Beethoven is the greatest creator of all time, an unsurpassed Master. Beethoven's works are difficult to describe using ordinary musical terms - any words here seem insufficiently bright, too banal. Beethoven is a brilliant personality, an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of music.

Among the many names of the world's great composers, the name Ludwig van Beethoven are always highlighted. Beethoven is the greatest creator of all time, an unsurpassed Master. People who consider themselves far from the world of classical music fall silent, enchanted, at the very first sounds of the “Moonlight Sonata”. Beethoven's works are difficult to describe using ordinary musical terms - any words here seem insufficiently bright, too banal. Beethoven is a brilliant personality, an extraordinary phenomenon in the world of music.

No one knows the exact date of birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. It is known that he was born in Bonnet, in December 1770. Contemporaries who personally knew the composer over the years noticed that he inherited his character from his grandfather, Louis Beethoven. Pride, independence, incredible hard work - these qualities were inherent in the grandfather - and they were inherited by the grandson.

Beethoven's grandfather was a musician and served as a bandmaster. Ludwig’s father also worked in the chapel - Johann van Beethoven. My father was a talented musician, but he drank a lot. His wife served as a cook. The family lived poorly, but Johann still noticed his son’s early musical abilities. Little Ludwig was taught little music (there was no money for teachers), but was often forced to practice with shouts and beatings.

By the age of 12, young Beethoven could play the harpsichord, violin, and organ. The year 1782 was a turning point in Ludwig's life. He was appointed director of the Bonn Court Chapel Christian Gottloba Nefe. This man showed interest in the talented teenager, became his mentor, and taught him modern piano style. That year, Beethoven's first musical works were published, and an article about the “young genius” was published in the city newspaper.

Under the guidance of Nefe, the young musician continued to improve his skills and received a general education. At the same time, he worked a lot in the chapel to support his family.

Young Beethoven had a goal - to meet Mozart. To fulfill this goal, he went to Vienna. He achieved a meeting with the great maestro and asked to examine him. Mozart was amazed by the talent of the young musician. New horizons could have opened up for Ludwig, but misfortune happened - his mother became seriously ill in Bonn. Beethoven had to return. The mother died, and the father died soon after.

Ludwig remained in Bonn. He was seriously ill with typhoid and smallpox, and worked hard all the time. He had long been a virtuoso musician, but did not consider himself a composer. He still lacked skill in this profession.

In 1792, a happy change occurred in Ludwig's life. He was introduced to Haydn. The famous composer promised support to Beethoven and recommended that he go to Vienna. Once again Beethoven found himself in the “abode of music.” He had about fifty works to his credit - in some ways they were unusual, even revolutionary for that time. Beethoven was considered a freethinker, but he did not deviate from his principles. He studied with Haydn, Albrechtsberger, Salieri- and teachers did not always understand his works, finding them “dark and strange.”

Beethoven's work attracted the attention of patrons, and his business was going well. He developed his own style and emerged as an extraordinary and innovative composer. He was invited to the highest circles of the Viennese aristocracy, but Beethoven did not want to play and create for the needs of a wealthy public. He maintained his independence, believing that talent was an advantage over wealth and high birth.

When the maestro was 26 years old, a new disaster occurred in his life - he began to lose his hearing. This became a personal tragedy for the composer, terrible for his profession. He began to avoid society.

In 1801, the composer fell in love with a young aristocrat Juliet Guicciardi. Juliet was 16 years old. The meeting with her changed Beethoven - he began to be in the world again, to enjoy life. Unfortunately, the girl’s family considered a musician from the lower circles an unworthy match for their daughter. Juliet rejected the advances and soon married a man in her circle - Count Gallenberg.

Beethoven was destroyed. He didn't want to live. Soon he retired to the small town of Heiligenstadt, and there he even wrote a will. But Ludwig’s talent was not broken, and even at this time he continued to create. During this period he wrote brilliant works: "Moonlight Sonata"(dedication to Giulietta Guicciardi), Third Piano Concerto, "Kreutzer Sonata" and a number of other masterpieces included in the world musical treasury.

There was no time to die. The master continued to create and fight. "Eroica Symphony", Fifth Symphony, "Appassionata", "Fidelio"— Beethoven’s efficiency bordered on obsession.

The composer again moved to Vienna. He was famous, popular, but far from rich. New failed love for one of the sisters Brunswick and financial problems prompted him to leave Austria. In 1809, a group of patrons awarded the composer a pension in exchange for a promise not to leave the country. His pension tied him to Austria and limited his freedom.

Beethoven still created a lot, but his hearing was virtually lost. In society, he used special “conversation notebooks.” Periods of depression alternated with periods of fantastic performance.

The apotheosis of his work was Ninth Symphony, which Beethoven completed in 1824. It was performed on May 7, 1824. The work delighted the public and the performers themselves. Only the composer did not hear either his music or the thunder of applause. A young singer from the choir had to take the maestro by the hand and turn him to face the audience so that he could bow.

After this day, the composer was overcome by illness, but he was able to write four more large and complex quartets. One day he had to go to his brother Johann to persuade him to write a will in favor of the sole right to guardianship of Ludwig’s beloved nephew, Karl. The brother refused the request. Beethoven went home upset; he caught a cold on the way.

On March 26, 1827, the composer died. The Viennese, who had already begun to forget their idol, remembered him after his death. A crowd of thousands followed the coffin.

The brilliant composer and great man Ludwig van Beethoven was always independent and unyielding in his convictions. He proudly walked the path of life and left many immortal creations to humanity.

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Ludwig van Beethoven was born in an era of great changes, the main of which was the French Revolution. That is why the theme of heroic struggle became the main one in the composer’s work. The struggle for republican ideals, the desire for change, a better future - Beethoven lived with these ideas.

Childhood and youth

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn (Austria), where he spent his childhood. Frequently changing teachers were involved in educating the future composer; his father’s friends taught him to play various musical instruments.

Realizing that his son had musical talent, the father, wanting to see a second Mozart in Beethoven, began to force the boy to study long and hard. However, hopes were not justified; Ludwig did not turn out to be a child prodigy, but he received good compositional knowledge. And thanks to this, at the age of 12, his first work was published: “Piano Variations on the Theme of Dressler’s March.”

Beethoven began working in a theater orchestra at the age of 11 without finishing school. Until the end of his days he wrote with errors. However, the composer read a lot and learned French, Italian and Latin without outside help.

The early period of Beethoven's life was not the most productive; in ten years (1782-1792) only about fifty works were written.

Vienna period

Realizing that he still had a lot to learn, Beethoven moved to Vienna. Here he attends composition classes and performs as a pianist. He is patronized by many music connoisseurs, but the composer behaves coldly and proudly towards them, sharply responding to insults.

