Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven (literally, Ludwig of Beethoven) was an Austrian composer born in the late 17th century.  You might know him best for his best work, Minuet in G.  He also wrote some other songs.

Biography

Beethoven was recognized as a viola prodigy at age 5.  He found his first viola in a dumpster behind his house, and scrubbed all of the gunk off of it himself.  However, the young master quit viola at age 6 to pursue composition, and threw his instrument in another dumpster. 

Around 1796, Beethoven began to lose his sight.  He tried writing a letter to his brother describing his despair and suicidal thoughts due to this loss of sight, but unfortunately couldn't because he couldn't see.  Eventually, he got over it and started composing again.

Music

Always in the shadow of Josef Haydn, Beethoven vowed at age 3 to write at least as many symphonies as his teacher.  However, his blindness made this impossible.  Symphony No. 9, "Ode to Joy" was perhaps his biggest achievement, but like most of his symphonies, it was not written with ease.  It is said that Beethoven had to sing each orchestra part to a scribe, who would make his own judgments about tempo markings.

Legacy

Beethoven will be remembered always for his upbeat personality, his hair, and his natural gift for playing the viola.