Ludwig van Beethoven was a famous German composer that helped to guide the progression from the Classical Era into the Romantic Era in musical history. Beethoven’s date of birth is unknown because of the lack of public records, but his date of baptism into the Catholic church is December 17, 1770 in Bonn. Beethoven’s family came from a musical background. Beethoven’s father, Johann van Beethoven, taught music to Ludwig when he was a very young child. Beethoven provided for his family at a young age by performing in the court orchestra on the viola because his father suffered from alcoholism which eventually led to his death. At around the age of nine, Beethoven started to study under his new teacher Christian Gottlob Neefe. When Beethoven was a young child, he learned how to play a wide variety of instruments from many his many teachers. …show more content…
After meeting Hadyn, Beethoven moved to Vienna in order to study with him in 1792. When he first moved to Vienna, Beethoven’s primary focus was to first study under Hadyn instead of composing right away. Rovi Staff explains that, “In 1794, he [Beethoven] began his career in earnest as a pianist and composer, taking advantage whenever he could of the patronage of others” ("Ludwig Van Beethoven | Biography & History"). Over time, Beethoven became deaf while still continuing to compose music. Beethoven was completely deaf by the age of fourty-four. Following his hearing loss, Beethoven went through a series of personal struggles in his family and in relationships. Beethoven continued to compose in various genres of music until his death at the age of fifty-six on March 27, 1827. There are many that have speculated about how Beethoven died, and it has been discovered that he died of alcoholism just like his father did.