This period is distinguished by its scale, two symphonies appear, “Christ on the Mount of Olives” - the famous and only oratorio. But at the same time, a disease makes itself known - deafness. Beethoven understands that it is incurable and is progressing rapidly. Out of hopelessness and doom, the composer delves into creativity.

Central period

This period dates from 1802-1012 and is characterized by the flowering of Beethoven's talent. Having overcome the suffering caused by the disease, he saw the similarity of his struggle with the struggle of the revolutionaries in France. Beethoven's works embodied these ideas of perseverance and steadfastness of spirit. They manifested themselves especially clearly in the “Eroica Symphony” (symphony No. 3), the opera “Fidelio”, “Appassionata” (sonata No. 23).

Transition period

This period lasts from 1812 to 1815. At this time, great changes were taking place in Europe; after the end of Napoleon's rule, it was going to be carried out, which contributed to the strengthening of reactionary-monarchist tendencies.

Following political changes, the cultural situation also changes. Literature and music move away from the heroic classicism familiar to Beethoven. Romanticism begins to take over the vacated positions. The composer accepts these changes and creates the symphonic fantasy “Battle of Vattoria” and the cantata “Happy Moment”. Both creations were a great success with the public.

However, not all of Beethoven's works from this period are like this. Paying tribute to the new fashion, the composer begins to experiment, look for new paths and musical techniques. Many of these finds were considered ingenious.

Later creativity

The last years of Beethoven's life were marked by political decline in Austria and the composer's progressive illness - deafness became absolute. Having no family, immersed in silence, Beethoven took in his nephew, but he only brought grief.

Beethoven's works of the late period are strikingly different from everything he wrote earlier. Romanticism takes over, and the ideas of struggle and confrontation between light and dark acquire a philosophical character.

In 1823, Beethoven's greatest creation (as he himself believed) was born - “Solemn Mass,” which was first performed in St. Petersburg.

Beethoven: "Fur Elise"

This work became Beethoven's most famous creation. However, during the composer's lifetime, Bagatelle No. 40 (formal title) was not widely known. The manuscript was discovered only after the composer's death. In 1865, it was found by Ludwig Nohl, a researcher of Beethoven's work. He received it from the hands of a certain woman who claimed that it was a gift. It was not possible to determine the time when the bagatelle was written, since it was dated April 27 without indicating the year. The work was published in 1867, but the original, unfortunately, was lost.

It is not known for certain who Eliza is, to whom the piano miniature is dedicated. There is even a suggestion, put forward by Max Unger (1923), that the original title of the work was “Für Teresa,” and Nohl simply misread Beethoven’s handwriting. If we accept this version as true, then the play is dedicated to the composer’s student, Teresa Malfatti. Beethoven was in love with the girl and even proposed to her, but was refused.

Despite the many beautiful and wonderful works written for the piano, Beethoven for many is inextricably linked with this mysterious and enchanting piece.

An article on the methodology of musical development for children of preschool and primary school age. Acquaintance with the biography of the composer L. Beethoven.

This development is intended for teachers of preschool educational institutions, primary school teachers, and music directors. The material will also be of interest to students of Pedagogical Colleges and higher educational institutions who are interested in the methods of musical development of children.
Target: Give an idea of ​​Beethoven as a great foreign composer.

1.Talk about the composer’s ordeals.
2.Form ideas about the composer’s work.
Teachers who are concerned about the problems of development and upbringing of children should be well aware of the important theoretical principles of modern child psychology, pedagogy, and operate with the basic methods of development and upbringing of children. Methods for the musical development of children also have a place in kindergarten programs. By developing children's musical perception, forming children's ideas about the work of composers, about genres of music, already from kindergarten, preschoolers will begin to form a musical and aesthetic culture. The interaction between teachers and the music director is very important. Conversations about the work of composers are very interesting.

I. Composer L.V. Beethoven.

Ludwig Van Beethoven belongs to those few artists who remain our eternal companions throughout our lives. We return to his music again and again, each time finding in it something new, not noticed before. Even in childhood, we become acquainted with the simple and kind song “Groundhog”, and through it - with a little wandering musician and together with him we enter the time when Beethoven lived and when music was heard on the streets much more often than in concert halls. A brilliant German composer, the background for whose works was the era of the Napoleonic wars. These events initially inspired Beethoven. Then he became disillusioned with them, became deaf, became impoverished and died. But his brilliant music lives on.

1.Life path.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 1770 in Bonn. The exact date of birth has not been established; only the date of baptism is known - December 17. His father Johann was a singer in the court chapel, his mother Mary Magdalene, before her marriage, was the daughter of the court chef in Koblenz, they married in 1767. Grandfather Ludwig served in the same chapel as Johann, first as a singer, then as a bandmaster. He was originally from Mechelen in Flanders, hence the prefix “Van” before his surname. The composer's father wanted to make his son a second Mozart and began teaching him to play the harpsichord and violin. In 1778, the boy's first performance took place in Cologne. However, Beethoven did not become a miracle child; his father entrusted the boy to his colleagues and friends. One taught Ludwig to play the organ, the other taught him to play the violin.
In 1780, organist and composer Christian Gottlieb Nefe arrived in Bonn. He became Beethoven's real teacher. Nefe immediately realized that the boy had talent. He introduced Ludwig to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier and the works of Handel, as well as the music of his older contemporaries: F. E. Bach, Haydn and Mozart. Thanks to Nefa, Beethoven's first work was published - variations on the theme of Dressler's march. Beethoven was twelve years old at that time, and he was already working as an assistant to the court organist. After the death of his grandfather, the family's financial situation worsened. Ludwig had to leave school early, but he learned Latin, studied Italian and French, and read a lot. Among Beethoven's favorite writers are the ancient Greek authors Homer and Plutarch, the English playwright Shakespeare, and the German poets Goethe and Schiller. Due to the poverty of the family, Beethoven was forced to enter the service very early: at the age of 12 he was enrolled in the chapel as an assistant organist; later worked as an accompanist at the National Theater in Bonn. In 1787, he visited Vienna and met his idol, Mozart, who, after listening to the young man’s improvisation, said: “Pay attention to him; he will someday make the world talk about himself.” Beethoven failed to become Mozart's student: a serious illness and the death of his mother forced him to hastily return to Bonn. There Beethoven found moral support in the enlightened Breuning family and became close to the university environment, which shared the most progressive views. The ideas of the French Revolution were enthusiastically received by Beethoven's Bonn friends and had a strong influence on the formation of his democratic beliefs.
In Bonn, Beethoven wrote a number of large and small works: 2 cantatas for soloists, choir and orchestra, 3 piano quartets, several piano sonatas (now called sonatinas). It should be noted that the sonatinas in G and F major, known to all beginning pianists, do not belong to Beethoven, but are only attributed to them, but the other, truly Beethoven Sonatina in F major, discovered and published in 1909, remains, as it were, in the shadows and by no one not played. A large part of Bonn's creativity also consists of variations and songs intended for amateur music-making. Among them are the familiar song “Groundhog”, the touching “Elegy for the Death of a Poodle”, the rebellious poster-like “Free Man”, the dreamy “Sigh of the Unloved and Happy Love”, containing a prototype of the future theme of joy from the Ninth Symphony, “Sacrifice Song”, which Beethoven loved it so much that he returned to it 5 times (last ed. - 1824). Despite the freshness and brightness of his youthful compositions, Beethoven understood that he needed to study seriously. In November 1792, he finally left Bonn and moved to Vienna, the largest musical center in Europe.

