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Ludwig Van Beethoven
Beethoven is probably the greatest of all classical musicians. His passionate and fiery music continues to inspire people across the world. Read on for some interesting and little known information about Beethoven and his music...
Beethoven's Life -- in a Nutshell
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770.He began to play in public when he was 22 years old. In 1796 he went to Berlin to play before the King.
He was almost 30 years old when he wrote his first symphony (the great "C Major").
Later in his life he became afflicted by deafness -- yet he still continued to produce wonderful classical music.
He died in Vienna in 1827.
Moonlight Sonata
by Ludwig Van Beethoven
One of the greatest pieces of music ever written!
Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mvt. 1
Wilhelm Kempff plays Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata mvt. 1
Runtime: 5:43
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Beethoven Music on CD
25 Beethoven Favorites
Amazon Price: $4.98 (as of 07/26/2008)
Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1-5
Amazon Price: $25.97 (as of 07/26/2008)
Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 7
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 / Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Amazon Price: $27.97 (as of 07/26/2008)
Beethoven - 5th Symphony
Conducted by Herbert von Karajan
Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 5 - Part 1
www.Musopen.com Karajan Conducting Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Part 1 (Movements 1 and 2) Very old and rare film, no longer in print, recorded in 1966. http://www.musopen.com
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Beethoven Quotes
I shall seize Fate by the throat; it shall certainly not bend and crush me completely.
-- Ludwig van Beethoven, letter to F G Wegeler, 1801
Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.
-- Ludwig van Beethoven, quoted by Bettina von Arnin, letter to Goethe, 1810
Click here to read more great Beethoven quotes!
-- Ludwig van Beethoven, letter to F G Wegeler, 1801
Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.
-- Ludwig van Beethoven, quoted by Bettina von Arnin, letter to Goethe, 1810
Click here to read more great Beethoven quotes!
Beethoven - 9th Symphony
Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 9 : Part 1
www.Musopen.com Herbert Von Karajan - Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125
Runtime: 32:05
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Program Notes on Famous Beethoven Works
- Symphony No. 3, in E Flat ("Eroica"). Op. 55. (Beethoven)
- Beethoven first projected the Third Symphony in 1802 and finished it in 1804. "Eroica" is likely to mislead the hearer if he supposes the music to be of a martial character, and we therefore add the complete title of the work as it first appeared in print: "Sinfonia Eroica, composta per pesteggiare il sovvenire di un grand' Uomo, dedicata," etc.; ("Composed to celebrate the memory of a great man"), namely, the hero in its widest sense.
CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK - Symphony No. 5, in C Minor. Op. 6 (Beethoven)
- The C minor Symphony is probably the best known and most admired of the nine, perhaps because it is the most human in its qualities. Beethoven himself has left us a clue to its meaning, namely, that it pictures the struggle of the individual with Fate, the alternations of hope and despair, and the final triumph. In speaking of the first four notes of the opening movement, Beethoven said, some time after he had finished the symphony : "So pocht das Schicksal an die Pforte" ("Thus Fate knocks at the door").
CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK - Symphony No. 6, in F ("Pastoral"). Op. 68. (Beethoven)
- This symphony, in fact, is the masterly expression of that happy and contented feeling which the lover of Nature experiences during a ramble in the country. The motives employed are apparently of the simplest kind, but demonstrate the evolution of intense thought. They are short and close in design and to a great extent lean on the tones of the hunting horn.
CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK - Symphony No. 9, in D Minor ("Choral"). Op. 125. (Beethoven)
- The Ninth, or "Choral," Symphony, written in 1823, the last of the immortal group, stands prominently out among all other works of its class by its combination of voices and instruments. Before its compositions, Beethoven had been preparing the way such a reunion. In the Choral Fantasie written in 1808, he advanced upon the idea by employing a chorus in the Finale; but in the Choral Symphony he made a still bolder advance and introduced a chorus with variations on a colossal scale. There is a striking resemblance between the two in the choral parts, and Beethoven himself describes the symphony as being "in the style of the Pianoforte Choral Fantasie, but on a far larger scale." Schiller's "An die Freude," the "Ode to Joy," was selected by Beethoven for the Finale.
CLICK ON ABOVE LINK TO READ FULL NOTES ON THIS WORK
Latest News on Beethoven
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Beethoven on CD - The Top 5
My recommendations of the best recordings of the best Beethoven
- Beethoven - The Complete Symphonies
- Listener comment: "Truly powerful playing! Still the best complete cycle of symphonies you can buy, remastered with love and care."
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Herbert von Karajan - Beethoven - Complete Piano Concertos
- Listener comment: "Kovacevich is (in my humble opinion) the most remarkable Beethoven pianist alive."
Conductor: Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis
Performer: Stephen Bishop Kovacevich, Arthur Grumiaux
Orchestra: BBC Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam - Beethoven - Violin Concerto
- Listener comment: "Beethoven's violin concerto is in my opinion the best recorded ever."
Conductor: Andre Cluytens, David Oistrakh
Performer: David Oistrakh
Orchestra: Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, Philharmonia Orchestra of London - Beethoven - Complete Piano Sonatas
- Listener comment: "Beethoven's piano sonatas were one of humanity's great achievements."
Performer: Wilhelm Kempff - Beethoven - Violin Sonatas ("Spring" and "Kreutzer")
- Listener comment: "When I first heard the Frühlungs-sonata ["Spring" Sonata], I was amazed by its beauty. Especially the 4th movement (Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo) has won my heart. The Kreutzer is just as great, just listen to the variations... Ingrid Haebler and Henryk Szeyng sound wondeful together on this recording. Highly recommended!"
Performers: Ingrid Haebler, Henryk Szeryng
If you REALLY want to get serious...!
Beethoven: Complete Masterpieces (Germany) (60 CD Limited Edition Box Set)
Amazon Price: $160.97 (as of 07/26/2008)
Recommended Ludwig Van Beethoven Resources
- Ludwig Van Beethoven
- Life and works of Beethoven (article by Francis Hueffer, Ph.D., formerly musical critic of The Times; author of The Troubadours: a History of Provençal Life and Literature in the Middle Ages and Richard Wagner and the Music of the Future; editor of Great Musicians).
Ludwig van Beethoven (article)
Ludwig van Beethoven (December 16, 1770 - March 26 1827) was a German composer and virtuoso pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most respected and influential composers of all time.
Born in Bonn, then in the Electorate of Cologne (now in modern day Germany), he moved to Vienna, Austria, in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. Beethoven's hearing gradually deteriorated beginning in his twenties, yet he continued to compose masterpieces, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.
Source: Wapedia
Born in Bonn, then in the Electorate of Cologne (now in modern day Germany), he moved to Vienna, Austria, in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. Beethoven's hearing gradually deteriorated beginning in his twenties, yet he continued to compose masterpieces, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.
Source: Wapedia
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Adelaide
Hi, this is a great lens, i just LOVE Beethoven! I'm doing a music degree so it's a pretty big part of my life. Great to find someone else who loves it too! Posted April 05, 2008 |
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ZoeSPEAK
Hello, discovered you on the side of my lens. We love Beethoven (although Zoe prefers to "sing" to Wagner)! Excellent lens! Posted August 25, 2007 |
