Why Beethoven is a strong personality. Alone against fate

L. W. Beethoven - German composer, representative of the Viennese classical school (born in Bonn, but spent most of his life in Vienna - since 1792).

Beethoven's musical thinking is a complex synthesis:

Ø creative achievements of the Viennese classics (Gluck, Haydn, Mozart);

Ø the art of the French Revolution;

Ø new emerging in the 20s. 19th century artistic direction - romanticism.

Beethoven's compositions bear the imprint of the ideology, aesthetics and art of the Enlightenment. This largely explains the logical thinking of the composer, the clarity of forms, the thoughtfulness of the entire artistic conception and individual details of the works.

It is also noteworthy that Beethoven showed himself most fully in the genres sonatas and symphonies(genres characteristic of the classics) . Beethoven was the first to spread the so-called. "Conflict Symphony" based on the opposition and collision of brightly contrasting musical images. The more dramatic the conflict, the more complex the process of development, which for Beethoven becomes the main driving force.

The ideas and art of the French Revolution left their mark on many of Beethoven's works. From Cherubini's operas there is a direct path to Beethoven's Fidelio.

In the composer's works, invocative intonations and chased rhythms, wide melodic breathing and powerful instrumentation of the hymns of songs, marches and operas of this era found their embodiment. They transformed Beethoven's style. That is why the composer's musical language, although associated with the art of the Viennese classics, at the same time was profoundly different from it. In the works of Beethoven, in contrast to Haydn and Mozart, exquisite ornamentation, smooth rhythmic pattern, chamber, transparent texture, balance and symmetry of musical themes are rare.

Composer of a new era, Beethoven finds other intonations to express his thoughts - dynamic, restless, sharp. The sound of his music becomes much more saturated, dense, and dramatically contrasting. His musical themes acquire hitherto unprecedented conciseness, severe simplicity.

Listeners brought up on 18th-century classicism were stunned and often misunderstood emotional strength Beethoven's music, which manifests itself either in stormy drama, or in a grandiose epic scope, or in penetrating lyrics. But it was precisely these qualities of Beethoven's art that fascinated romantic musicians. And although Beethoven's connection with romanticism is indisputable, his art in its main outlines does not coincide with him. It does not entirely fit into the framework of classicism. For Beethoven, like few others, is unique, individual and multifaceted.

Beethoven's themes:

Ø Beethoven's focus is the life of a hero, flowing in an unceasing struggle for a universal beautiful future. The heroic idea runs like a red thread through all of Beethoven's work. Beethoven's hero is inseparable from the people. In serving humanity, in winning freedom for it, he sees the purpose of his life. But the path to the goal lies through thorns, struggle, suffering. Often a hero dies, but his death is crowned with a victory that brings happiness to liberated humanity. Beethoven's attraction to heroic images and the idea of ​​struggle is due, on the one hand, to the warehouse of his personality, difficult fate, struggle with it, constant overcoming of difficulties; on the other hand, the impact on the worldview of the composer of the ideas of the Great French Revolution.

Ø Found the richest reflection in the work of Beethoven and nature theme(Symphony 6 "Pastoral", Sonata No. 15 "Pastoral", Sonata No. 21 "Aurora", Symphony No. 4, many slow parts of sonatas, symphonies, quartets). Passive contemplation is alien to Beethoven: the peace and silence of nature help to comprehend the exciting issues more deeply, to gather thoughts and inner strength for the struggle of life.

Ø Deeply penetrates Beethoven and into realm of human feelings. But, revealing the world of the inner, emotional life of a person, Beethoven draws all the same hero, capable of subordinating the spontaneity of feelings to the requirements of reason.

The main features of the musical language:

Ø Melodika . The fundamental principle of his melody is in trumpet signals and fanfares, in invocative oratorical exclamations and march turns. Movement along the sounds of the triad is often used (G.P. "Heroic Symphony"; theme of the finale of the 5th symphony, G.P. I part 9 of the symphony). Beethoven's caesuras are punctuation marks in speech. Beethoven's fermata are pauses after pathetic questions. Beethoven's musical themes often consist of contrasting elements. The contrasting structure of themes is also found in Beethoven's predecessors (especially Mozart), but in Beethoven this is already becoming a pattern. The contrast within the theme develops into a conflict between G.P. and P.P. in sonata form, dynamizes all sections of the sonata allegro.

Ø Metrorhythm. Beethoven's rhythms are born from the same source. Rhythm carries a charge of masculinity, will, activity.

§ Marching rhythms extremely common

§ dance rhythms(in the pictures of folk fun - the finale of the 7th symphony, the finale of the Aurora sonata, when, after long suffering and struggle, a moment of triumph and joy comes.

Ø Harmony. With the simplicity of the chord vertical (chords of the main functions, laconic use of non-chord sounds) - a contrast-dramatic interpretation of the harmonic sequence (connection with the principle of conflict dramaturgy). Sharp, bold modulations in distant keys (in contrast to the plastic modulations of Mozart). In his later works, Beethoven anticipates the features of romantic harmony: polyphonic fabric, an abundance of non-according sounds, exquisite harmonic sequences.

