Beethoven, Ludwig van
Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770–1827) German composer, a profound influence on the development of Western classical music. He provides a link between the formal classical style of Haydn and Mozart and the Romanticism of Wagner, Brahms and Bruckner. Born in Bonn, Beethoven visited Vienna in 1787, and was taught briefly by Mozart. He made Vienna his home from 1792, and took lessons from Haydn. Beethoven's early works, such as the piano sonatas Pathétique (1789) and Moonlight (1801), betray the influences of his teachers. The year 1801 marks the onset of Beethoven's deafness and a shift in style. His third symphony (Eroica, 1804) was a decisive break from the classical tradition, both in terms of its form and its dedication to Napoleon I. This middle period also includes his fifth piano concerto (Emperor, 1809) and his only opera, Fidelio (1805). Beethoven's final period coincides with his complete loss of hearing (1817) and is marked by works of even greater length and complexity. These include the Hammerklavier Sonata (1818) and his ninth symphony (Ode to Joy, 1817–23). Beethoven increased the dramatic scope of the symphony and expanded the size of the orchestra.
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Beethoven, Ludwig van