2.Beethoven moves to Vienna.

He dreamed of Vienna, the second musical center of Europe after Paris. At the age of seventeen, he came to this city for the first time and briefly, and they say that Mozart, having heard the young musician play, predicted a brilliant future for him. From then on, Vienna became the subject of Beethoven's constant dreams. The desire to live there became even stronger after meeting Haydn, who was passing through Bonn. Vienna was not only a city where music was constantly heard in theaters, at concerts, and just on the streets, it was a city where great Russian musicians lived and worked - Mozart and Haydn. At the age of twenty-two, Beethoven moved to Vienna.
Here he studied counterpoint and composition with I. Haydn, I. Schenk, I. Albrechtsberger and A. Salieri. Although the student was obstinate, he studied zealously and subsequently spoke with gratitude of all his teachers. At the same time, Beethoven began performing as a pianist and soon gained fame as an unsurpassed improviser and a brilliant virtuoso. On his first and last long tour (1796), he captivated the audiences of Prague, Berlin, Dresden, and Bratislava. The young virtuoso was patronized by many distinguished music lovers - K. Likhnovsky, F. Lobkowitz, F. Kinsky, Russian Ambassador A. Razumovsky and others; Beethoven's sonatas, trios, quartets, and later even symphonies were first heard in their salons. Their names can be found in the dedications of many of the composer's works. Of the many aristocratic women who were Beethoven's students, Ertman, the sisters T. and J. Bruns, and M. Erdedi became his constant friends and promoters of his music. Although he did not like to teach, Beethoven was nevertheless the teacher of K. Czerny and F. Ries in piano (both of them later won European fame) and the Archduke Rudolf of Austria in composition.

3.Beethoven Sonatas.

In the first Viennese decade, Beethoven wrote mainly piano and chamber music. A clear awareness of each creative task and the desire to solve it in his own way were characteristic of Beethoven from the very beginning. He writes piano sonatas in his own way, and none of the thirty-two repeats the other. His imagination could not always fit into the strict form of a sonata cycle with a certain ratio of the required three parts. For example, he began the 14th sonata with a slow movement, and it was so unusual that the composer gave the sonata a subtitle: “Quasi una fantasia” (“Almost a fantasy” or “As if a fantasy”). The lyrical, dreamy character of the first movement prompted the publishers of the sonata (after Beethoven’s death) to give it the name “Moonlight”. And sometimes Beethoven himself gave similar names: he called the three movements of sonata No. 26 “Farewell”, “Separation” and “Return”. Beethoven expanded the scope of the piano sonata very widely and expanded the range of images. Sometimes sonatas seem like piano transcriptions of symphonies - such is, first of all, the famous “Appassionata,” courageous, heroic music. The coloring of the later sonatas is harsh and gloomy, but sometimes, like flowers in a rocky gorge, such tender and touching melodies as “Arietta” from the last sonata bloom in them.

4.The world of Beethoven's symphonies.

Since the beginning of the 19th century. Beethoven also began as a symphonist: in 1800. he completed his First Symphony, and in 1802 his Second. Work on the Third Symphony (1802-1804) coincided with Beethoven's fascination with the personality of Napoleon, in whom he, like many of his contemporaries, saw the “general of the revolution.” Initially, the symphony was dedicated to Napoleon, but when the composer learned that the former republican had crowned himself emperor, instead of a dedication he wrote only one word on the title page: “Heroic.” This is how it has remained for centuries: a musical monument not to any one person, but to an idea that triumphs despite obstacles, suffering and death. At the same time, his only oratorio, “Christ on the Mount of Olives,” was written. The first signs of an incurable disease, progressive deafness, that appeared in 1797 and the realization of the hopelessness of all attempts to treat the disease led Beethoven to a mental crisis in 1802. The composer was also inspired by the philosophical and ethical ideas of the Enlightenment, which he adopted in his youth. The natural world appears full of dynamic harmony in the Sixth (“Pastoral”) Symphony, in the Violin Concerto, in the piano (No. 21) and violin (No. 10) sonatas.

5. Ninth Symphony. Beethoven becomes deaf.

Beethoven's moral and artistic ideals were most clearly reflected in his Ninth Symphony. It was a synthesis of all the deepest and most significant things that were created in music by Beethoven himself and his predecessors. Images of everyday storms and bitter losses, peaceful pictures of nature and the lives of people close to nature - all this is perceived as a prologue to the one-of-a-kind finale, which for the first time in the history of the symphony genre united the sound of an orchestra and choir. This is a majestic hymn of joy, a call to the brotherhood of all mankind. Looking forward to the future, the composer puts into the mouth of the choir great and prophetic words addressed to the coming joy:
Your power binds sacredly.
Everything that lives apart in the world

Everyone sees a brother in everyone
Where your flight blows.
F. Schiller
But this magnificent hymn of joy was written in very difficult years for the composer! Fate was not stingy with difficult trials for him. After short years of fame, worldly prosperity, the joys of friendly communication, loneliness, disappointment in loved ones and, worst of all, deafness, which tore him away from communication with people and music, awaited him. Except for the one that sounded in his mind...
The composer's deafness became complete; from 1818 he was forced to use “conversational notebooks” in which his interlocutors wrote questions addressed to him. Having lost hope for personal happiness (the name of the “immortal beloved” to whom Beethoven’s farewell letter dated July 6-7, 1812 was addressed remains unknown; some researchers consider her to be J. Brunswick-Dame, others - A. Brentano), Beethoven accepted took care of the troubles of raising his nephew Karl, the son of his younger brother who died in 1815. This led to a long-term (1815-20) legal battle with the boy's mother over sole custody rights. The capable but frivolous nephew delivered. Beethoven has a lot of grief. The contrast between sad and sometimes tragic life circumstances and the ideal beauty of the works created is a manifestation of the spiritual feat that made Beethoven one of the heroes of European culture of the New Age.
The Ninth Symphony was performed in 1824. The audience gave the composer a standing ovation. It is known that Beethoven stood with his back to the audience and did not hear anything, then one of the singers took his hand and turned him to face the audience. People waved scarves, hats, and hands, greeting the composer. The ovation lasted so long that the police officials present demanded that it stop. Such greetings were allowed only in relation to the person of the emperor.