Ø musical forms Beethoven's works are grandiose constructions. “This is the Shakespeare of the masses,” V. Stasov wrote about Beethoven. "Mozart was responsible only for individuals ... Beethoven, on the other hand, thought about history and all of humanity." Beethoven is the creator of the form free variations(finale of the piano sonata No. 30, variations on a theme by Diabelli, 3rd and 4th movements of the 9th symphony). He is credited with introducing the variation form into the large form.

Ø musical genres. Beethoven developed most of the existing musical genres. The basis of his work is instrumental music.

List of Beethoven's compositions:

Orchestral music:

Symphonies - 9;

Overtures: "Coriolanus", "Egmont", "Leonora" - 4 versions for the opera "Fidelio";

Concertos: 5 piano, 1 violin, 1 triple - for violin, cello and piano.

Piano music:

32 sonatas;

22 variation cycles (including 32 c-moll variations);

Bagatelles (including "To Elise").

Chamber ensemble music:

Sonatas for violin and piano (including "Kreutzer" No. 9); cello and piano;

16 string quartets.

Vocal music:

Opera "Fidelio";

Songs, incl. the cycle “To a Distant Beloved”, arrangements of folk songs: Scottish, Irish, etc.;

2 Masses: C-dur and Solemn Mass;

oratorio "Christ on the Mount of Olives"

The composer did not differ in special softness. He was sharp, short-tempered and aggressive. They say that one day during his concert, one of the gentlemen spoke to his lady, so Beethoven suddenly stopped the performance and sharply declared that “he will not play such pigs!”. No matter how they persuaded him, no matter how they begged and asked for his forgiveness, nothing helped.

He dressed very casually and carelessly. Perhaps he simply did not pay attention to his appearance, and the appearance of his dwelling testified to the same, but in general, we can say that he imitated the same Napoleon, whom, like many of his contemporaries, he admired. That one was also pretty tight with accuracy.

Once there was an incident with one of his patrons. Prince Likhnovsky wanted the young pianist to play for him and for his guests. He refused. At first the prince persuaded him, then little by little he began to lose patience and finally gave him an order, which he ignored. In the end, the prince ordered the doors of Beethoven's room to be broken down.

And this is despite the infinite respect and reverence that the prince showed to the composer. In a word, brought it. After the door was safely broken down, the composer left the estate in indignation and in the morning sent a letter to the prince with the following words: “Prince! What I am, I owe to myself. There are and will be thousands of princes, but Beethoven is only one!

And at the same time, he was considered a rather kind person. Maybe then the relativity of character was measured differently? Although, maybe he really was much better than he was sometimes thought of. For example, here are some of his words:

“None of my friends should be in need while I have a piece of bread, if my wallet is empty, I can’t help right away, well, I just have to sit down at the table and get to work, and pretty soon I I will help him get out of trouble ... ".

It is worth noting that Beethoven's literary tastes were - how to say - as if from the pen of a stylist. At that time, he was fond of ancient Greek writers such as Homer and Plutarch, or more modern Shakespeare, Goethe and Schiller, who were quite recognized and respected authors.

Despite finishing school early, he was already able to develop a love of reading. Then he admitted that he tried to understand the essence of all the famous philosophers and scientists, whose works he could get.

The beginning of a creative life

Already at that time, Ludwig focused his attention on composing compositions. But he was in no hurry to publish his works. He worked on them a lot, refined them and constantly improved them. His first musical publication was made when he was about twelve years old. Of his works of those times, the Knights' Ballet and the Grand Cantata are now more famous. Shortly before that, he traveled to Vienna, where he met with. The meeting was fleeting...

Upon arrival home, he suffered a terrible grief: his mother died. Beethoven was only seventeen years old at the time, and he had to take over the head of the family and take care of his younger brothers. Since then, the family situation has become even worse, and some time later, under the auspices of Count Waldestein, he moves to Vienna for several years. There he was able to complete his musical education under Haydn.

But during his stay in Bonn, he managed to get carried away by the revolutionary movement that arose in France at that time, join the ranks of the Freemasons and even devote some of his works to both the revolution and Freemasonry.

Subsequently, Beethoven borrowed in many respects the manner of writing and performing Haydn's music, and they, together with Mozart, became the big Viennese trio, which founded the school of classical Viennese music.

He also attended a theoretical course in Vienna, and studied vocal compositions with the famous Salieri. Beethoven soon received good recommendations and was accepted into high society. So, for example, Prince Likhnovsky provided him with housing in his own house, Count Razumovsky offered him his quartet, which began to play his music, and Prince Lobkowitz gave him his chapel at his disposal. So there was something to work with, and Beethoven, of course, did not fail to take advantage of this.

If we talk about dates, then Beethoven's appearance in high society took place in 1795.

Vein

The young man soon got used to Vienna and sincerely fell in love with this city. As a result, he only once, in 1796, traveled to Prague and Berlin, and the rest of the time he lived in Vienna. If he wanted to relax somewhere in nature in the summer, he went to the suburbs of Vienna, where he lived for some time in an extremely modest environment. There he rested from his everyday work and gained strength in communion with nature.

He soon took first place among the pianists of Vienna, and I must say that this was more than deserved. He had an exceptional gift for improvisation.

