The composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was born in Bonn (today Germany), but the family is rooted originally in the territories across the border, in modern day Belgium (Flemish territory). His grandfather, who had the same name, came to Bonn from the town of Mechelen, Austrian Duchy of Brabant at the …
The Heiligenstadt Testament is Beethoven’s famous letter he wrote to his brothers in 1802. In the letter the composer puts on paper his frustration with his growing hearing problem, at the same time attributing his gradual withdrawal from people to this illness. In the letter he also plays with the idea of suicide. The Heiligenstadt Testament marks the turning point …
1. How Beethoven related to nature? Like so many other 19th century artists, Beethoven was a fan of nature and drew a lot of inspiration from it. He thought the city, society and human communities were all saturated with contradictions, conflicts, or sins; but nature was pure and harmonious. The Sixth Symphony commemorates this joyful and peaceful feeling. 2. Did …
The question we try to answer in this article is about the role of the soloist player in a keyboard concerto. Should this musician conduct the performance as well or just play the part? Who does what and how the traditions changed during the history of music? The genre of the keyboard concerto was relatively new by the time Beethoven …
Count Razumovsky (Andrey Kirillovich Razumovsky) was a Russian nobleman and ambassador in Vienna who was born in 1752 and died in 1836. He was one of the chief negotiators during the Congress of Vienna (where empires shaped the future of Europe after Napoleon; 1814-1815) representing Russian interests. Apart from his political career he was, more importantly, a music lover and …
After Beethoven moved to Vienna, he had a quick and spectacular success as a performer. The Viennese elite soon liked this extraordinary and in many ways strange young man. But Beethoven wanted more than that! Not only did he want to be a performer, but he wanted to be one of the greatest composers! The Piano Trios, Opus 1. was …