Ludwig van Beethoven
Breadwinner for his brothers at 18; kept composing for a quarter century after his hearing began to fail.
- Born
- 1770 · Bonn, Electorate of Cologne (now Germany)
- Roots
- German; Flemish descent
- Family
- Working class
- Court-singer father, an alcoholic and harsh teacher; his mother died when he was 16 and the household fell to him.
- Education
- Court musicians in Bonn; later lessons with Haydn in Vienna
- Started with
- A court petition
- At 18, petitioned for half his father's salary to support his two brothers.
- Affiliations & societies
- FreemasonryRumor — unverified
- Suggested by some biographers from circumstantial evidence; no lodge records exist.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1789 · age 18Family breadwinner
The court grants him half his father's salary to keep his brothers fed.
- 1792 · age 21Vienna
Studies with Haydn; aristocratic patrons take him up as a pianist.
- 1802 · age 31The Heiligenstadt Testament
A never-sent letter confessing his encroaching deafness and despair — and his resolve to continue for his art.
- 1809 · age 38The annuity contract4,000 fl/yr
Three nobles pledge a joint yearly stipend with no duties attached, to keep him in Vienna.
- 1824 · age 53The Ninth premieres
Profoundly deaf, he has to be turned around to see the applause.
- 1827 · age 56Dies in Vienna
An estimated 20,000 people line the funeral route.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.