And when he published his first three piano trios, he also gained a reputation as an excellent composer. Since then, he has discovered in himself an inexhaustible source of fantasy and creative inspiration, with each of his new compositions showing more and more of his talent, developing it and continuing to experiment.

Genres in which Beethoven worked

At first, he mastered the chamber genre in its most diverse manifestations, improved the very concept of the piano sonata, accompanied by other musical instruments. He also created sixteen quartets, significantly expanding their boundaries, developed new methods of composition, and then proceeded to transfer open methods and techniques to a symphonic basis. That is, he began to write music for orchestras.

He liked the musical techniques that Mozart and Haydn left behind, and therefore he boldly took up their improvement and development. He succeeded quite well, which was hard to doubt. He was remarkably versed in musical forms and at the same time retained his unique individuality.

Already after his third overture, Beethoven had completely decided on the style. Then it somehow manifested itself in all his works.

Beethoven composed instrumental music with rapture, but did not disregard vocal works. He wrote both simple songs and small vocal works. Among them, one should separately note "Christ on the Mount of Olives." His opera Fidelio was not particularly successful at the time of its release, and only a little later, in 1814, when he revised it, was it accepted and appreciated. And how appreciated! She was accepted on all German stages! Before that, only Mozart's Magic Flute enjoyed such success.

But alas, Beethoven failed to create anything else significant in the field of the genre of musical opera, although he made considerable efforts for this. In all other respects, he became an increasingly influential figure in the Western music world.

He continued to create, and worked in all genres that existed at that time, while bringing their art form to the absolute. He elevated them to the rank of classics, where they remain to this day. Today they would say that he wrote both pop music and classics, and music for films. Of course, there were no films then, and therefore he actively worked on musical accompaniment for dramatic performances. But best of all, sonatas were given to him, at least they make up the most significant share of his creative heritage.

In 1809, Beethoven was offered the position of royal bandmaster. As a result, his patrons agreed to increase his salary and, at least in this way, persuade the composer not to leave his current position. They quite succeeded, although a little later, due to the bankruptcy of the state in 1811, this content decreased somewhat. But at that time it was as much as 4,000 for. Beethoven at that time was at the peak of his work, and therefore the expected content and the fact that he earned extra money was enough for him to be completely independent financially.

After the grandiose performance of the seventh and eighth symphonies, after the presentation of his symphony "The Battle of Vittoria" and some other works, Beethoven's fame in Vienna skyrocketed! He was extremely popular. But at the same time, he could no longer fully enjoy his position in society - he began to notice that his hearing began to deteriorate and weaken.

Disease

Tinitis. Inflammation of the middle ear.

To be precise, by that time he was already almost completely deaf. The disease had been developing since 1802 and was inevitable, like a medieval plague. For a composer and musician, losing your hearing is even worse than losing your sight.

No treatment helped him at all, and his mood kept getting worse and worse. Among other things, he finally became a recluse, avoiding once again appearing in society. And new worries did not bring him anything but grief. In 1815, he took over the guardianship of his nephew, and his own financial situation began to deteriorate. It was as if he fell into a creative coma, for some time he completely stopped composing music.

After his death, some of the composer's friends said that they still had conversation notebooks. They sometimes wrote down their lines and gave them to the musician, who would answer them in writing in the same way.

True, some notebooks with his statements were burned, since the composer did not particularly stand on ceremony with those in power, often making sharp and rather rude attacks against the emperor, the crown prince and many other high-ranking officials. Unfortunately, this was Beethoven's favorite theme. He was deeply outraged by Napoleon's departure from the ideals of the revolution. When he announced that he was going to become emperor, Beethoven stated that from that moment on he would begin to turn into a tyrant.

"You will end up on the scaffold!" Thus ended one of the correspondence, the statement, of course, was addressed to the composer. But his popularity was so high that those in power did not dare to touch him.

In the end, he completely lost his hearing. And yet he managed to keep abreast of the latest musical events. He did not hear new compositions, but enthusiastically read the scores of Rossini's operas, looked through collections of compositions by Schubert and other composers.

It is said that after the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven stood with his back to the audience. He didn't hear the applause. Then one of the singers turned him around to face the audience. And they stood, waving handkerchiefs, hats and hands to him. The applause lasted so long that the police present in the hall felt it necessary to stop them. In their opinion, only the emperor could be greeted in this way.

At the end of the first decade of the nineteenth century, he took up with enthusiasm the composition of the mass, the idea of ​​​​creating which was prompted to him by the appointment of Archduke Rudolph as bishop. This work occupied his thoughts until 1822. In terms of its scale, the mass significantly exceeded the usual framework inherent in such compositions. Beethoven was clearly coming out of a creative crisis.

With no less enthusiasm, the composer set about creating a symphony based on Schiller's Ode to Joy. He had long wanted to start writing it, and then the inspiration that turned up was just in time. He completed the symphony by 1824, and the resulting work again outgrew the usual framework and was unusually difficult to perform. This was especially true for the vocal parts.

Further, his fascination with the complication of works continued, and he wrote four large quartets. They turned out to be so complex that experts are still scrupulously studying them, and they are practically not given to mere mortals at all. It must have been the almost total lack of hearing.

