Ludwig van Beethoven began taking piano lessons at age four. When Ludwig turned eight, his father decided to make money from his son's talent. He presented Ludwig as a concert pianist and advertised that the eight year old Ludwig was only six years old. Although Ludwig never a child musical prodigy like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, by 14 he was quite a good musician and become he assisstant organist at a local church. At 17, he met Mozart, who predicted a great career in music Beethoven. By age 19, he was playing violin in local orchestras and giving music lessons to help support his family.

In his early 20s he moved to Vienna, Austria, and began composing and performing as a concert pianist. Here, he took composition lessons from George Frideric Handel. Beethoven knew that to earn a living as a composer, he needed wealthy patrons who would support him financially. He began making friends with wealthy supporters of music. By 1795 (age 25) he abandoned teaching and began composing and performing full-time. He traveled throughout Europe, displyaing his talents as a composer and pianist to larger audiences. His ealriest compositions were orchestral and chamber music, primarily sonatas, concertos, and various piano works. He wrote his first symphony in 1800 and shortly after began composing oratorios.

The period 1800-1815 was prolific fo Beethoven. By 1815 (age 45) he had completd 8 symphonies, 27 piano sonatas, numerous sonatas for various string instruments, 10 piano trios, 11 string quartets, dozens of orchesral works, and numerous vocal solos and choral works. Composing was difficult for Beethoven. He anguished over every piece. He had begun losing his hearing in his 20s. By his mid-40s he gave up his performing career, devoting as much time as possible to compoisng. The last 12 years of his life were spent composing while he slowly but steadily lost all of his hearing.

Beethoven spent his life seeking financial support from wealthy patrons of the arts. He fell in love several times but never married; his poor origins prevented him from marrying the upper-class women he desired. In practical matters such as renting an apartment, organizing performances of his music, or publishing his music, he was disaster. Beethoven was short, stocky, and muscular. He dressed carelessly. He was often restless and moody, and worked at composing every morning with intense concentration. He would fly into a rage at small matters which upset him, yet he was always loyal to his friends and supporters. Those friends and supporters helped to give Beethoven the freedom to compose some of the greatest European music of the nineteenth century.

To listen to Beethoven's Symphony No.5 go to the Visual and Audio page.