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Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, to Johann and Maria Magdalena van Beethoven. He was the oldest of three children. (Tyle, 192-194) -
Declaration of Independence
The United States declared independence from Great Britain, causing the Revolutionary War to get more personal. This also had absolutely no effect on Beethoven (not found in a book) -
Old Glory adopted as US flag
The US adopted its own flag, completely independent of Britain's. This had no real impact on Beethoven. (www.designingwithtype.com) -
First Published Works
Beethoven's first published works were a set of piano pieces. This was significant, because this was the start of his career and life passion. (Tyle, 192-194) -
Traveled to Vienna, Austria
Beethoven traveled to Austria, presumably to seek out the musical genius of that day, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a teacher. (Tyle, 192-194) -
Death of Maria Magdalena van Beethoven
Maria Magdalena van Beethoven died. Young Ludwig, only 17 at the time, had to return from Austria to Germany. (Kaufmann, 8-9) -
French Revolution
The French Revolution was the revolt of the lower and middle class, It was bloody and violent, but never really had an effect on Beethoven. (Jacobs, about p. 40-50) -
Death of Johann van Beethoven
Beethoven's father died when Ludwig was was only 22 years of age. Following the death of his father, Ludwig returned to Vienna to study with another famous composer at the time, Joseph Haydn. (Tyle, 192-194) -
Marie Antoinette Guillotined
This was part of the French Revolution, when the lower classes were killing people of the upper classes. This event had no real effect on Beethoven. (Jacobs, 33) -
George Washington Dies
The US lost the first president and a war hero all at once. This, also, had no effect on Beethoven. (www.fm.coe.uh.edu) -
Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Italy
Napoleon conquered Italy, and appointed himself as First Consul in France. Beethoven was not pleased. He did not like Napoleon at all. (www.designingwithtype.com) -
'Eroica'
'Eroica' was an incredibly long piece composed entirely by Beethoven, and consisted of four movements. Most people who heard it performed thought that even though it was nice, it went on for much too long. This not only was one of Beethoven's best pieces, but it demonstrated that Beethoven was not afraid to compose long pieces and insist that people sit through them. (Jacobs, 77-81) -
'Fidelio'
'Fidelio' was the only opera that Beethoven ever wrote. It was about a woman whose husband was arrested for political reasons. She went undercover to the prison, where he was going to be killed and fought to get him back. It is assumed that Beethoven wrote it and made the woman dedicated and strong because he appreciated dedication. (Jacobs, 95) -
Gained custody of his nephew Karl
When his brother died, Beethoven gained custody of his nephew. This added a level of stress and irritation to Beethoven's already stressful and irritating life. (Tyle, 192-194) -
Last public appearance
Beethoven's last public appearance was a sad time. This was the end of a lifelong career for him, and all the people who loved his work no longer got to see him perform it. It was also sad because he only quit because he was nearly completely deaf. (Kaufmann, 8-9) -
Death of Ludwig van Beethoven
The death of Beethoven was a great loss for the musical world. A great musical mastermind had died. (Tyle, 192)
