Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven-Part 3
-1812 Year of Traveling (42)
Beethoven began the Eighth Symphony and the Piano Trio WoO 39 for Maximiliane Brentano. In June, he went from Vienna to Prague, to Teplice (for hydrotherapy), to Karlsbad (to visit the Brenatos), and back to Teplice, where he fell ill. Amalie Sebald, a woman he met in Teplice, took care of him. While in Teplice, he wrote a letter addressed to “The Immortal Beloved”, but the recipient is unknown. He was introduced to Goethe by the Brenatos; the two admired each other but had no mutual understanding, because Beethoven thought Goethe was old-fashioned, and Goethe thought Beethoven was “completely untamed”. In September, he decided to travel to Linz to stop his brother Johann’s wedding with Therese Obermayer, who was Johann’s housekeeper with an illegitimate child. However, Johann and Therese get married anyway in November. Beethoven’s friend and patron Prince Kinsky died after being thrown from his horse, and one of the two other benefactors, Prince Lobkowitz fell into financial difficulties.
-1814 Premiere of Symphony №8 (44)
In February, Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony was premiered. His only opera Leonore was re-written as Fidelio, and that was successful with the public. When the Congress of Vienna met to discuss the future of Europe after Napoleon, Beethoven was invited to perform for them; he was very proud of this recognition.
-1815 The Start of troubles with his Nephew (45)
In November, Beethoven’s younger brother Karl died, leaving behind his wife and a 9-year-old son (Karl). Karl left the guardianship of the boy to his wife as well as Beethoven. Beethoven saw young Karl as the next generation of Beethoven to carrying on the musical heritage, and asked the boy to consider him as his father. Beethoven took this role very seriously because of the dubious reputation of the boy’s mother, but it was an extremely difficult task for a deaf, 45-year-old celibate. Regardless of his conditions, he wished to be the sole guardian of Karl, and successfully gained that right through several years of trials. After gaining sole guardianship, he forbade Karl to visit his mother, which the boy frequently disobeyed. Karl was distraught by his father’s death, and did not comply with the future Beethoven had planned out for him. Beethoven asked his student Carl Czerny (future teacher of Franz Liszt) to be Karl’s music teacher, and furiously refused to believe it when Carl told him that Karl had no musical talent. Karl wanted to join the military after studying philosophy at the University of Vienna, the idea caused Beethoven to be furious. Their conflicts continued on throughout the years, and resulted in a couple of suicide attempts by Karl. Beethoven was devastated by his failure in the role of Karl’s father.
-1816 Drafting of the Ninth Symphony to First Performance (46)
Beethoven drafted the first theme of his Ninth Symphony, and completed it in 1823. In 1823, he met Liszt, who was 13. Beethoven had a brief, friendly exchange with the young virtuoso, who later transcribed all of Beethoven’s symphonies for piano. In 1824, the Ninth Symphony was premiered and he devoted his energy to the last string quartets; he also began composing the Tenth (hypothetical work that was never completed).
-1826 Epilogue (56)
Beethoven caught a cold on the way back to Vienna from his brother Johann’s place, with whom he had a big argument. Complications accompanied it due to other health problems he suffered from throughout his lifetime. He signed his last will and testament on March 24th 1827. On the 26th, he passed away among close friends. Three days later, the funeral rite was held with 10,000 to 30,000 onlookers. His casket bearers were musicians including Czerny and Schubert. He was first buried at Währinger Ortsfriedhof, and was moved to Zentrialfriedhof (Vienna’s main cemetery) in 1888.
Resources:
Elliott, Suzanne. "Beethoven's History: 1770 - 1802." Classic FM. N.p., 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Elliott, Suzanne. "Beethoven's History: 1803 - 1812." Classic FM. N.p., 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
"Biography: Beethoven's Life - Ludwig Van Beethoven's Website." Biography: Beethoven's Life - Ludwig Van Beethoven's Website. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Elliott, Suzanne. “Giulietta Guicciardi (1784–1856), Beethoven and Moonlight Sonata.” Classic FM. N.p., 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Elliott, Suzanne. “Karl Van Beethoven (1806–58) Beethoven’s Nephew.” Classic FM. N.p., 07 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
Brownlow, Mark. “Home.” Visiting Vienna — Insider Tips and Info. N.p., 19 Oct. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.