6.Great artist and great man Beethoven.

In 1823, Beethoven completed the “Solemn Mass,” which he considered his greatest work. This mass, designed more for concert than for religious performance, became one of the landmark phenomena in the German oratorio tradition (G. Schütz, J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, W. A. ​​Mozart, I. Haydn). The first mass (1807) was not inferior to the masses of Haydn and Mozart, but did not become a new word in the history of the genre, like the “Solemn Mass,” which embodied all the skill of Beethoven as a symphonist and playwright. One of the few and unexpected joys of the last years of my life was the news from distant Russia about the performance in St. Petersburg of Beethoven’s “Solemn Mass,” written in the same years as the Ninth Symphony, and also imbued with the idea of ​​universal peace and unity. This was the first and only complete, without cuts, performance of this remarkable work during Beethoven's lifetime. One cannot help but be surprised that, lonely, sick, and almost pushed out of the musical world by more successful contemporaries, Beethoven, even in the most difficult years of his life, created works full of courage and spiritual purity.
Shortly before his death, Beethoven goes to one of his brothers Johann. Ludwig undertook this burdensome journey in order to persuade Johann to draw up a will in favor of his nephew Karl. Having failed to achieve the desired result, an enraged Beethoven returns home. This trip became fatal for him. On the way back, Ludwig caught a bad cold, he never managed to get back on his feet, too much energy was spent, after several months of serious illness, Ludwig van Beethoven died on March 27, 1827. Vienna was rather indifferent to his illness, but when the news of his death spread across the capital, a shocked crowd of thousands escorted the great composer to the cemetery. All educational institutions were closed that day.

Beethoven's work is one of the peaks in the history of world art. His entire life and work speak of the titanic personality of the composer, who combined brilliant musical talent with an ebullient, rebellious temperament, endowed with an unbending will and the ability for enormous internal concentration. High ideology, based on the consciousness of social duty, was a distinctive feature of Beethoven, a musician-citizen. A contemporary of the Great French Revolution, Beethoven reflected in his work the great popular movements of this era, its most progressive ideas. The revolutionary era determined the content and innovative direction of Beethoven's music. Revolutionary heroism was reflected in one of the main artistic images of Beethoven - a struggling, suffering and ultimately victorious heroic personality.

In this issue we will talk about the last years of the life of the great Beethoven.

In the previous issue, we talked about the composer’s life, overshadowed by his meager financial situation and consistent failures in relationships with the fair sex. But these details, as well as the character, which was far from the most beautiful character of the composer, did not prevent Ludwig from writing his beautiful music.

Today, finishing our short excursion into the biography of Beethoven, we will talk about the last twelve (1815-1827) years of his life.

Beethoven's family problems

It cannot be said that Beethoven ever got along well with his brothers, especially with Beethoven, who by that time was already a wealthy pharmacist who supplied medicines to the army.

In 1812, after meeting Goethe, the composer went to the city of Linz to visit Johann. True, apparently, Ludwig was prompted for this trip by a selfish idea, namely, to upset the engagement between Johann and one of his employees, Therese Obermayer, whom the composer simply could not stand. True, the result was not in Ludwig’s favor, because his younger brother did not listen to him.

A few years earlier, back in 1806, Ludwig prevented the marriage of his other brother, and also his secretary, Kaspar, and the attempt was equally unsuccessful. But all these attempts by the composer to interfere in the personal lives of his brothers were not without reason.

After all, the surname BEETHOVEN by that time was thundering throughout Europe, and the composer could not afford for his younger brothers to disgrace this family. After all, both Teresa and Johanna, potential daughters-in-law of the great composer, to put it mildly, were not worthy of bearing this surname. But it was still useless, because the brothers did not listen to him.

On the other hand, Kaspar himself will understand that he has made a stupid mistake - in 1811 he will be so disappointed in his wife that he even tries to divorce her, although he still will not reach a final divorce. His wife, Johanna, turned out to be far from the most decent woman, as his older brother, Ludwig, predicted several years ago, in every possible way preventing their marriage.

Well, in 1815, Kaspar left this world. The late Kaspar Karl, in his dying will, asked Ludwig, his older brother, to become the guardian of his son, a nine-year-old boy also named Karl.

This boy, as he grew up, caused his uncle, the great Beethoven, a huge amount of trouble.Moreover, immediately after the death of his brother, Ludwig had to “fight” with the child’s mother, Kaspar’s widow Johanna, whom he could not stand. For five years, Beethoven tried with all his might to deprive Johanna of parental rights, and in 1820 he finally achieved his goal.

Financial problems still haunted the composer, who struggled to earn money to feed his beloved nephew and continue to engage in creativity.

There was even a case when the British pianist Charles Neate, together with Ferdinand Rees, advised Beethoven to hold a concert in England. Beethoven's music was greatly appreciated in this country. The composer had an excellent reputation in England, which means that his performance at a recital would guarantee him an excellent income.

Beethoven understood this perfectly well, and, in general, he had long dreamed of going on tour to London, as one of his teachers, Joseph Haydn, did in his time. Moreover, the British Philharmonic sent Ludwig an official letter with conditions that were simply amazing for a composer who was swimming in everyday problems, partly related to poor financial condition.

But at the last minute, Beethoven changed his mind, or rather, was forced to refuse to go to England due to illness. Moreover, the composer felt that he could not leave his nephew for such a long time, so he refused such a generous gift from fate.

We will not dwell on Beethoven’s nephew, because it will be dedicated to him. For now, let’s just note that the guy caused the composer a lot of everyday problems and emotional experiences, which affected Beethoven’s already “undermined” health for the worse.

But still, the composer madly loved his nephew and helped him in every possible way, despite all the bad sides of his character. After all, the composer understood that he would no longer have other heirs. Even in letters, the composer addressed his nephew as “Dear Son.”

The last "Academy" of a deaf composer

Beethoven continues to write his beautiful music, radically different from the works written in his youth. The composer is finishing his last piano sonatas, while at the same time composing simple piano pieces and chamber music commissioned by publishers in order to provide himself and his nephew with income for subsistence.

One of the most important events of this period of Beethoven’s life is his last “Academy” held on May 7, 1824 in the famous Kärtnertor Theater.

There his famous “Solemn Mass” was performed, and also the famous “Ninth Symphony” was presented to the public for the first time - a unique work that breaks all ideas about the traditional classical symphony.

Viennese old-timers testified that at this event there was an ovation previously unheard of at any concert of any other musician. Even now there is no need to invent anything about the success of the Ninth Symphony, because a fragment of this particular work was used in the anthem of the European Union.

