Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), German composer. The son of a musician, Beethoven published his earliest known composition when he was ten and a year later he was appointed deputy organist in the Court Opera House in Cologne. He was influenced by Mozart and Haydn, under whom he studied in Vienna (1787; 1792-94). The development of his style, which is usually divided into three periods, can be seen in his nine symphonies (1800-23); these become increasingly complex and expressive, with the ninth (the Choral Symphony) being regarded as the greatest. Among his other works are five piano concertos, the opera Fidelio, and 17 string quartets. Beethoven was supported by a number of rich patrons, despite his unattractive manners and appearance and his stormy temper. By 1802 he had begun to lose his hearing, and some of his greatest works were written when he was totally deaf.
