Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven was a celebrated German-born composer and pianist who played an important role in the transition of Western classical music from the Classical to the Romantic period. Along with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Beethoven is considered to be one of the greatest composers in history.

Beethoven was born in Bonn and his talents were recognized from an early age. While in his late teens, he traveled to Vienna in the hopes of studying under Mozart, but it is unclear if he ever even succeeded in meeting him. In his twenties, he lived in Vienna and began to suffer from a gradual but severe form of hearing loss which, by the time he had reached his forties, made him almost completely deaf.

Beethoven's series of nine symphonies comprise his most epic and highly praised arrangements, although even his simpler, shorter pieces, such as Moonlight Sonata and Für Elise have become instantly recognizable classics. His Third Symphony, titled "Eroica", Beethoven originally intended to be titled "Bonaparte" as a tribute to the French leader. The Fifth Symphony has perhaps the most recognizable beginning of any tune in music history and the Ninth Symphony, also called "Ode to Joy", is considered by many to be the finest piece of music ever written.

• Google News Search: Beethoven
• Topix.net: Beethoven News
• The New York Times: Settling Old Scores by Beethoven (January 20, 2008)
  • "'The notation of music has changed since 1800, and we have to stop and think about what Beethoven means when he writes a slur, a grace note, a staccato,' he said. 'A lot of this is already in the academic books, but it hasn’t necessarily followed through to performance, partly because most pianists are not period specialists, and they’ve developed their own ways of playing core repertory like this over many years, but also because you don’t find the information in the printed music itself.'"
• Argonne: Researchers Confirm Lead As Cause Of Beethoven's Illness (2005)
• CNET News: Beethoven's Rarest Works Re-Created Online (2005)
• NewScientist.com: Humanoid Robot Conducts Beethoven Symphony (2004)