Ludwig Van Beethoven's compositional periods and musical legacy

Beethoven

The Music of Ludwig Van Beethoven

Ludwig Van Beethoven was a German composer born on December 17th, 1770. However, there is a debate about whether he was born on the 16th or the 17th, as babies were traditionally baptized within 24 hours of being born and his official baptism took place on the 17th (Biography.com, 2012). He died on March 26th, 1827, after his health had completely deteriorated and his hearing was completely gone. The fact that he was deaf is very well-known; he somehow managed to write his best work without being able to hear a sound. Beethoven started demonstrating interest in music early on in life; while his father was known to be a less than stellar court singer with a strong alcohol problem, his grandfather was one of Bonn's most famous musicians (Biography.com, 2012). History has it that Ludwig would be forced to spend hours at the piano while his father criticized and beat him at every mistake. He made his first debut at 7 years old -- his father had declared that he was six years old, which was a source of confusion for Beethoven later on life (Prevot, 2001). After that, Beethoven went on to study with Gottlob Neefe, with whom he studied organ and composition. He published his first work, 9 variations in C minor, in 1782 (Prevot, 2001).

Beethoven's Work

Unlike other composers who often stayed within on particular genre or style, Beethoven's body of work extends itself over many different musical styles. While he has written beautiful piano pieces, such as concertos and sonatas, he has also made his mark through impressive symphonies, string quartets and an opera. His most widely acclaimed pieces include the Piano Sonata op.13 in C minor (Sonata Pathetique), Piano Sonata op. 27 no.2 in C. sharp mino (the Moonlight Sonata), Missa Solemnis, String Quartet no. 14, Symphony no.5, Symphony no.9 and Fidelio, his only opera (Biography.com, 2012; Dalhaus & Whittall, 1991). Of course, the list goes on, as Beethoven's body of work is immense and includes many masterpieces still heard in concert halls across the world today.

Beethoven's body of work is often divided into three periods: Early, Middle and Late periods. His first period, referred to as Early, was influenced by other composers such as Mozart while the Middle period is characterized by his debilitating loss of hearing (Biography.com, 2012). However, the disease led him to isolate himself and dive into his compositions. The Middle period, or Heroic period, saw the birth of many acclaimed pieces including 'an opera, six symphonies, four solo concerti, five string quartets, six string sonatas, seven piano sonatas, five sets of piano variations, four overtures, four trios, two sextets and seventy-two songs' (Biography.com, 2012). The last period, the Late period, is perhaps the period during which he wrote his most influential music. This is the period that will be focused on for the objective analysis.

Subjective Analysis

I cannot do anything else but agree with the fact that Ludwig Van Beethoven is one of the greatest composers to have ever lived. In my opinion, his piano pieces -- particularly the sonatas -- are some of the most stimulating piano work to listen to. The ensemble of his work can also not be denied, as he wrote many pieces who influenced music history. While many composers are classified as being either 'Classical' or 'Romantic', Beethoven straddled both periods and pushed the boundaries of classical forms, making him one of the leaders of the Romantic Movement. I feel very strongly about the fact that he wrote some of his best work -- and some of the best work in music history -- while not being able to hear a single note, which is only a testimonial to his superhuman genius. I love the conflicting dynamics that can often be found in Beethoven's work and I also admire the dramatic penchant of the piano sonatas. I certainly would have loved to hear more of Beethoven and see how much further he could have pushed the boundaries should he have lived longer.