Ludwig van Beethoven ( /ldv vn betovn/; German: [lutv fan bethofnn ] (

listen);

baptised 17 December 1770[1] 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial
figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, his bestknown compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano
sonatas, 16 string quartets, his great Mass the Missa solemnis and an opera, Fidelio.
Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire,
Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age. He was taught by his father Johann van
Beethoven, and by opera composer and conductor Christian Gottlob Neefe in music composition.
At the age of 21, he moved to Vienna and began studying with Joseph Haydn, quickly earning a
reputation as a piano virtuoso. He lived in Vienna until his death. By the turn of the 19th century,
his hearing had begun to deteriorate because of a condition which many present-day historians
and scholars believe was otospongiosis or Paget's disease of bone.[2][3]Beethoven gave up public
performance and conducting in 1811, but continued to compose; although he spent the last
decade of his life almost totally deaf, many of his most admired works were composed in these
last 15-16 years.
Today, Beethoven is generally regarded as one of the greatest and most influential of all
composers.