LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, German composer (1770-1827). Ludwig van Beethoven for free midi downloads.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
16^thDecember 1770 --- 27^thMarch 1827

Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827), Ger. composer, of Flem. descent. His grandfather, Louis, left the Low Countries at
the age of 21 and was appointed one of the court musicians to the Elector of Bonn in 1733, becoming director of music
in 1761. He died in 1773. Louis' only surviving child, Johann, born 1740, was a singer in the Elector's employment.
He also taught music, but squandered his income on drink. Of his 7 children Ludwig was the eldest of 3 who survived
infancy. Though Beethoven was originally taught by his father his first serious instruction in music came in 1781
from Christian Gottlob Neefe, court organist at Bonn, to whom he was appointed assistant in 1784. From this period
dates his first pub, composition, 9 Variations on a March by Dressier.

In April 1787, at the age of 16, he spent over a fortnight in Vienna, where he met Mozart. In 1788 he was given the
additional post of viola-player in the opera orchestra at Bonn. In 1792, probably on the recommendation of Haydn, who
had heard some of his music at Bonn, he was sent to Vienna at the Elector's expense. There he had some unproductive
lessons with Haydn and studied composition.

Further with sev. other teachers, including Johann Georg Albrechtsberger. His first mature compositions, including the
first 3 piano sonatas, Op. 2, date from these early years in Vienna. Up to the year 1808 he depended for his income on
teaching, playing, the publisher of his music and public concerts. The first of such concerts was given in 1800, when
his septet and first symphony were performed. In 1809 however 3 patrons-Archduke Rudolph, Prince Kinsky & Prince
Lobkowitz, combined to guarantee him a modest annual income for the rest of his life, though circumstances contrived
to reduce considerably the promised sum. Around 1800 signs of deafness appeared which became progressively worse
until eventually visitors could converse with him only by writing in a notebook. Sev.of these notebooks have survived
and although inevitably they do lack Beethovens own share of the conversations they throw a considerable light on his
personality and his views about other people. Another burden which had dogged him for years was the fact that he had
became guardian of his nephew when his brother Karl died in 1815. His morbid affection for the boy and, as time went
on, the adolescent's reaction against it, caused him profound and constant anxiety. His nephew's attempted suicide in
1826 seriously affected his health.

December of that year Beethoven was taken ill with pneumonia and dropsy and died on 26 March 1827. Though solidly
built, he was only 5 ft 5 inchs tall, with a ruddy complexion. In his emperament he was irascible to the point of
rudeness but retained the friendship even of those he had often insulted. He paid the closest possible attention to
his financial affairs, but in the organization of his daily life he was hopelessly untidy. Though he spent most of his
life in Vienna, he had a passion for the countryside and made frequent visits to it.

He was not the first composer to make his own living, but he was the first to Stevenard it as an article of faith that he
should be able to compose without having to submit to Stevenular employment. He has often been hailed as an apostle
of liberalism, but in fact his rebellion against his environment was more an affirmation of his belief in himself as an
artist than a sign of sympathy for his fellow human beings.

He had many friends among the women of aristocratic society but had never married, either because he was so bound by
devotion to the memory of his mother or because instinctively he shrank from being tied to any other person. One of
his outstanding achievements were in instrumental music in the 9 symphonies, the 16 string quartets and other chamber
music, the 32 piano sonatas and the 7 concertos(5 for piano). He wrote one opera "Fidelio" which was first performed
in 1805 and twice revised, in 1806 and 1814. Apart from the finale of the ninth symphony his most ambitious choral
work was the "Mass in D", intended for the enthronement of Archduke Rudolph as Archbishop of Olmutz in 1820 but
not completed until 1823. It was characteristic of his method of composition that he achieved originality and artistic
unity by ruthlessly reworking fragmentary ideas which were generally imperfect and often banal. Many of the notebooks
in which these sketches appear have been preserved and publish.
Last Updated on June 2025
By Steven Ritchie

And now for the Music

(3905)"Prometheus". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(3847)"Fidelio Selection". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(3488)"Hearts Longing". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2355)"Rondo Opus.51, No.2". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2323)"Andante in F Major". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.
(2266)"Rondo Opus.51, No.1". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.
(2264)"Sechs Variationen". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.
(2232)"Sieben Bagatellen, in A flat Major, Opus.33, No.7". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2212)"Sieben Bagatellen, in D Major, Opus.33, No.6". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2211)"Sieben Bagatellen, in C Major, Opus.33, No.5". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2163)"Sieben Bagatellen, in A Major, Opus.33, No.4". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2162)"Sieben Bagatellen, in F Major, Opus.33, No.3". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2137)"Sieben Bagatellen, C Major, Opus.33, No.2". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

(2042)"Sieben Bagatellen, in E flat Major, Opus.33, No.1". Sequenced by R.Steven Ritchie.

New (4709)"Piano Sonata No.1 in F Minor, 1st Mov". Sequenced by Grace EunHae Kim.

New (4708)"Piano Sonata No.2 in A Major, 1st Mov". Sequenced by Darya Kochetkova.

New (4707)"Piano Sonata No.3 in C Major, 1st Mov". Sequenced by V.Korch Kogan.

New (4706)"Piano Sonata No.4 in E Flat Major, Grand Sonata". Sequenced by Richard Carlson.

New (4705)"Piano Sonata No.5 in C Minor, 1st Mov". Sequenced by Tracy Wong.

New (4704)"Piano Sonata No.6 in F Major, 3rd Mov". Sequenced by Richard Carlson.

