Public Figure

Ludwig van Beethoven, a public figure of Germany. He was baptized on December 17^th 1770 at Bonn. His father was a musician at the Court of Bonn, with a definite weakness for drink while his mother was always described as a gentle woman with a warm heart.

Beethoven was a gifted child in music. He took an interest in music at an early age and his father taught him day and night. On March 16^th 1778, Beethoven gave his first know public performance at Cologne at the age of 7 1/2.

The musical and teaching talents of Beethoven’s father, Johann were limited. Soon Beethoven learned music from other musicians such as Gottlob Neefe and he found that how extraordinary talented that Beethoven was. As well as teaching him music, he made the works of philosophers, ancient and modem, known to Beethoven. In 1782 before the age of 12, Beethoven published his first work: 9 variations, in C Minor, for Piano, on a march of Ernst Christoph Dressler.

At the age of 17, Beethoven took off to Vienna, in 1787, to further his musical education. The first visit to Vienna was short. A letter called Beethoven back to Bonn: his mother was dying. Five years later he finally moved to Vienna to live and work.

Beethoven made numerous acquaintances at Vienna. Those peoples who are in the musical and aristocratic world admired the young composer. He has early in life discovered that his hearing wasn't what it should be, and the disorder gets worse as time goes by. In 1801 he confessed to his friends at Bonn his worry of becoming deaf. But he never commit suicide, rather, knowing that his handicap was getting worse and worse, he threw himself into his greatest works: exceptional sonatas for piano (notably The Storm, opus 31), the second and the third symphonies- The Eroica - and of course many more.

In 1826, Beethoven caught cold coming back from his brother's place, with whom he had rowed again. The illness complicated other health problems from which Beethoven had suffered all his life. He passed away encircled by his closest friends on March 26th 1827, just as a storm broke out. The funeral rites took place at the church of the Holy Trinity.

source : http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

His famous quote :
“What you are, you are by accident of birth; what I am, I am by myself. There are and will be a thousand princes; there is only one Beethoven.”

source : http://thinkexist.com/quotation/