He suffered for a long time and died in 1827. He lived, developed, suffered and enjoyed life in his invariably beloved city, in Vienna. Where he was posthumously erected a monument. They did not leave aside his homeland either: a monument was also erected to him in Bonn, and, it should be admitted, much earlier than in Vienna.

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Ludwig van Beethoven is, for so many people, the epitome of 19th century classical music. Indeed, this man managed to do surprisingly much by changing the attitude of society towards the very concept of "music".

It is amazing that he was able to do this, having lost the most important instrument of a musician - hearing quite early.

Ludwig van Beethoven's father and grandfather were both professional singers. So a musical career was a foregone conclusion for him. The first time he spoke to the public in March 1778, when he was only 7 years old. And at the age of 12 he wrote his first work - variations on the theme of Dressler's march. However, despite the fact that Ludwig showed good success in playing the violin and piano, his interests were not limited to music alone. He was drawn to all the sciences that seemed interesting to him. Perhaps because of this versatility, his progress in music was a little slower than it could have been.

gloomy genius

Beethoven was always distinguished by the fact that he did not want to follow the beaten path, but tried to develop his own ideas, starting from the fundamental principles of music. He pioneered many principles of composition and the use of musical instruments. When Mozart heard him for the first time in 1787, the great Austrian exclaimed: “He will make everyone talk about himself!” And I wasn't wrong.

At the end of the 18th century, all of Europe applauded the virtuoso pianist Beethoven. But few at the same time loved Beethov-on-the-man. From his youth, he was distinguished by not the easiest disposition.

There were legends about Beethoven's character. Once he performed at some social event, and one of the gentlemen began to talk to the lady, distracted from the music. Beethoven abruptly interrupted the game, slammed the lid of the piano and declared publicly: “I will not play such pigs!” At the same time, there were no titles or estates for him. Beethoven expressed contempt for secular conventions both by his behavior and appearance. In the radiant and powdered 18th century, he allowed himself to walk casually dressed, with disheveled hair. This caused a lot of embarrassment and questions from high society. However, connoisseurs of the composer's talent, among whom were the highest-ranking persons, believed that everything was allowed to a genius. Rudolf, Archduke of Austria, who took piano lessons from Beethoven, quite officially announced that any rules of secular etiquette do not apply to his eccentric mentor.

Tinnitus

Beethoven's blunt and short-tempered nature was largely due to the state of his health. From a young age, he suffered from severe abdominal pain, which did not go away, despite the best efforts of doctors. But this could still be dealt with. A much more serious problem was hearing problems that began with Ludwig in 1796. As a result of inflammation of the inner ear, he developed a complex form of tinnitus - "tinnitus". Usually this disease develops in people over the age of 55, but Beethoven began to suffer from it as early as 26.

Until now, it has not been precisely established what caused the inflammation that gave such a complication. Among the options are syphilis, typhus, lupus erythematosus, but it is not known for certain whether the composer was ill with at least one of these diseases. But it is well known about his habit of working at night and periodically dipping his head in a basin of ice water to drive away sleep. Perhaps it was hypothermia that gave impetus to the development of the disease.

Constant ringing in the ears prevented Beethoven from making music. To defeat the disease, he retired for a long time in the town of Heiligenstadt near Vienna. But none of the doctors' recommendations brought relief. As Beethoven admitted in letters to friends, the desperation from the gradual loss of hearing more than once led him to thoughts of suicide. However, the belief that musical talent was given to him from above allowed him to drive away these gloomy ideas.

Beethoven is believed to have completely lost his hearing in 1814. However, long before that, he was forced to completely rebuild his life. The composer used a set of special auditory tubes that allowed him to hear music and speech. However, in everyday life he preferred that his interlocutors write their lines in notebooks. He himself answered either aloud, or writing down his answer in the same place. There were about 400 such "conversational notebooks", but a little more than half have survived to this day.

A deep understanding of music theory and the ability to feel the melody with his “inner ear” allowed Beethoven to get acquainted with musical novelties simply by reading the score. That is how, without hearing a sound, he got acquainted with the operas of Weber and Rossini, as well as the songs of Schubert.

Last chord

The most amazing thing is that, having lost his hearing, Beethoven did not stop composing music. Having already lost his sound connection with the world, he composed his most famous works: sonatas, symphonies and the only opera, Fidelio. In his inner world, he heard notes and harmonies with the same distinctness as before. Worse was the case with performances. Here, internal sensations were not enough, an “external” hearing was needed in order to understand the emotions of the public. In 1811, Beethoven was forced to interrupt the performance of his Piano Concerto No. 5 and has never played in public since.

The deaf composer remained a hero and idol for all music lovers. In 1824, at the premiere of his last symphony (the Ninth Symphony in D minor), the audience gave such a storm of applause that the police officials demanded an end to the applause, believing that only the emperor could be greeted so violently. Alas, Beethoven himself, conducting the orchestra and standing with his back to the audience, did not hear these stormy applause. Then one of the singers took him by the hand and turned to face the enthusiastic audience. Seeing the applause crowd, the composer burst into tears, unable to contain his emotions - joyful and sad at the same time.

