Beethoven was born in Bonn, Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany). His mother was Magdalena Keverich[?] and his father was Johann Beethoven[?]. They named their son after his grandfather. Beethoven's musical talent manifested itself early, and his father attempted, unsuccessfully, to exploit the boy as a prodigy.
Beethoven moved to Vienna when he was 22, where he studied under Franz Joseph Haydn. In Vienna he earned a reputation as a piano virtuoso and improvisor, and began publishing his own compositions soon after. By the early 1800s he had established his reputation as a great and daring composer.
Beethoven began to lose his hearing at least by 1801. He continued composing nonetheless, and his 9th Symphony, amongst many other works, was composed after he had become totally deaf. The cause of his deafness isn't known for certain, but has been attributed to syphilis, lead poisoning[?], a chill he caught in 1796 which lead to a disease believed to be typhus, or possibly even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake.
Beethoven is viewed as a transitional figure between the Classical and Romantic eras of musical history. He continued a trend towards larger orchestras that has persisted through the history of classical music. In his 5th Symphony he introduced a striking motif in the very opening bar, which he echoed in various forms in all four movements of the symphony. He also ran the third movement into the fourth without interruption. Both features were innovations. His 9th Symphony included a chorus in the 4th movement for the first time.
He wrote one opera, Fidelio. It has been said that he wrote beautiful choral music without regard for the limitations of human singers, treating the voice as if it were a symphonic instrument.
In contrast to Mozart, he labored visibly over his work, leaving intermediate drafts that provide considerable insight into his creative process. Early drafts of his 9th Symphony used rough vertical marks on the score in place of actual notes, to indicate the structure he had in mind for the melody.
Beethoven was much taken by the ideals of the Enlightenment. He initially dedicated his third symphony, the Eroica, to Napoleon in the belief that the general would sustain the democratic ideals of the French Revolution, but later crossed out the dedication as Napoleon's imperial ambitions became clear. The fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony is a setting of Schiller's poem Ode to Joy, an optimistic hymn championing the brotherhood of humanity.
Beethoven's greatest works are the 32 piano sonatas, the nine symphonies, the five piano concertos, the violin concerto, the triple concerto and the late string quartets.
The opus numbers of Beethoven's pieces were assigned by his publishers, and follow the order in which his works were published, rather than the order they were written. This is why, for example, the Wind Octet of 1792 can be Opus 103, when Opus 102 and Opus 104 were written in 1815 and 1817 respectively. Everything on this list up to Opus 135 was published in Beethoven's lifetime. The remaining items were published posthumously.
Opus 1 no 1 (1795) Piano Trio No. 1 in E flat major
Opus 136 (1814) Cantata - Der glorreiche Augenblick
Opus 137 (1817) String Quintet (fugue) in D major
Opus 138 (1807) Overture - Leonore 1
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