Beethoven musical biography

German composer (–)

"Beethoven" redirects here. For other uses, see Beethoven (disambiguation) and Ludwig van Beethoven (disambiguation).

"Ludwig van" redirects here.

For the experimental film, see Ludwig van (film).

Ludwig van Beethoven^{[n 1]} (baptised 17 December &#;&#; 26 March ) was a German composer and pianist.

Beethoven musical biography summary

He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire and span the transition from the Classical period to the Romantic era in classical music.

His early period, during which he forged his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until From to around , his middle period showed an individual development from the styles of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and is sometimes characterised as heroic.

During this time, Beethoven began to grow increasingly deaf. In his late period, from to , he extended his innovations in musical for