Amanda Meyers’Presentation on:

Ludwig van Beethoven

Biography of :Ludwig van Beethoven

Birth date December 16,

1770 Beethoven was baptized December 17, 1770; in Bonn,

Germany. This is the only record that traces him to his

true birth date. It was common law and customs

that a baby be baptized within 24 hours of being born, so his

assumed birth date is December 16, 1770.

The Three Compositional Periods of Beethoven’s Life

First Period

•Piano Works•Chamber Works•Orchestral Works•Transitional Works

1794-1802

Second Period1803-1815

Most Popular works came from this period.

Piano SonatasSongs1 OperaChamber worksOrchestral worksTransitional works

Third Period

1815Deafness became more serious

Piano worksChoral worksChamber worksOrchestral works

Death dateMarch 26, 1827

Beethoven died in Vienna, Austria; after catching a cold; It complicated other health issues that he suffered from all of his life. The autopsy reports that the major cause of death was cirrhosis of the liver and other signs of typhus showed how he became deaf.

Best known as:

Composition History

“Moonlight Sonata”Composed in summer of 1801

Published in 1802

A “Sonata” is a solo piece for example, for piano. With 3 movements:

Adagio Sostenuto (slow and sustained) Allegretto (a little quick) Presto Agitato (very fast and agitated)

Dedicated to Countess Giulittea Gucciardi, at age 17. She was one of his pupils, he felt passionately for.

The atmosphere of this song was attributed to the way that the composer felt as he sat by the side of a dying friend, that left the world of the living too soon.

“Fur Elise”German for, For Elise. Much speculation as to

who this Elise was and the significance to Beethoven.

Composed in 1810

Published in 1865, well after Beethoven’s death in 1827.

Symphony No.5Composed in 1804-1808

Little is known about this composition, however, Beethoven revised and rewrote this symphony for years.

Beethoven first premiered the symphony in 1808 at the Vienna theater.

Listening Guide

Classical Era

“Moonlight Sonata”

Texture: CounterpointRhythm: Adagio-Triple meter and Duple meter throughoutMelody: Mainly arch contourHarmony: Minor and major Dynamics: Bounce from soft to loud throughoutTimbre: Pitch is A to B throughout and volume is piano to mezzo-piano

“Fur Elise”Texture: ImitationRhythm: Mainly triple meterMelody: Mainly arch counter and conjunctHarmony: Major/Minor Consonance/

dissonanceDynamics: Soft and loudTimbre: Pitches: A,B,A,C,A-Volume: Soft and loud combinations

“Symphony No. 5”Form: Sonata AllegroTexture: CounterpointRhythm: Triple meter- Duple meterMelody: Mainly arch counterHarmony: Minor/MajorDynamics: Starts out loud then soft and ends loudTimbre:

Citation References