Beethoven was talented, but talent alone was not enough to win the heart of Vienna. He was blessed with dedicated patrons and one of them was Baron van Swieten. Who was Gottfried van Swieten? He was born as Godefridus Bernardus “Godfried” van Swieten (29 October 1733 Leiden – 29 March 1803 Vienna) in Leiden, the Dutch Republic. The family lived …
Who was Franz Clement? Franz Joseph Clement (November 17, 1780 Vienna – November 3, 1842 Vienna) was an Austrian violinist and composer, director and concertmaster of the Theater an der Wien. Young Franz played the violin since the age of four. His main teacher was his father who was a butler for a nobleman and a member of his house …
They say, what Kant was to philosophy, it was Goethe to letters and Beethoven in music. Sometimes expectations are exceeding reality and not every acquaintance is for the eternity. Who was Goethe? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was, mainly, a German poet and novelist. He was also a genius, who worked on several other …
The City Teplitz (or Teplice) is a small city in the Czech Republic. After Karlovy Vary, it is the second biggest spa town in the country. The first authentic mention of the thermal springs is from the 16th century. The city name appeared for the first time in 1154, when a Benedictine convent was founded in the area. During the …
In this article we cover this very interesting topic, one of the most frequently asked questions about the great Composer! To answer the question how Beethoven was able to compose when he was losing his hearing, and after he had lost it completely, we must consider the following points. Beethoven was not born deaf Probably, the first and most important …
Did Beethoven read Shakespeare? Did he like the writer, was he inspired by his plays? Read on to find out! Did Beethoven read and like Shakespeare? Beethoven’s first exposure to Shakespeare had to be in his childhood, still in Bonn, at the local court theater. It is well documented that more plays from Shakespeare were on the repertoire: Hamlet, King …