Ludwig van Beethoven (also less commonly Beethoven[7], German Ludwig van Beethoven Audio [?lu?tv?ç fan ?be?t?ho?fn?] file; December 16, 1770, Bonn - March 26, 1827, Vienna) was a German composer and pianist, the last representative of the "Viennese Classical School".

Beethoven is a key figure in classical music in the period between classicism and romanticism, one of the most performed composers in the world. He wrote in all genres of the time, including opera, music for dramatic performances, choral works. Instrumental works are considered the most significant in his legacy: piano, violin and cello sonatas, piano concertos, violin concertos, quartets, overtures, symphonies. Beethoven's work had a significant impact on the symphony of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Musical Europe was still full of rumors about the genius child prodigy - V. A. Mozart, when Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, in the family of a court chapel tenor. He was baptized on December 17, 1770, named after his grandfather, a respected bandmaster from Flanders. Beethoven received his first musical knowledge from his father and his colleagues. The father wanted him to become a "second Mozart" and forced his son to practice even at night. Beethoven did not become a child prodigy, but he discovered his talent as a composer quite early. He was greatly influenced by K. Nefe, who taught him composition and playing the organ - a man of advanced aesthetic and political beliefs. Due to the poverty of the family, Beethoven was forced to enter the service very early: at the age of 13, he was enrolled in the chapel as an assistant organist; later worked as a concertmaster at the Bonn National Theater. In 1787, he visited Vienna and met his idol Mozart, who, after listening to the young man's improvisation, said: "Pay attention to him; he will one day make the world speak for itself." Beethoven failed to become Mozart's student: a serious illness and the death of his mother forced him to return to Bonn in a hurry. There, Beethoven found moral support in the educated Breining family and became close to the university environment, which shared the most progressive views. The ideas of the French Revolution were enthusiastically met by Beethoven's Bonn friends and influenced the formation of his democratic beliefs.