In previous articles we revealed at what age Beethoven started playing keyboard and on what piano brands did he play in his adult life. There was one brand and one piano in particular that he cherished, his beloved Broadwood. In this article we learn about the history of this piano. In his life Beethoven played many piano brands. This shallow …
Beethoven had and played many pianos from different brands. In the background of this shallow brand loyalty there are two main reasons. For once, pianos were not that enduring in those times, and second Beethoven was always in search for a better sounding piano suitable for his brave compositions. Despite being an Italian invention by Beethoven’s time there were three …
Ludwig van Beethoven started playing the keyboard very early, at age 5. His first instructor was his own father, but his most influential early teacher was Christian Gottlob Neefe. At that time piano was not yet fully developed and most probably Beethoven started his pianist life on a harpsichord. Beethoven was born into a musician family. His grandfather (also called …
The mother (Maria) and the father (Johann) had seven children, both girls and boys, but only three of them survived infancy. All of them boys. Ludwig (the composer) was the second child and two younger brothers. One is Kaspar Anton Karl (1774-1815) and Nikolaus Johann (1776-1848). Their mother Maria had died in 1787, which pushed the father into even deeper …
In this article we discover what happened to the Beethoven family after the death of Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer. Ludwig van Beethoven never got married and did not have children. This way there is no bloodline continuing from the famous composer. In his family seven children were born, but only three survived childhood: Ludwig himself, Kaspar and Nikolaus. From …
Continuing our series on influencers in Beethoven’s life our next stop is Joseph Haydn. The two composers had turbulent relationship, young Beethoven pushed the gentle old Master to the limits, even making a fraud move behind his back. Who was Joseph Haydn? Franz Joseph Haydn (31 March 1732 – 31 May 1809) was a major Austrian composer in the …