The illness made Beethoven's character even more rigid than before. He did not hesitate to express the most categorical criticism of the authorities and personally Emperor Franz I. It is believed that many of his "conversational notebooks" were burned by friends to hide the seditious statements of the great composer. There is a legend that once Beethoven, walking in the company of the famous writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the Czech resort of Teplice, met the emperor, who was resting there, accompanied by courtiers. Goethe stepped back respectfully to the side of the road and froze in a bow. Beethoven calmly walked through the crowd of courtiers, only lightly touching his hat with his hand. What would have cost anyone else a head got away with the ingenious troublemaker.

The last months of his life, Beethoven was very ill and was bedridden. His life ended on March 26, 1827. He died during a heavy thunderstorm, and his last words, according to some sources, were: "In heaven I will hear."

Already in our time, studies have been carried out on surviving samples of Beethoven's hair. It turned out that the lead content in them is very high. Based on this, a version was built that the doctor Andreas Vavruh, who treated Beethoven for abdominal pain, repeatedly pierced his peritoneum to remove the liquid, and then applied lead lotions. It is possible that it was lead poisoning that provoked both the composer's hearing loss and his early death at the age of 56.

Beethoven was born presumably on December 16 (only the date of his baptism is precisely known - December 17) 1770 in the city of Bonn in a musical family. From childhood, they began to teach him to play the organ, harpsichord, violin, flute.

For the first time, the composer Christian Gottlob Nefe became seriously involved with Ludwig. Already at the age of 12, Beethoven's biography was replenished with the first work of a musical orientation - an assistant organist at court. Beethoven studied several languages, tried to compose music.

The beginning of the creative path

After his mother's death in 1787, he took over the financial responsibilities of the family. Ludwig Beethoven began to play in the orchestra, listen to university lectures. Having accidentally encountered Haydn in Bonn, Beethoven decides to take lessons from him. For this, he moves to Vienna. Already at this stage, after listening to one of Beethoven's improvisations, the great Mozart said: "He will make everyone talk about himself!" After some attempts, Haydn sends Beethoven to study with Albrechtsberger. Then Antonio Salieri became Beethoven's teacher and mentor.

The heyday of a musical career

Haydn briefly noted that Beethoven's music was dark and strange. However, in those years, virtuoso piano playing brought Ludwig first glory. Beethoven's works differ from classical harpsichord playing. In the same place, in Vienna, well-known compositions were written in the future: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, Pathétic Sonata.

Rude, proud in public, the composer was very open, friendly towards friends. Beethoven's work of the following years is filled with new works: the First, Second Symphonies, "The Creation of Prometheus", "Christ on the Mount of Olives". However, Beethoven's later life and work were complicated by the development of an ear disease - tinitis.

The composer retires to the city of Heiligenstadt. There he works on the Third - Heroic Symphony. Complete deafness separates Ludwig from the outside world. However, even this event cannot make him stop composing. According to critics, Beethoven's Third Symphony fully reveals his greatest talent. Opera "Fidelio" is staged in Vienna, Prague, Berlin.

Last years

In the years 1802-1812, Beethoven wrote sonatas with a special desire and zeal. Then a whole series of works for piano, cello, the famous Ninth Symphony, Solemn Mass were created.

Note that the biography of Ludwig Beethoven of those years was filled with fame, popularity and recognition. Even the authorities, despite his frank thoughts, did not dare to touch the musician. However, strong feelings for his nephew, whom Beethoven took under guardianship, quickly aged the composer. And on March 26, 1827, Beethoven died of liver disease.

Many works by Ludwig van Beethoven have become classics not only for adults, but also for children.

About a hundred monuments around the world have been erected to the great composer.

by Notes of the Wild Mistress

Ludwig Beethoven was born in 1770 in the German town of Bonn. In a house with three rooms in the attic. In one of the rooms with a narrow dormer window that let in almost no light, his mother, his kind, gentle, meek mother, whom he adored, often bustled about. She died of consumption when Ludwig was barely 16, and her death was the first major shock in his life. But always, when he remembered his mother, his soul was filled with a gentle warm light, as if the hands of an angel had touched it. “You were so kind to me, so worthy of love, you were my best friend! O! Who was happier than me when I could still pronounce the sweet name - mother, and it was heard! To whom can I tell it now? .. "

Ludwig's father, a poor court musician, played the violin and harpsichord and had a very beautiful voice, but suffered from conceit and, intoxicated by easy successes, disappeared in taverns, led a very scandalous life. Having discovered musical abilities in his son, he set out to make him a virtuoso, a second Mozart, at all costs, in order to solve the material problems of the family. He forced the five-year-old Ludwig to repeat boring exercises for five or six hours a day, and often, having come home drunk, woke him up even at night and half-asleep, crying, sat him at the harpsichord. But in spite of everything, Ludwig loved his father, loved and pitied him.

When the boy was twelve years old, a very important event took place in his life - it must have been fate itself that sent Christian Gottlieb Nefe, court organist, composer, conductor, to Bonn. This outstanding person, one of the most advanced and educated people of that time, immediately guessed a brilliant musician in the boy and began to teach him for free. Nefe introduced Ludwig to the works of the greats: Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart. He called himself "an enemy of ceremonial and etiquette" and "a hater of flatterers", these traits were later clearly manifested in Beethoven's character.