Well, that evening, when the completely deaf composer first presented this masterpiece to the Viennese public, the delight of the listeners was indescribable. Hats and scarves flew through the air. The applause was so loud that it simply hurt the ears. But only the completely deaf composer, unfortunately, did not see anything of this (for he stood with his back to the audience) and did not hear until Caroline Unger, one of the vocalists, turned Ludwig towards the applauding audience.

The ovation touched Beethoven so emotionally that the composer, who saw flying scarves and tears in the eyes of the applauding listeners, literally fainted.

At that moment, the hall simply exploded with applause, which subsided with renewed vigor. The emotions were so powerful that after some time the police were forced to intervene. It was a huge success. Well, in less than 2 weeks the performance will be repeated in the Redoubt Hall of the same Vienna.

True, the artistic success of the work still did not bring serious material benefits to Beethoven. The financial side again let the composer down - both concerts turned out to be absolutely unprofitable and even unprofitable for Beethoven himself.

Of course, soon one reputable publishing house paid the composer both for the “Ninth Symphony” and for the “Solemn Mass” and several other works, but still the artistic success of the works was significantly higher than the material profit.

Beethoven was such a unique composer: all the dukes, barons, lords, kings and emperors of Europe knew his name. But until the end of his days he remained poor.

Progressive disease. Last months of life.

In 1826, Beethoven's health deteriorated further after twenty-year-old Karl, his favorite nephew, attempted suicide, possibly due to large gambling debts (however this is not confirmed).

After this reckless act of his nephew, Beethoven's health deteriorated so much that he would never recover, unlike Karl, who survived this moment and soon enlisted in the army.

Pneumonia, inflammation of the intestines, cirrhosis of the liver and subsequent dropsy, due to which the composer’s stomach was pierced several times - even in our age, the chances of recovery from such a set of diseases seem to be something supernatural.

In the last days of the sick Beethoven’s life, a variety of people visited: Cramolini and his bride, Hummel, Jenger, Schubert (although it is believed that he was unable to enter the composer’s room. And, in general, the fact of Schubert’s visit to Beethoven has not been proven) and other people who appreciated the composer’s work.

But most of the time with Beethoven was spent by the friends who looked after him - Schindler and another old friend - the same Stefan Breuning from Bonn, but now living nearby with his family.

Speaking about the Breuning family, it is worth noting that Stefan’s son, Gerhard, nicknamed “Ariel,” brought Beethoven especially much joy in these days darkened by illness. Beethoven simply adored this boy, who understood nothing and was constantly “shining,” and this love was mutual.

Even the stingy brother Johann began to spend a lot of time with the dying composer. And this, despite the fact that literally a few months before his death, Ludwig and his nephew (after his suicide attempt) came to Johann with some requests, and the latter treated his brother like a stranger - he took money from him and his nephew for an overnight stay , and also sent them home in an open carriage (after which Ludwig is believed to have contracted pneumonia).

The composer's material poverty in the last weeks of his stay was diluted by a good amount received from the London Philharmonic Society, and collected thanks to Moscheles, one of Beethoven's students.

Another joy for Ludwig was another truly valuable and for that time extremely rare gift sent from the English capital by Johann Stumpf (a harp maker) - it was the complete works of Handel, whom Beethoven considered almost the greatest composer.

Modest, but at the same time very pleasant gifts for the composer in the form of jars of compote, were sent by Baron Pascalati, in whose house Beethoven lived for some time. The publisher Schot also distinguished himself by sending the dying Beethoven famous Rhine wines. Only Beethoven himself noted with regret that this gift was a little late, although in his heart he was glad about this parcel.

And, of course, two weeks before his death, Ludwig was finally awarded the title of honorary member of the Vienna Society of Music Lovers of the Austrian Empire. Only this title remained only symbolic, since it was not supported by any material benefit.

It is also worth noting that until his death, Ludwig, despite his incurable illness, thought more than adequately. Even suspecting that he could die at any moment, Beethoven still continued to read the most complex philosophical and other literature in different languages, thereby continuing to enrich himself intellectually.

Already on March 24, 1827, the composer signed a will, according to the contents of which, all his property would be inherited by his nephew, Karl. On the same day, Beethoven is visited by a priest.

The death of the great Beethoven occurred after three days of hellish torment - March 26, 1827. This happened in Vienna, in the very house where Beethoven lived the last months of his life. This house had an interesting name “Schwarzpanierhaus”, which translates as “House of the Black Spaniard”.

At the time of his death, the composer's friends, Breuning and Schindler, were not around. At that moment, foreseeing Ludwig’s imminent death, they went to negotiate a burial place (possibly with Ludwig’s brother, Johann), leaving a common friend, Anselm Hutenbrenner, next to the composer.

It was the latter, perhaps together with Therese (the wife of Johann, Ludwig's brother), who witnessed the death of the great Beethoven. It is he who will later tell how the great Ludwig van Beethoven met his death, looking menacingly into her eyes and shaking his fist (literally) to the sound of thunder. It was Hutenbrenner who closed the eyes of the great composer, whose soul from that moment left this world.

Ludwig van Beethoven was buried on March 29. The scale of the ceremony is amazing: about 20 thousand people took part in the procession - this is almost a tenth of the entire population of Vienna at that time.And this is surprising, given the fact that compared to the funeral of Beethoven, the scale of the funeral of the older classics, Mozart and Haydn, was much less significant.

One of the torchbearers of the funeral ceremony was another great composer, Franz Schubert, who, by the way, will die literally next year.

A variety of people, from ordinary Viennese citizens to representatives of the imperial palace, came to send the great Beethoven on his last journey.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, probably on December 16, 1770 (baptized on December 17). In addition to German blood, Flemish blood also flowed in his veins: the composer’s paternal grandfather, also Ludwig, was born in 1712 in Malines (Flanders), served as a choirmaster in Ghent and Louvain and in 1733 moved to Bonn, where he became a court musician in the chapel of the Elector-Archbishop of Cologne . He was an intelligent man, a good singer, a professionally trained instrumentalist, he rose to the position of court conductor and enjoyed the respect of those around him. His only son Johann (the other children died in infancy) sang in the same chapel from childhood, but his position was precarious, since he drank heavily and led a disorderly life. Johann married Maria Magdalena Lime, the daughter of a cook. To them were born seven children, of whom three sons survive; Ludwig, the future composer, was the eldest of them.

Beethoven grew up in poverty. The father drank away his meager salary; he taught his son to play the violin and piano in the hope that he would become a child prodigy, a new Mozart, and provide for his family. Over time, the father's salary was increased in anticipation of the future of his gifted and hardworking son. Despite all this, the boy was not confident in his use of the violin, and on the piano (as well as on the violin) he liked to improvise more than to improve his playing technique.

