He’s written operas, sonatas and symphonies.
Now he
brings his epic piano skillz to the cabaret circuit.
Fun facts
- Beethoven would often dip his head in cold water before composing!
- Beethoven was only 5' 3"
- Beethoven was jealous that Rimsky-Korsakov wrote an opera called "Mozart and Salieri" instead of "Mozart and Beethoven"
- When he was a kid Beethoven played the violin and would often improvise rather than reading the notes from a score.
Timeline of Beethoven's life
December 6, 1770 Ludwig van Beethoven is born in Bonn, Germany
1778 Beethoven gives first public performance, as the Turkey in the Bonn Elementary School Thanksgiving Pageant.
April 1787 Beethoven leaves Bonn for Vienna, looking forward to consuming as much apfelstrudel as is humanly possible.
July 17, 1787 Beethoven’s mother dies. He goes home to Bonn.
November 1787 Beethoven returns to Vienna to study with Haydn.
1795 Beethoven makes his performance debut in Vienna at the piano bar in the basement of the Burgtheater.
1800 Affair with Guilietta Giucardi
April 2, 1800 First Symphony premieres. Giulietta spends the first movement talking on her cell phone.
1801 Beethoven complains of hearing loss, but nobody is around to hear him.
October 6, 1802 Beethoven writes his Heiligenstadt Testimony. Nobody talks about it because they can not pronounce the title.
1805 Beethoven completes his Third Symphony, “Bonaparte.” Finishing touch: changing the title.
1805 Affair with Josephine Deym.
April 7, 1805 Synfonia Eroica premieres. Josephine is absent because the babysitter got the date wrong.
November 20, 1805 Beethoven’s opera Fidelio premieres. It is not considered a success until a new production wins the 1814 Tony Award for Best Revival.
1808 Fifth and Sixth Symphonies
July 7, 1812 Beethoven writes his famous “Immortal Beloved” letter, possibly to Antonie Bretano. Sadly,
Antonie died in 1869, leaving us to question Beethoven’s understanding of the word “immortal.”
November 15, 1815 Caspar van Beethoven dies, leaving his son, Karl, in the care of his Uncle Ludwig.
1819-1823 Beethoven writes the Diabelli Variations, which will, in 2010, be the subject of a play starring Jane Fonda (who did not play Beethoven).
May 7, 1824 Ninth Symphony premieres. the fourth movement, “Ode to Joy,” is uncharacteristically optimistic.
May 16, 1827 Beethoven dies (or does he)?