During frequent walks, the boy eagerly absorbed the words of the teacher, who recited the works of Goethe and Schiller, talked about Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, about the ideas of freedom, equality, fraternity that freedom-loving France lived at that time. Beethoven carried the ideas and thoughts of his teacher through his whole life: “Gifting is not everything, it can die if a person does not have diabolical perseverance. If you fail, start again. Fail a hundred times, start again a hundred times. Man can overcome any obstacle. Giving and a pinch is enough, but perseverance needs an ocean. And in addition to talent and perseverance, self-confidence is also needed, but not pride. God bless you from her."

Many years later, Ludwig will thank Nefe in a letter for the wise advice that helped him in studying music, this “divine art”. To which he modestly answers: "Ludwig Beethoven himself was Ludwig Beethoven's teacher."

Ludwig dreamed of going to Vienna to meet Mozart, whose music he idolized. At 16, his dream came true. However, Mozart reacted to the young man with distrust, deciding that he performed a piece for him, well learned. Then Ludwig asked to give him a theme for free fantasy. He had never improvised with such inspiration! Mozart was amazed. He exclaimed, turning to his friends: “Pay attention to this young man, he will make the whole world talk about him!” Unfortunately, they never met again. Ludwig was forced to return to Bonn, to his dearly beloved sick mother, and when he later returned to Vienna, Mozart was no longer alive.

Soon, Beethoven's father completely drank himself, and the 17-year-old boy was left to take care of his two younger brothers. Fortunately, fate extended a helping hand to him: he had friends from whom he found support and comfort - Elena von Breuning replaced Ludwig's mother, and brother and sister Eleanor and Stefan became his first friends. Only in their house did he feel at ease. It was here that Ludwig learned to appreciate people and respect human dignity. Here he learned and fell in love with the epic heroes of the Odyssey and the Iliad, the heroes of Shakespeare and Plutarch for the rest of his life. Here he met Wegeler, the future husband of Eleanor Braining, who became his best friend, a friend for life.

In 1789, the desire for knowledge led Beethoven to the University of Bonn at the Faculty of Philosophy. In the same year, a revolution broke out in France, and news of it quickly reached Bonn. Ludwig, together with his friends, listened to lectures by professor of literature Eulogy Schneider, who enthusiastically read his poems dedicated to the revolution to students: “To crush stupidity on the throne, to fight for the rights of mankind ... Oh, not one of the lackeys of the monarchy is capable of this. This is only possible for free souls who prefer death to flattery, poverty to slavery.”

Ludwig was among Schneider's ardent admirers. Full of bright hopes, feeling great strength in himself, the young man again went to Vienna. Oh, if friends had met him at that time, they would not have recognized him: Beethoven resembled a salon lion! “The look is direct and incredulous, as if sideways watching what impression it makes on others. Beethoven dances (oh, grace in the highest degree hidden), rides (poor horse!), Beethoven, who has a good mood (laughter at the top of his lungs). (Oh, if old friends had met him at that time, they would not have recognized him: Beethoven resembled a salon lion! He was cheerful, cheerful, danced, rode and looked askance at the impression he made on others.) Sometimes Ludwig visited frighteningly gloomy, and only close friends knew how much kindness was hidden behind outward pride. As soon as a smile illuminated his face, it was illuminated with such childish purity that in those moments it was impossible not to love not only him, but the whole world!

At the same time, his first piano compositions were published. The success of the publication turned out to be grandiose: more than 100 music lovers subscribed to it. Young musicians were especially eager for his piano sonatas. The future famous pianist Ignaz Moscheles, for example, secretly bought and dismantled Beethoven's Pathétique sonata, which his professors had banned. Later, Moscheles became one of the maestro's favorite students. The listeners, with bated breath, reveled in his improvisations on the piano, they touched many to tears: "He calls spirits both from the depths and from the heights." But Beethoven did not create for money and not for recognition: “What nonsense! I never thought of writing for fame or for fame. I need to give an outlet to what I have accumulated in my heart - that's why I write.

He was still young, and the criterion of his own importance for him was a sense of strength. He did not tolerate weakness and ignorance, he was condescending to both the common people and the aristocracy, even to those nice people who loved him and admired him. With royal generosity, he helped friends when they needed it, but in anger he was ruthless towards them. In him, great love and the same force of contempt clashed. But in spite of everything, in Ludwig's heart, like a beacon, lived a strong, sincere need to be needed by people: “Never, since childhood, has my zeal to serve suffering humanity weakened. I have never charged any fee for this. I do not need anything but the feeling of contentment that always accompanies a good deed.

Youth is characterized by such extremes, because it is looking for an outlet for its inner forces. And sooner or later a person faces a choice: where to direct these forces, what path to choose? Fate helped Beethoven to make a choice, although her method may seem too cruel ... The disease approached Ludwig gradually, over the course of six years, and struck him between 30 and 32 years old. She hit him in the most sensitive place, in his pride, strength - in his hearing! Complete deafness cut off Ludwig from everything that was so dear to him: from friends, from society, from love and, worst of all, from art! new Beethoven.