Beethoven's general education was as unsystematic as his musical education. In the latter, however, practice played a big role: he played the viola in the court orchestra and performed as a performer on keyboard instruments, including the organ, which he managed to quickly master. K. G. Nefe, Bonn court organist from 1782, became Beethoven's first real teacher (among other things, he went through with him the entire Well-Tempered Clavier of J. S. Bach). Beethoven's responsibilities as a court musician expanded significantly when Archduke Maximilian Franz became Elector of Cologne and began to show concern for the musical life of Bonn, where his residence was located. In 1787, Beethoven managed to visit Vienna for the first time - at that time the musical capital of Europe. According to stories, Mozart, having listened to the young man’s play, highly appreciated his improvisations and predicted a great future for him. But soon Beethoven had to return home - his mother was dying. He remained the sole breadwinner of a family consisting of a dissolute father and two younger brothers.

The young man's talent, his greed for musical impressions, his ardent and receptive nature attracted the attention of some enlightened Bonn families, and his brilliant piano improvisations provided him with free entry into any musical gatherings. The Breuning family did especially a lot for him, taking custody of the clumsy but original young musician. Dr. F. G. Wegeler became his lifelong friend, and Count F. E. G. Waldstein, his enthusiastic admirer, managed to convince the Archduke to send Beethoven to study in Vienna.

Vein. 1792–1802. In Vienna, where Beethoven came for the second time in 1792 and where he remained until the end of his days, he quickly found titled friends and patrons of the arts.

People who met the young Beethoven described the twenty-year-old composer as a stocky young man with a penchant for panache, sometimes brash, but good-natured and sweet in his relationships with his friends. Realizing the inadequacy of his education, he went to Joseph Haydn, a recognized Viennese authority in the field of instrumental music (Mozart had died a year earlier) and for some time brought him counterpoint exercises for testing. Haydn, however, soon lost interest in the obstinate student, and Beethoven, secretly from him, began to take lessons from I. Schenck and then from the more thorough I. G. Albrechtsberger. In addition, wanting to improve his vocal writing, he visited the famous opera composer Antonio Salieri for several years. Soon he joined a circle that united titled amateurs and professional musicians. Prince Karl Lichnowsky introduced the young provincial into the circle of his friends.

The question of how much the environment and the spirit of the time influence creativity is ambiguous. Beethoven read the works of F. G. Klopstock, one of the predecessors of the Sturm und Drang movement. He knew Goethe and deeply revered the thinker and poet. The political and social life of Europe at that time was alarming: when Beethoven arrived in Vienna in 1792, the city was agitated by news of the revolution in France. Beethoven enthusiastically accepted revolutionary slogans and praised freedom in his music. The volcanic, explosive nature of his work is undoubtedly the embodiment of the spirit of the time, but only in the sense that the character of the creator was to some extent shaped by this time. The bold violation of generally accepted norms, the powerful self-affirmation, the thunderous atmosphere of Beethoven's music - all this would have been unthinkable in Mozart's era.

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However, Beethoven's early works largely follow the canons of the 18th century: this applies to trios (strings and piano), violin, piano and cello sonatas. The piano was then Beethoven’s closest instrument; in his piano works he expressed his most intimate feelings with utmost sincerity, and the slow movements of some sonatas (for example, Largo e mesto from sonata op. 10, no. 3) were already imbued with romantic longing. Pathetic Sonata op. 13 is also an obvious anticipation of Beethoven's later experiments. In other cases, his innovation has the character of a sudden invasion, and the first listeners perceived it as obvious arbitrariness. Six string quartets op. published in 1801. 18 can be considered the greatest achievement of this period; Beethoven was clearly in no hurry to publish, realizing what high examples of quartet writing were left by Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven's first orchestral experience was associated with two concertos for piano and orchestra (No. 1, C major and No. 2, B-flat major), created in 1801: he, apparently, was not sure about them either, being well acquainted with the greats Mozart's achievements in this genre. Among the best-known (and least provocative) early works is the septet op. 20 (1802). The next opus, the First Symphony (published at the end of 1801) is Beethoven's first purely orchestral work.

Approaching deafness.

We can only guess to what extent Beethoven's deafness influenced his work. The disease developed gradually. Already in 1798, he complained of tinnitus; it was difficult for him to distinguish high tones and understand a conversation conducted in a whisper. Horrified at the prospect of becoming an object of pity - a deaf composer, he told his close friend Karl Amenda about his illness, as well as doctors, who advised him to protect his hearing as much as possible. He continued to move in the circle of his Viennese friends, took part in musical evenings, and composed a lot. He managed to hide his deafness so well that until 1812 even people who often met him did not suspect how serious his illness was. The fact that during a conversation he often answered inappropriately was attributed to a bad mood or absent-mindedness.

In the summer of 1802, Beethoven retired to the quiet suburb of Vienna - Heiligenstadt. A stunning document appeared there - the “Heiligenstadt Testament”, the painful confession of a musician tormented by illness. The will is addressed to Beethoven's brothers (with instructions to read and execute after his death); in it he talks about his mental suffering: it is painful when “a person standing next to me hears a flute playing from afar, inaudible to me; or when someone hears a shepherd singing, but I cannot distinguish a sound.” But then, in a letter to Dr. Wegeler, he exclaims: “I will take fate by the throat!”, and the music that he continues to write confirms this decision: in the same summer the bright Second Symphony, op. 36, magnificent piano sonatas op. 31 and three violin sonatas, op. thirty.

Second period. "New way".

According to the “three-period” classification proposed in 1852 by one of the first researchers of Beethoven’s work, W. von Lenz, the second period approximately covers 1802–1815.

The final break with the past was more a realization, a continuation of the trends of the earlier period, than a conscious “declaration of independence”: Beethoven was not a theoretical reformer, like Gluck before him and Wagner after him. The first decisive breakthrough towards what Beethoven himself called the “new path” occurred in the Third Symphony (Eroica), work on which dates back to 1803–1804. Its duration is three times longer than any other symphony written previously. The first movement is music of extraordinary power, the second is a stunning outpouring of sorrow, the third is a witty, whimsical scherzo, and the finale - variations on a jubilant, festive theme - is far superior in its power to the traditional rondo finales composed by Beethoven's predecessors. It is often argued (and not without reason) that Beethoven initially dedicated the Eroica to Napoleon, but upon learning that he had proclaimed himself emperor, he canceled the dedication. “Now he will trample on the rights of man and satisfy only his own ambition,” these are, according to stories, Beethoven’s words when he tore up the title page of the score with the dedication. In the end, the Heroic was dedicated to one of the patrons - Prince Lobkowitz.

Works of the second period.

