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Excerpt from A New General Biographical Dictionary, Vol. 4 of 12 Beethoven, (Lewis von,) one of the finest musical geniuses that ever existed, but so eccentric in bis habits, that the world was long inclined to cull him a madman. He was bom on the 17th of December, 1770, at Bonn, on the Rhine, his father occupying the situation of tenor at the electoral chapel. It has, however, been said, that his father was Frederic William II. of Prussia, as if none but a royal descent was adequate to his genius. His faculties developed themselves so early, that his father began to instruct him when he was only five years old, but soon found him above his lessons. Hence he gave him over to Van der Enden, one of the best pianists of that time. Subsequently, Neefe, by orders of the elector Maximilian, became Beethoven's master. He initiated the extraordinary child into the works of Sebastian Bach and Handel, which ever excited his reverence and veneration. At the age of eight (so it is said, at least), he excelled as a violin player; and at thirteen, some of his compositions were printed. But it was improvisation and the fantasia libera, in which he shone most brightly, and which he first exhibited before the learned composer, Junker, at Cologne, pouring forth a superabundance of rich and brilliant ideas. It was in this sort of boundless ramble, as it were, tlial his mind found nourishment and scope. In composition, he continually violated the rules of harmony then received. This caused an opposition that often harassed him, and probably iniured his temper. The talent) which he inowed on the organ, induced his patron, the elector, to send him in 1792 to Vienna, to perfect under Haydn his theoretic and practical acquirements. Just in the same way as Corneille had not been able to understand Racine, Uaydn was mistaken in Beethoven, whom he thought "not destined to be a musical composer and when asked his opinion about him, said drily, "he plays well on the piano." Mozart, however, had shown more penetration. When Beethoven had previously made a visit to Vicuna, in 1790, and had executed a fantasia libera before him, he cautiously said at first nothing, thinking that it had been previously practised and played by heart. But as Beethoven, suspecting this, requested Mozart to give niin some theme, and receiving one of a very complicated nature, he followed it extempore, during three-quarters of an hour. Holding his breath, Mozart slipped on tip-toe into the next room, and said to some friends there, "Mark well this young man, you will hear more of him." When Haydn went to England, he left Beethoven under the care of Albrechtsberger, from whom he received important lessons in counterpoint, as he gratefully acknowledged in his posthumous Studien. His reputation as a pianist and composer began now to be established, but it was his fantasie libera which carried away every hearer. At that period he also learnt much of ancient and modem languages, history, and the belles-lettres, his fife being generally spent alone. A musician, however, named Wolff (now forgotten) competed then with him as a player; yet, although rivals, they bore a sincere friendship toward.) each other. The crowd of amateurs became divided; prince Lichnowsky giving the palm to Beethoven, baron Wetzlar to Wolff. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

Book details

Book category Books in English Biography & True Stories Biography: general

• Full title: New General Biographical Dictionary, Vol. 4 of 12 (Classic Reprint)
• Author: Hugh James Rose
• Language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 520
• EAN: 9781330429914
• ISBN: 9781330429914
• ID: 09439089
• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Weight: 689 g
• Dimensions: 229 × 152 × 27 mm
• Date of publishing: 02. June 2015

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