Arts · Germany
Ludwig van Beethoven
Started going deaf at 28, wrote the Ninth hearing nothing
Born Dec 17, 1770 · Died Mar 26, 1827
See it at your ageBy age
- 0Born in Bonn, going by the baptism record
- 7First public concert at 7
- 13Hired as assistant court organist at 13
- 16Said to have met Mozart in Vienna at 16
- 21Moved to Vienna at 21 to study with Haydn
- 24Vienna debut concert at 24
- 27Ringing in his ears started around 27
- 31Wrote his will at 31, then chose to live
- 33Finished the Third Symphony, the Eroica, at 33
- 38Premiered the Fifth and Sixth symphonies in one concert
- 43Played the piano on stage for the last time at 43
- 47Completely deaf by about 47
- 53Premiere of the Ninth Symphony at 53
- 56Died at 56
Every entry, with its source
At 0
- Dec 17, 1770
Born in Bonn, going by the baptism record
His father drilled him hard, hoping to raise a prodigy like Mozart.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 7
- Mar 26, 1778
First public concert at 7
His father advertised him as six years old.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 13
- c. 1784
Hired as assistant court organist at 13
He began carrying the family financially.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 16
- Apr 1787
Said to have met Mozart in Vienna at 16
He went home after two weeks because his mother was dying.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 21
- Nov 1792
Moved to Vienna at 21 to study with Haydn
He never returned to his hometown.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 24
- Mar 29, 1795
Vienna debut concert at 24
Fame came to him first as a pianist.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 27
- c. 1798
Ringing in his ears started around 27
He told no one for a long while.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 31
- Oct 1802
Wrote his will at 31, then chose to live
The Heiligenstadt Testament. He wrote that his art was what held him back.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 33
- c. 1804
Finished the Third Symphony, the Eroica, at 33
He meant it for Napoleon, then scratched the dedication when Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 38
- Dec 22, 1808
Premiered the Fifth and Sixth symphonies in one concert
The program ran four hours. With no heating, the audience is said to have sat there freezing.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 43
- c. 1814
Played the piano on stage for the last time at 43
His hearing had gotten too bad to perform.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 47
- c. 1818
Completely deaf by about 47
From then on he held conversations in notebooks.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 53
- May 7, 1824
Premiere of the Ninth Symphony at 53
He stood at the podium but could not hear the applause, so a singer turned him around to see it.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 56
- Mar 26, 1827
Died at 56
An estimated 20,000 people came to his funeral in Vienna.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Sources: en.wikipedia.org