During these years, brilliant creations came out of his pen one after another. The composer's main works, listed in the order of their appearance, form an incredible stream of brilliant music; this imaginary sound world replaces for its creator the world of real sounds that is leaving him. It was a victorious self-affirmation, a reflection of the hard work of thought, evidence of the rich inner life of a musician.

We can name only the most important works of the second period: violin sonata in A major, op. 47 (Kreutzerova, 1802–1803); Third Symphony, op. 55 (Heroic, 1802–1805); oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives, op. 85 (1803); piano sonatas: Waldstein, op. 53; F major, op. 54, Appassionata, op. 57 (1803–1815); Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 (1805–1806); Beethoven's only opera is Fidelio, op. 72 (1805, second edition 1806); three “Russian” quartets, op. 59 (dedicated to Count Razumovsky; 1805–1806); Fourth Symphony in B flat major, op. 60 (1806); violin concerto, op. 61 (1806); Overture to Collin's tragedy Coriolanus, op. 62 (1807); Mass in C major, op. 86 (1807); Fifth Symphony in C minor, op. 67 (1804–1808); Sixth Symphony, op. 68 (Pastoral, 1807–1808); cello sonata in A major, op. 69 (1807); two piano trios, op. 70 (1808); Piano Concerto No. 5, op. 73 (Emperor, 1809); quartet, op. 74 (Harp, 1809); piano sonata, op. 81a (Farewell, 1809–1910); three songs on poems by Goethe, op. 83 (1810); music for Goethe's tragedy Egmont, op. 84 (1809); Quartet in F minor, op. 95 (1810); Eighth Symphony in F major, op. 93 (1811–1812); piano trio in B-flat major, op. 97 (Archduke, 1818).

The second period includes Beethoven's highest achievements in the genres of violin and piano concertos, violin and cello sonatas, and operas; The genre of piano sonata is represented by such masterpieces as the Appassionata and Waldstein. But even musicians were not always able to perceive the novelty of these compositions. They say that one of his colleagues once asked Beethoven whether he really considered one of the quartets dedicated to the Russian envoy in Vienna, Count Razumovsky, to be music. “Yes,” the composer answered, “but not for you, but for the future.”

The source of inspiration for a number of compositions were the romantic feelings that Beethoven felt for some of his high-society students. This probably refers to the two sonatas “quasi una Fantasia”, Op. 27 (published in 1802). The second of them (later named “Lunar”) is dedicated to Countess Juliet Guicciardi. Beethoven even thought about proposing to her, but realized in time that a deaf musician was not a suitable match for a flirtatious social beauty. Other ladies he knew rejected him; one of them called him a “freak” and “half crazy.” The situation was different with the Brunswick family, in which Beethoven gave music lessons to his two older sisters - Teresa (“Tesi”) and Josephine (“Pepi”). It has long been discarded that the addressee of the message to the “Immortal Beloved” found in Beethoven’s papers after his death was Teresa, but modern researchers do not rule out that this addressee was Josephine. In any case, the idyllic Fourth Symphony owes its conception to Beethoven's stay at the Brunswick Hungarian estate in the summer of 1806.

The Fourth, Fifth and Sixth (Pastoral) symphonies were composed in 1804–1808. The fifth, probably the most famous symphony in the world, opens with a brief motif about which Beethoven said: “Thus fate knocks at the door.” The Seventh and Eighth Symphonies were completed in 1812.

In 1804, Beethoven willingly accepted the commission to compose an opera, since in Vienna success on the opera stage meant fame and money. The plot in brief was as follows: a brave, enterprising woman, dressed in men's clothing, saves her beloved husband, imprisoned by a cruel tyrant, and exposes the latter before the people. To avoid confusion with a pre-existing opera based on this plot - Leonore Gaveau, Beethoven's work was called Fidelio, after the name taken by the heroine in disguise. Of course, Beethoven had no experience composing for the theater. The climactic moments of the melodrama are marked by excellent music, but in other sections the lack of dramatic flair prevents the composer from rising above the operatic routine (although he strived very hard to do so: there are fragments in Fidelio that were reworked up to eighteen times). Nevertheless, the opera gradually won over listeners (during the composer’s lifetime there were three productions of it in different editions - in 1805, 1806 and 1814). It can be argued that the composer did not put so much effort into any other composition.

Beethoven, as already mentioned, deeply revered the works of Goethe, composed several songs based on his texts, music for his tragedy Egmont, but met Goethe only in the summer of 1812, when they ended up together at a resort in Teplitz. The refined manners of the great poet and the harsh behavior of the composer did not contribute to their rapprochement. “His talent amazed me extremely, but, unfortunately, he has an indomitable temper, and the world seems to him a hateful creation,” says Goethe in one of his letters.

Friendship with Archduke Rudolf.

Beethoven's friendship with Rudolf, the Austrian Archduke and half-brother of the Emperor, is one of the most interesting historical stories. Around 1804, the Archduke, then 16 years old, began taking piano lessons from the composer. Despite the huge difference in social status, teacher and student felt sincere affection for each other. Appearing for lessons at the Archduke's palace, Beethoven had to pass by countless lackeys, call his student “Your Highness” and fight his amateurish attitude towards music. And he did all this with amazing patience, although he never hesitated to cancel lessons if he was busy composing. Commissioned by the Archduke, such works as the piano sonata Farewell, the Triple Concerto, the last and most grandiose Fifth Piano Concerto, and the Solemn Mass (Missa solemnis) were created. It was originally intended for the ceremony of the Archduke's elevation to the rank of Archbishop of Olmut, but was not completed on time. The Archduke, Prince Kinsky and Prince Lobkowitz established a kind of scholarship for the composer who had brought glory to Vienna, but received no support from the city authorities, and the Archduke turned out to be the most reliable of the three patrons. During the Congress of Vienna in 1814, Beethoven derived considerable material benefit from communicating with the aristocracy and kindly listened to compliments - he managed to at least partially hide the contempt for the court “brilliance” that he always felt.

Last years. The composer's financial situation improved noticeably. Publishers hunted for his scores and ordered works such as large piano variations on a theme of Diabelli's waltz (1823). His caring friends, especially A. Schindler, who was deeply devoted to Beethoven, observing the musician’s chaotic and deprived lifestyle and hearing his complaints that he had been “robbed” (Beethoven became unreasonably suspicious and was ready to blame almost everyone around him for the worst ), could not understand where he was putting the money. They didn’t know that the composer was putting them off, but he wasn’t doing it for himself. When his brother Kaspar died in 1815, the composer became one of the guardians of his ten-year-old nephew Karl. Beethoven's love for the boy and his desire to ensure his future came into conflict with the distrust that the composer felt towards Karl's mother; as a result, he only constantly quarreled with both, and this situation colored the last period of his life with a tragic light. During the years when Beethoven sought full guardianship, he composed little.

