Beethoven Biography Essay

Composer and pianist Ludwig Van Beethoven, who is commonly considered the greatest composer of all time, was born on or about December 16, 1770. He was born in the city of Bonn, Germany to the parents of Maria Magdalena van Beethoven and Johann van Beethoven. However, his exact date of birth is uncertain, Beethoven was baptized on December 17, 1770. It was a law that babies be baptized within twenty-four hours of birth, however, Beethoven believed he was born in 1772 even when provided official papers that proved his birth year. Beethoven had two younger siblings, Caspar and Johann.
It has been noted that Beethoven’s father began teaching him music between the births of his younger brothers. His father was considered an average court singer who was more known for his alcoholism than his musical ability. His father was very demanding and even brutal at times while teaching Beethoven, which affected him the rest of his life. Next door neighbors provided accounts of Beethoven weeping while he played the clavier and his father would beat him for any hesitation or mistake. Almost on a daily basis, he was beaten, locked in the cellar and went without many hours of sleep in order to practice more. In his many hours of practice, he studied the violin along with his father.
He was vigorous and blunt with rhythmic configurations. Some of his most famous music, such as the first movements of the Third, Fifth and Ninth symphonies, are mostly non-melodic rhythmic music entailing of notes of a single cord. The melody of the last movements of the Third and Seventh symphonies could be portrayed as rhythms other than melodies. Rhythms were more harmonized to the vigorous and bluntness in his music since it can be taken through a series of various keys and vocal areas while maintaining harmony. By doing this it allowed him to merge different aspects of his themes in a broad variety of