Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, (baptized December 17, 1770, Bonn, archbishopric of Cologne —died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria), was a German composer, the predominant musical figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras. In musical form he was a considerable innovator, widening the scope of sonata, symphony, concerto, and quartet, while in the Ninth Symphony he combined the worlds of vocal and instrumental music in a manner never before attempted. His personal life was marked by a heroic struggle against encroaching deafness, and some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life when he was quite unable to hear. In an age that saw the decline of court and church patronage, he not only maintained himself from the sale and publication of his works but also was the first musician to receive a salary with no duties other than to compose how and when he felt inclined.