Beethoven's deafness became almost complete. By 1819, he had to completely switch to communicating with his interlocutors using a slate board or paper and pencil (the so-called Beethoven conversation notebooks have been preserved). Completely immersed in such works as the majestic Solemn Mass in D major (1818) or the Ninth Symphony, he behaved strangely, causing alarm to strangers: he “sang, howled, stamped his feet, and generally seemed to be engaged in a mortal struggle with invisible enemy" (Schindler). The brilliant last quartets, the last five piano sonatas - grandiose in scale, unusual in form and style - seemed to many contemporaries to be the works of a madman. And yet, Viennese listeners recognized the nobility and greatness of Beethoven's music; they felt that they were dealing with a genius. In 1824, during the performance of the Ninth Symphony with its choral finale to the text of Schiller's Ode to Joy (An die Freude), Beethoven stood next to the conductor. The hall was captivated by the powerful climax at the end of the symphony, the audience went wild, but Beethoven did not turn around. One of the singers had to take him by the sleeve and turn him to face the audience so that the composer bowed.

The fate of other later works was more complicated. Many years passed after Beethoven's death, and only then did the most receptive musicians begin to perform his last quartets (including the Grand Fugue, Op. 33) and the last piano sonatas, revealing to people these highest, most beautiful achievements of Beethoven. Sometimes Beethoven's late style is characterized as contemplative, abstract, in some cases neglecting the laws of euphony; in fact, this music is an endless source of powerful and intelligent spiritual energy.

Beethoven died in Vienna on March 26, 1827 from pneumonia, complicated by jaundice and dropsy.

Beethoven's contribution to world culture.

Beethoven continued the general line of development of the symphony, sonata, and quartet genres outlined by his predecessors. However, his interpretation of known forms and genres was distinguished by great freedom; we can say that Beethoven expanded their boundaries in time and space. He did not expand the composition of the symphony orchestra that had developed by his time, but his scores require, firstly, a larger number of performers in each part, and secondly, the performing skill of each orchestra member, incredible in his era; in addition, Beethoven was very sensitive to the individual expressiveness of each instrumental timbre. The piano in his works is not a close relative of the elegant harpsichord: the entire expanded range of the instrument, all its dynamic capabilities, are used.

In the areas of melody, harmony, and rhythm, Beethoven often resorts to the technique of sudden change and contrast. One form of contrast is the contrast between decisive themes with a clear rhythm and more lyrical, smoothly flowing sections. Sharp dissonances and unexpected modulations into distant keys are also an important feature of Beethoven's harmony. He expanded the range of tempos used in music and often resorted to dramatic, impulsive changes in dynamics. Sometimes the contrast appears as a manifestation of Beethoven's characteristically somewhat crude humor - this happens in his frantic scherzos, which in his symphonies and quartets often replace a more sedate minuet.

Unlike his predecessor Mozart, Beethoven had difficulty composing. Beethoven's notebooks show how gradually, step by step, a grandiose composition emerges from uncertain sketches, marked by a convincing logic of construction and rare beauty. Just one example: in the original sketch of the famous “fate motif” that opens the Fifth Symphony, it was assigned to the flute, which means that the theme had a completely different figurative meaning. Powerful artistic intelligence allows the composer to turn a disadvantage into an advantage: Beethoven contrasts Mozart’s spontaneity and instinctive sense of perfection with unsurpassed musical and dramatic logic. It is she who is the main source of Beethoven's greatness, his incomparable ability to organize contrasting elements into a monolithic whole. Beethoven erases traditional caesuras between sections of form, avoids symmetry, merges parts of the cycle, and develops extended constructions from thematic and rhythmic motifs, which at first glance do not contain anything interesting. In other words, Beethoven creates musical space with the power of his mind, his own will. He anticipated and created those artistic movements that became decisive for the musical art of the 19th century. And today his works are among the greatest, most revered creations of the human genius. Smertnik Cool guy. His musical and dramatic (that's right!) works, especially the first and second parts of the Ninth Symphony, have no equal in the entire world of art in terms of depth, beauty and purity of content.

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2 13.11.2007 01:00:01

they wrote the rules will do

Beethove is with us!
Reward 14.05.2010 08:01:08

Nature has placed a barrier between her and humanity: morality. A person who is always aware of his social level challenges fate with his creativity and higher powers are looking closely at his rebellion. However, they are also preparing talent for such a protest. They form him to the extent required to accomplish the main work of his life, in the case of Beethoven - his music, for imagining humanity without his symphonies is the same as deleting Columbus, trampling on the fire given by Prometheus, or returning humanity from space. Yes, if Beethoven had not existed before space, we would have had to throw up our hands at the launches: something is missing, something is slowing down, somewhere we “messed up”... But everything is in order, friends! Beethoven is with us. With humanity forever this rebel, this loner, who sacrificed a successful cozy bedroom, a comfortable family nest, and contrary to respectable burgher morality, it is he who lends his shoulder to any breakthrough of humanity into the future, he, this breakthrough, is unthinkable without Beethoven.

Beethoven lives in me
Aziz 12.12.2016 12:47:39

Good article, thanks. I was looking for whether Beethoven had children and found this article. Just today I wrote the thought that if people were not so obsessed with sex and reproduction, they could approach the greatness of the geniuses of mankind, of which Beethoven is a shining example.
When I lose heart and life is ready to crush me, when they try to intimidate me with death, I always remember the sounds of his 9th Symphony, heard in my youth, and I understand that the one who went through and survived the 9th Symphony with Beethoven to the end is invincible and undaunted. 9 Symphony is my personal nuclear weapon, a nuclear button that turns me into Beethoven's Superman... His Spirit comes to life and lives in me in the beat of moments and my weak body and mind are not a burden for him at all. The feeling is as if an engine from a BelAZ, or even a jet aircraft, was installed on a passenger car)) This is a unique experience. But I still can’t listen to Beethoven’s music for a long time. It quite hardens your heart and you start to climb the wall, quarrel with everyone... In this regard, Tchaikovsky has a more harmonious influence on the Spirit and Mind. In Tchaikovsky's music there is not only a fierce struggle, but also a lot that touches the heart, melts it and makes it cry for no apparent reason. Because Tchaikovsky awakened your soul and showed you himself... And Beethoven's symphonies are well suited for some titanic efforts and achievements. Or to pull yourself out of a complete swamp, like Baron Munchausen by the scruff of the neck... Tchaikovsky gives Reason, thanks to which you can go not ahead, but wisely, which relieves you of titanic overstrain.
However, not everyone thinks so. Some people told me that Tchaikovsky’s music, compared to Beethoven’s, is full of water...) I don’t think so. You won't miss a single note. In general, these 2 composers are my teachers in life. Whoever listened to and lived Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, considers himself to have lived a whole life and his soul has become wiser for this life...