(136)"Piano Sonata No.18". Sequencer unknown
(130)"Piano Sonata No.27, 1st mov". Sequencer unknown

(131)"Piano Sonata No.27, 3rd mov". Sequencer unknown

(3848)"Piano Sonata No.28 in B flat, Hammerklavier Opus.106, 1st Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(3849)"Piano Sonata No.28 in B flat, Hammerklavier Opus.106, 2nd Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(3850)"Piano Sonata No.28 in B flat, Hammerklavier Opus.106, 3rd Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(3851)"Piano Sonata No.28 in B flat, Hammerklavier Opus.106, 4a Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(3852)"Piano Sonata No.28 in B flat, Hammerklavier Opus.106, 4a Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

Thanks to Bunji Hisamori for the music below.
(4563)"Piano Variation's of a March No.3". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4401)"Sechs Variation's No.14". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4400)"God save the King Variation's No.16". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4399)"Rule Britannia Variation's No.17". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4398)"32 Variation's No.18". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4562)"Piano Variation's No.19". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4561)"Diabelli Piano Variation's No.20". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4560)"Piano Variation's No.21". Sequenced by Bunji Hisamori.

(4494)"Pathetique, Sonata No.8, Opus.13 (1799), 1st Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(4493)"Pathetique, Sonata No.8, Opus.13 (1799), 2nd Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(4492)"Pathetique, Sonata No.8, Opus.13 (1799), 3rd Mov". Sequencer Unknown.

(4491)"Moonlight Sonata, No.14 in C sharp-minor, Opus.27,(1801), 1st Mov.". Sequencer Unknown.

(4490)"Moonlight Sonata, No.14 in C sharp-minor, Opus.27,(1801), 2nd Mov.". Sequencer Unknown.

(4489)"Moonlight Sonata, No.14 in C sharp-minor, Opus.27,(1801), 3rd Mov.". Sequencer Unknown.

Thanks to Paul Falstad for the music below.
(3168)"Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Mov.1". Sequenced by Paul Falstad.

(3167)"Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Mov.2". Sequenced by Paul Falstad.

(3166)"Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Mov.3". Sequenced by Paul Falstad.

(3165)"Violin Sonata No. 7 in C Minor, Mov.4". Sequenced by Paul Falstad.

Thanks to Ray Putra for the music below. Email (ray_ap88@bluebottle.com)
"Sonata Opus.24 for violin and piano in F, Spring Sonata". Sequenced by Ray Putra.

Thanks to Eugene Dolan for the music below. Email (edolan@gofree.indigo.ie)
(2626)"Rondo in B flat". Sequenced by Eugene Dolan.

Thanks to Emily Gray for the music below, Email (HappyMusician@opendiary.com)
(2467)"Minuet from Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola". Sequenced by Emily Gray.

(2240)"Equali No.2". Sequenced by Emily Gray.

Thanks to Alan Wood for the music below. Email (Ar_Wood@btinternet.com)
(941)"Rasumovsky Quartet, Opus.131 2nd Mov in C sharp Minor". Sequenced by Alan Wood.

Thanks to George Pollen for the music below.
(661)"Pastorale Symphony". Sequenced by George Pollen.

(138)"Piano Sonatina No.2 Opus.49". Sequenced by Edward W Cox lll

Thanks to John Marchington for the music below.
(508)"Complete, Tempest Sonata". Sequenced by John Marchington

(139)"Sonata, Quasi Una Fantasia". Sequenced Wesley Venable

(140)"Sonata, Moonlight Sonata". Sequenced by Wesley Venable

(135)"Piano Sonatina in G Opus.79". Sequenced by Wesley Venable

(134)"Piano Sonata No.23". Sequenced by Jeff Segor
(1741)"Sonata Opus.81a, Les Adieux, E flat No.1(info by Edward Gold)". Sequenced by Tony Chavez

(1742)"Sonata Opus.81a, Les Adieux, E flat No.2 & 3 (info by Edward Gold)". Sequenced by Tony Chavez

(1743)"Sonata, Opus.111, C minor No.1, (info by Edward Gold)". Sequenced by Tony Chavez

(1744)"Sonata, Opus.111, C minor No.2, (info by Edward Gold)". Sequenced by Tony Chavez

(184)"Sonata in B flat Major, Opus.106". Sequenced by Jaenfield

(83)"Complete Sonata in A flat major, Opus.110". Sequenced by Jaenfield
(13)"Symphony No.5, Mov 4". Sequenced by Jaenfield

(1472)"Piano Concerto No.5, Mov.3". Sequenced by G.Breed & M. Wright

(212)"Sonata Presto". Sequenced by Sloweater

Sequencer Unknown for the music below.
(2027)"Wind Octet". Sequencer unknown

(309)"Octet in E flat, Mov.1,(Info by Gary K Allen)". Sequencer unknown
(1471)Symphony No.5, Mov.1 Sequencer unknown

(128)"Symphony No.5, 3 Mov". Sequencer unknown

(662)"Symphony No.9". Sequencer unknown
(3)"Piano Romance, No.50". Sequencer unknown

(121)"Romance piano". Sequencer unknown

(122)"Sonata No.1 in D". Sequencer unknown
(30)"Sonata Opus.78 1st mov". Sequencer unknown

(1468)"Sonata Opus.78, 1st mov". Sequencer unknown

(123)"Opus.33, No.4". Sequencer unknown

(132)"Opus.51, 1st mov". Sequencer unknown

(129)"Rage over a lost pennny,(Info by Ed)". Sequencer unknown

(1469)32 Variations on a theme. Sequencer Unknown

(1470)"March No.3". Sequencer Unknown

(137)"Piano and Cello Sonata No.2 Opus.5". Sequencer unknown

(515)"Fur Elise". Sequencer unknown

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