Ludwig went to Heiligenstadt, an estate near Vienna, and settled in a poor peasant house. He found himself on the verge of life and death - the words of his will, written on October 6, 1802, are like a cry of despair: “Oh people, you who consider me heartless, stubborn, selfish - oh, how unfair you are to me! You do not know the secret reason for what you only think! From my earliest childhood my heart has been inclined towards a tender feeling of love and benevolence; but consider that for six years now I have been suffering from an incurable disease, brought to a terrible degree by inept doctors ...

With my hot, lively temperament, with my love of communicating with people, I had to retire early, spend my life alone ... For me, there is no rest among people, neither communication with them, nor friendly conversations. I must live as an exile. If sometimes, carried away by my innate sociability, I succumbed to temptation, then what humiliation I experienced when someone next to me heard a flute from afar, but I did not hear! .. Such cases plunged me into terrible despair, and the thought of committing suicide often came to mind. Only art kept me from it; it seemed to me that I had no right to die until I had done everything to which I felt called ... And I decided to wait until the inexorable parks would please to break the thread of my life ...

I'm ready for anything; in my 28th year I was to become a philosopher. It is not so easy, and more difficult for an artist than for anyone else. O deity, you see my soul, you know it, you know how much love it has for people and the desire to do good. Oh people, if you ever read this, then remember that you were unfair to me; and let everyone who is unhappy take comfort in the fact that there is someone like him, who, in spite of all obstacles, did everything he could to be accepted among worthy artists and people.

However, Beethoven did not give up! And before he had time to finish writing his will, as in his soul, like a heavenly parting word, like a blessing of fate, the Third Symphony was born - a symphony unlike any that existed before. It was her that he loved more than his other creations. Ludwig dedicated this symphony to Bonaparte, whom he compared to a Roman consul and considered one of the greatest men of modern times. But, subsequently learning about his coronation, he was furious and broke the dedication. Since then, the 3rd symphony has been called the Heroic.

After everything that happened to him, Beethoven understood, realized the most important thing - his mission: “Let everything that is life be dedicated to the great and let it be the sanctuary of art! This is your duty to the people and to Him, the Almighty. Only in this way can you once again reveal what is hidden in you. The ideas of new works rained down on him like stars - at that time the Appassionata piano sonata, excerpts from the opera Fidelio, fragments of Symphony No. 5, sketches of numerous variations, bagatelles, marches, masses, the Kreutzer Sonata were born. Having finally chosen his life path, the maestro seemed to have received new strength. So, from 1802 to 1805, works dedicated to bright joy appeared: “Pastoral Symphony”, piano sonata “Aurora”, “Merry Symphony” ...

Often, without realizing it himself, Beethoven became a pure spring from which people drew strength and consolation. Here is what Beethoven's student, Baroness Ertman, recalls: “When my last child died, Beethoven could not decide to come to us for a long time. Finally, one day he called me to his place, and when I came in, he sat down at the piano and said only: "We will talk to you with music," after which he began to play. He told me everything, and I left him relieved. On another occasion, Beethoven did everything to help the daughter of the great Bach, who, after the death of her father, found herself on the verge of poverty. He often liked to repeat: "I do not know any other signs of superiority, except kindness."

Now the inner god was Beethoven's only constant interlocutor. Never before had Ludwig felt such closeness to Him: “... you can no longer live for yourself, you must live only for others, there is no more happiness for you anywhere except in your art. Oh Lord, help me overcome myself!” Two voices constantly sounded in his soul, sometimes they argued and were at enmity, but one of them was always the voice of the Lord. These two voices are clearly audible, for example, in the first movement of the Pathetique Sonata, in the Appassionata, in Symphony No. 5, and in the second movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto.

When the idea suddenly dawned on Ludwig during a walk or a conversation, he experienced what he called an "enthusiastic tetanus." At that moment, he forgot himself and belonged only to the musical idea, and he did not let go of it until he completely mastered it. This is how a new bold, rebellious art was born, which did not recognize the rules, "which could not be broken for the sake of more beautiful." Beethoven refused to believe the canons proclaimed by the harmony textbooks, he believed only what he had tried and experienced. But he was not guided by empty vanity - he was the herald of a new time and a new art, and the newest in this art was a man! A person who dared to challenge not only generally accepted stereotypes, but, first of all, his own limitations.

Ludwig was by no means proud of himself, he constantly searched, tirelessly studied the masterpieces of the past: the works of Bach, Handel, Gluck, Mozart. Their portraits hung in his room, and he often said that they helped him overcome suffering. Beethoven read the works of Sophocles and Euripides, his contemporaries Schiller and Goethe. God alone knows how many days and sleepless nights he spent comprehending great truths. And even shortly before his death, he said: "I begin to learn."

But how did the public receive the new music? Performed for the first time in front of selected listeners, the "Heroic Symphony" was condemned for "divine lengths." At an open performance, someone from the audience pronounced the verdict: “I’ll give a kreuzer to end all this!” Journalists and music critics did not get tired of instructing Beethoven: "The work is depressing, it is endless and embroidered." And the maestro, driven to despair, promised to write a symphony for them, which would last more than an hour, so that they would find his "Heroic" short.

