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Beethoven is Born
Ludwig van Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 in Bonn Germany. His parents were Maria Magdalena van Beethoven and Johann Van Beethoven, and his grandfather was Ludwig van Beethoven. His father was a musician but never made it to the big stages and suffered from alcoholism. Luckily, his Grandfather was a very skilled, famous musician who Ludwig idolized. This is important because Beethoven would go on to become one of the best musicians to date ("Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
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Beethoven Studies under Neefe
With music consuming his life, ten year old Beethoven decides to drop out of school to study with Neefe. With the help of Johann Bach he composes his first pieces of piano variations. This is important because these pieces were what made his career start off. More pieces came about and he began being noticed. Mozart was the greatest musician at the time and Beethoven knew he had to meet with him. This being his main reason to travel to Vienna and meet the master ("Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
American Revolution: Battle at Yorktown
In 1781, the revolution began to end at the last battle of Yorktown. The British were cornered by French warships in Virginia and Washington's troops.The British general, Cornwallis, was forced to surrender his troops. After the war British troops still remained in the states but the battles were all over and the U.S was on its way to becoming a free country. This is important because it changed history tremendously with the world gaining a new nation ("Revolutionary War Draws To A Close"). -
Bank of Ireland Founded
The Bank of Ireland was first open to the public in 1783, in Mary Abbey's, Dublin, but was passed by parliament two years earlier in 1781. This bank is the oldest bank in Ireland and was established by Royal Charter. It is now located in a grand building designed by Edward Lovett Pearce. This event is significant because many countries were getting banks around that time and it showed how countries were expanding on ideas rather than sticking to outdated government policies (Grun 367). -
First Steam Powered Rolling Mill Built in England
The first steam powered rolling mill was built in England in 1790. The rolling mill is a machine that roles metals into sheets. Rolling Mills were around before this but Matthew Boulton came up with the idea about 9 years prior to it actually being made and powered by steam. This invention is important because inventions like these sparked the industrial revolution which changed the world drastically ("What is a Rolling Mill"). -
Travels to Vienna
With the French revolutions getting caught up in Germany, Beethoven left for Vienna. There he studied with Haydn, the best musician since Mozart's passing. He learned piano, vocal skills, and compositions. Haydn actually did not help him very much and he took lessons from others to further his skills. This is significant because he would never return to his home town and Vienna is where his career really started to take off("Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
Louis XVI is Executed
Louis XVI was a French ruler around the time of the French Revolution. He was a very weak ruler and spent money that the country did not have. When he tried to flee the country he was arrested for treason and was beheaded by the guillotine. This event is very significant because the defeat of Louis aloud the people of France to revolt and fight for their own ideas. This sparked many other revolutions around the globe and modernized the world("King Louis XVI executed"). -
First public performance in Vienna
In 1795 Beethoven preformed what is believed to be piano concerto in major c. This being his first appearance in Vienna meant there was a lot of pressure for him to succeed. This is important because if he failed his first time he may not have been recognized and his talents could have found themselves latent ("Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
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Beethoven's Heroic Period
In his heroic period Beethoven was getting deafer by the day but that did not effect his work. This was his Heroic period because of how many pieces he created. These included 6 of his 9 symphonies, 'Fidelio' which was his only opera, Moonlight Sonata, quartets, piano variations, piano sonatas, trios, and about 72 songs. This is important because somehow he managed to write all of his most famous works when he has almost with no hearing at all which proved his talent ("Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
Beethoven's song for Napolean
In 1804, Beethoven wrote the 3rd Symphony to honor napoleon and his achievements. Sadly, after Napoleon did things Beethoven did not agree with he renamed the symphony "Eroica Symphony". This was one of the hardest compositions and tricked many composers when trying to perform it. It was very different form other works of that time period. This event is significant because Beethoven was able to talk with such nobility which shows how much people admired his work ('Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
Ecavations begin in Pompeii
Pompeii is an ancient city that was covered completely by dirt and ash when a volcano erupted thousand of years ago. The city is in Naples, Italy and began to be dug up in 1808. Explorers found objects preserved and human skeletons in the last spot the had lived. The excavations were important because it helped bring back the neo-classical period when wealthy families purchased the artifacts found in the ruins("Rediscovering Pompeii"). -
Family affairs effect his Music
In 1815, after the passing of his brother, Beethoven puts his music on hold. He went through endless trials and custody battles in hopes to receive custody of his nephew. He won the trial after seven years only to find that his nephew was very troubled and caused a great deal of stress to the composer. This is significant because if he had not had these personal issues he could have made more music for the world and his life may not have been so depressing ("Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
Beethoven becomes completly deaf
Beethoven started having symptoms of deafness in the late 1790's. By 1816 his hearing was completely gone and he was living in silence. Researchers have discovered that his deafness was caused by how sensitive his ears were. Embarrassed by this default he tried to hide his illness but after a few disastrous concerts he dealt with the reality. This event is important because being a deaf musician is hard to deal with but he did not give up on his music ("Ludwig Van Beethoven's Biography"). -
Columbia Abolishes Slavery
In 1818, Columbia abolished slavery by law. Slavery was happening a lot in South America and held the highest slavery population. Columbia was the first to abolish slavery which lead others to get rid of it as well. This is important because after they abolished it, it became less popular until it was finally abolished in all countries ("Birthplace of America's abolition of slavery"). -
The 9th Symphony
Beethoven's 9th symphony is debatably music histories most famous work. Beethoven worked on this piece for decades but it was first played in concert in 1824. Also named "The Symphony of Joy" , it was music set to Schillers "Ode to Joy" which was a poem written in the early 1780's. Not only was this Beethoven's best work but it was in fact his last showstopper. This is important because it shows that he ended his career strong with this song before he died ("Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125"). -
Death of Beethoven
Ludwig Van Beethoven died on March 26, 1827 at the age of 56. His cause of death was post-hepatitis cirrhosis of his liver and when scientists examined his skull they found traces of lead which could have been a contributing factor. Although he died young he lived a life full of success and changed the music industry completely. This is significant because not only did he die but al his talent to create more works of art died with him ("Ludwig Van Beethoven's Biography").
