeth Alekseevna. In 2009, the researcher of creativity of Beethoven Luka Chiantore suggested that Beethoven could not be the author of "For Elise" in the form in which it was published Ludwig Zero, though no doubt the theme of the work and virtually all of the material belongs to Beethoven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibAdY0JZ520&feature=youtu.be

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (1824). This Symphony is also called "Choral". Beethoven's last completed Symphony. He began to write it in 1822, although the theme of the second part was written in 1815. The first public performance of the Symphony took place in Vienna in 1824. Leo Tolstoy reacted negatively to the Symphony, writing in his essay: "this Work belongs to bad art." A fragment from this Symphony "Ode to joy" is now the anthem of the European Union. In Japan, there is a tradition to perform this Symphony on New year's eve.

There is also one superstition associated with the Symphony: "the Curse of the ninth Symphony" - every composer, starting with Beethoven, who wrote the ninth Symphony, soon dies. And some composers are serious about this, although there are many examples in the world that do not confirm this superstition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdE3bGV0qYI&feature=youtu.be

The Egmont group("Egmont"), Op. 84 (1810) – Overture and incidental music to Goethe's tragedy of the same name. Beethoven received an order for music from the Vienna Court theatre in 1809. And in 1810 the premiere took place. The play by Goethe describes the uprising of the people of the Netherlands led by Egmont against the Spaniards. As a result, the main character dies, but the people of the Netherlands gain independence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiEWwz3ShZ8&feature=youtu.be

Concerto for violin and orchestra, op. 61 (1806). The first time this concert was performed on December 23, 1806 in Vienna. Beethoven dedicated it to his friend, the famous violinist and composer of the time Franz Clement. It is believed that the solo part of this work Beethoven finished just before the concert, which is why Franz Clement read some parts during the performance directly from the sheet. The premiere was not a success, and for a long time this violin Concerto was not performed. At the request of a friend, Beethoven redid this Concerto for piano. Only in 1844, after the performance of the young violinist Joseph Joachim with the orchestra of the Royal Philharmonic society under Felix Mendelssohn, the concert gained popularity. It is Beethoven's only completed violin Concerto, which has had a huge impact on the history of violin music, and, today, one of the most performed concertos for violin and orchestra.

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 Until next time, @r3benok 

  Author's photo of the iPhone 6 S+