And he will write it 20 years later, and now Ludwig took up the composition of the opera Leonora, which he later renamed Fidelio. Among all his creations, she occupies an exceptional place: "Of all my children, she cost me the greatest pain at birth, she also gave me the greatest grief - that's why she is dearer to me than others." He rewrote the opera three times, provided four overtures, each of which was a masterpiece in its own way, wrote the fifth, but everyone was not satisfied.

It was an incredible work: Beethoven rewrote a piece of an aria or the beginning of some scene 18 times and all 18 in different ways. For 22 lines of vocal music - 16 test pages! As soon as "Fidelio" was born, it was shown to the public, but in the auditorium the temperature was "below zero", the opera withstood only three performances ... Why did Beethoven fight so desperately for the life of this creation?

The plot of the opera was based on a story that took place during the French Revolution, its main characters were love and fidelity - those ideals that Ludwig's heart has always lived. Like any person, he dreamed of family happiness, of home comfort. He, who constantly overcame illnesses and ailments, like no one else, needed the care of a loving heart. Friends did not remember Beethoven except as passionately in love, but his hobbies were always distinguished by extraordinary purity. He could not create without experiencing love, love was his sacred.

For several years, Ludwig was very friendly with the Brunswick family. The sisters Josephine and Teresa treated him very warmly and took care of him, but which of them became the one whom he called his “everything”, his “angel” in his letter? Let this remain Beethoven's secret. The Fourth Symphony, the Fourth Piano Concerto, the quartets dedicated to the Russian prince Razumovsky, the cycle of songs “To a Distant Beloved” became the fruit of his heavenly love. Until the end of his days, Beethoven tenderly and reverently kept in his heart the image of the "immortal beloved".

The years 1822-1824 became especially difficult for the maestro. He tirelessly worked on the Ninth Symphony, but poverty and hunger forced him to write humiliating notes to publishers. He personally sent letters to the "main European courts", those who once paid attention to him. But almost all of his letters remained unanswered. Even despite the enchanting success of the Ninth Symphony, the fees from it turned out to be very small. And the composer laid all his hopes on the "generous Englishmen", who more than once showed him their enthusiasm.

He wrote a letter to London and soon received £100 from the Philharmonic Society on account of the academy being set up in his favor. “It was a heartbreaking sight,” one of his friends recalled, “when, having received a letter, he clenched his hands and sobbed with joy and gratitude ... He wanted to dictate a letter of thanks again, he promised to dedicate one of his works to them - the Tenth Symphony or Overture , in a word, whatever they wish.” Despite this situation, Beethoven continued to compose. His last works were string quartets, opus 132, the third of which, with his divine adagio, he entitled "A song of thanksgiving to the Divine from a convalescent."

Ludwig seemed to have a premonition of imminent death - he copied the saying from the temple of the Egyptian goddess Neith: “I am what I am. I am all that was, is, and will be. No mortal has lifted my veil. “He alone comes from himself, and everything that exists owes being to this one,” and he loved to reread it.

In December 1826, Beethoven went on business with his nephew Karl to his brother Johann. This trip turned out to be fatal for him: a long-standing liver disease was complicated by dropsy. For three months the illness severely tormented him, and he talked about new works: “I want to write a lot more, I would like to compose the Tenth Symphony ... music for Faust ... Yes, and a piano school. I think of it to myself in a completely different way than it is now accepted ... "He did not lose his sense of humor until the last minute and composed the canon "Doctor, close the gate so that death does not come." Overcoming incredible pain, he found the strength to console his old friend, the composer Hummel, who burst into tears, seeing his suffering. When Beethoven was operated on for the fourth time, and water gushed out of his stomach when pierced, he exclaimed with a laugh that the doctor seemed to him to be Moses, who struck the rock with a rod, and immediately, to console himself, added: “Better water from the stomach than from - under the pen.

On March 26, 1827, the pyramid-shaped clock on Beethoven's desk suddenly stopped, which always foreshadowed a thunderstorm. At five o'clock in the afternoon a real storm broke out with a downpour and hail. Bright lightning lit up the room, there was a terrible thunderclap - and it was all over ... On the spring morning of March 29, 20,000 people came to see off the maestro. What a pity that people often forget about those who are near while they are alive, and remember and admire them only after their death.

Everything passes. Suns also die. But for thousands of years they continue to carry their light in the midst of darkness. And for thousands of years we receive the light of these faded suns. Thank you, great maestro, for an example of worthy victories, for showing how you can learn to hear the voice of the heart and follow it. Each person seeks to find happiness, each overcomes difficulties and longs to understand the meaning of their efforts and victories.

And maybe your life, the way you searched and overcame, will help to find hope for those who seek and suffer. And a spark of faith will light up in their hearts that they are not alone, that all troubles can be overcome if you do not despair and give all the best that you have. Maybe, like you, someone will choose to serve and help others. And, like you, he will find happiness in this, even if the path to it leads through suffering and tears.

Anna Mironenko, Elena Molotkova, Tatyana Bryksina Electronic edition "Man Without Borders"