The composer Ludwig van Beethoven was a very emotional man. He longed for intimacy and love in their highest and most noble form. He fell in love often, even proposed to some, but he never got married.
As a child he grew up in a dysfunctional family. Alcoholic, abusive father, sad and depressed mother. Yet, probably in Beethoven’s life it was only his mother who gave him unconditional and genuine love. Something he never experienced in his adult life from other women.
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This miserable state was not only the question of luck. Mostly it was circumstances. In Vienna, Beethoven became a celebrity from the beginning, he enjoyed the attention of women, but art was accessible only for the rich and noble. Beethoven spent most of his time in such circles and met young ladies from the nobility. Often these women were his pupils in piano. More often than not, Beethoven fell in love with his students of the fair sex, and very frequently it was mutual.
Most of these young women, however, usually saw the genius in him and not the man. Even if they did and had genuine feelings, being a member of the nobility class was a wall too high between them and a commoner, like Beethoven. A woman of the nobility who married a commoner lost her privileges and their children could not inherit any title.
For these women Beethoven was a fascinating genius, but still a commoner and a freelancer composer with uncertain income. Not to mention his shabby social skills…
In summary we can say that for various reasons Beethoven never got married.
