Ludwig Van Beethoven Research Papers

The legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven does not lose its attractive power even in 21st century, causing unflagging interest of researchers, performers, teachers, and listeners. Ludwig van Beethoven is considered the key figure of classical music in the period between classicism and romanticism. Even now he is one of the most performed composers in the world. He is considered unsurpassed master of sonatas, although he wrote in all the genres that existed in his time, including opera, ballet, music for dramatic plays, choral compositions.

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770 in Bonn. Beethoven received his primary musical education under the guidance of his father, the chorister of court orchestra of the elector of Cologne in Bonn.

As early as in the Bonn period, the composer clearly preferred the instruments of Stein, and later in Vienna - the instruments of Streicher. Both types of pianoforte were connected by one tradition. In 1792, I.A. Stein died, leaving a factory for his daughter - later Nanette Streicher. In 1794, the Stein factory moved to Vienna, which was at that time the largest musical center. The pianofortes of Stein-Streicher were the most characteristic instruments of the “Viennese” type; the instruments of other Viennese masters were just an imitation (Wu 2007). The advantage of Streicher's pianoforte was that its keys gave the possibility of a superficial, light, sensitive carcass and a melodious, clear, though fragile timbre. Beethoven welcomed the desire of the pianoforte master to give his instruments a melodious sound. Nevertheless, Beethoven recognized the best instrument with the “Viennese” type of mechanics unfit for himself, considering it “too” good because “such an instrument deprives me of the freedom to develop my own tone” (Wu 2007,

In October 1802, being in the village of Heiligenstadt near Vienna, Beethoven sent his two brothers a document of extremely pessimistic content, known as the “Heiligenstadt testament.” Soon, however, he managed to overcome the spiritual crisis and returned to creative work (Jones 1998). A further period was the most productive in the work of Beethoven. Namely during this period he wrote the most significant works, in particular almost all the symphonies, beginning with the third one, “Eroica”; he wrote the overtures Egmont, Coriolanus, the opera Fidelio, many sonatas, including the “Appassionata