Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
The court kept an official list of the musicians, a list on which most were heavily criticized. But the fourteen-year-old Ludwig had the following comments written by his name: "A son of Beethoven, receives no wage, but took over the organ during the organist's absence; is very capable, still young, of good, decent behavior and is poor." When the Prince read that, he appointed the boy to second organist with a salary of 100 Thalers a year, half of what his father was receiving after many years in the position.
When he was 18, the Prince of Bonn sent Ludwig to Vienna, the center of music in Europe at that time. He wanted to show him off among the high society and the famous musicians who were drawn to the city. Ludwig played for Mozart, who was impressed with his talent and offered high hopes of studying with him, but Ludwig's mother became seriously ill and he returned home to be with her. His nursing notwithstanding, his mother died and soon after his baby sister also died. Johann began to drink even more and lost his musician's job in the court. Ludwig often had to bring his father home from the tavern before the police did worse to him. When Johann began getting into trouble with the police, Ludwig asked the Prince of Bonn to appoint him head of the family, which he did.
Ludwig began playing the organ at the Elector's court and viola in the Elector's new theater to support his father and his two brothers, Casper and Nikolaus. He did this until 1792, when, at age 22, he left his father enough money to care for the two boys, and went to Vienna to study with Joseph Haydn, Mozart having died.
Seven weeks later Johann died. A few weeks after that his brothers joined him in Vienna, where he was succeeding as an organist, pianist, composer, and orchestra director.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
Ludwig, Emil, Beethoven, Life of a Conqueror. New York: G. Putnam's Sons, 1943.
Marek, George R., Beethoven, Biography of a Genius. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1969.
Tames, Richard, Ludwig Van Beethoven. New York: Franklin Watts, 1991.
Venezia, Mike, Ludwig Van Beethoven. Danbury, CT: Children's Press, 1996. (A children's book)
WEB SITES
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