Beethoven From Writing Music example essay topic

"Two of the most well know and respected composers of all time". The Great Composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig Van Beethoven died over one hundred and fifty plus years ago. Now after their lives are over, their music is still studied, enjoyed and respected today. These two great composers had very different approaches to music. But none less spectacular than the next. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 and is considered one of the best, if not the best, classical composer ever.

By the age of three Mozart was playing the piano like a pro. He by four he was writing his own music. Mozart even put a concert together when he was only six. Just like breathing, music obviously came naturally to him.

Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 16, 1770. His dad and grandpa were both musicians who passed along their talent. Beethoven gave his first public appearance (playing piano) when he was eight and had his first piece of music published by the time he was 12 years old. As a child Mozart toured Europe for years with his dad who was also a talented musicians. He played for the rich, for royalty and for the public. Mozart's audience loved his blond curls, his high-pitched voice and his polite ways.

As a teenager he mastered the harpsichord and completed his first opera, "La f inta semplice". Mozart played all over Europe but often returned to his hometown of Salzburg, in Austria. As a young adult he was still touring but he was no longer a child wonder. Mozart still had talent and continued to write great music, which he played, for small audiences. He also began teaching to make ends meet. When Beethoven was 17 he took off for Vienna.

He even studied under Mozart while he was there. Beethoven's trip was cut short when he found out his mother was dying. He quickly returned home. Five years later Beethoven went back to Vienna to live.

In a few years he had earned a name for himself as a first class musician and was playing for the rich and famous. They also supported him. In return Beethoven dedicated his music to his audience. So Beethoven not only earned recognition and respect, he also made a great of money as well. As a composer Mozart made very little money and wrote many letters to publishers, friends and even acquaintances for small loans. Because of his inability to support his family, his wife became ill from not eating properly.

Later Mozart also became sick. He didn't stop writing music though. When Beethoven was 28 years old, he noticed his hearing was going. He was very upset by this - so much so that he thought of ending his life. Beethoven's social life was affected the most. He is said to have had sudden bursts of anger in public.

As his hearing became worse, Beethoven went into seclusion from both the public and his friends. Eventually, he was left completely deaf. He only communicated with visitors and trusted friends by writing. One day Mozart whom was in his thirties was found at his desk unconscious.

He was taken to bed, but he knew he was dying. He gave one of his students precise details about how his last work, "Requiem", was to be completed. Shortly before his last breath, Mozart tried to sing parts of his last work. On December 5, 1791, Mozart said goodbye to his family, turned to face the wall and passed away.

Mozart probably died of rheumatic fever, not poisoning like some people speculate. Mozart's body was thrown into a pauper's grave in the churchyard of St. Mark in Vienna. When his wife, Constance, returned with flowers a week later, she couldn't find his grave. Because Mozart died a poor man, his grave had been unmarked and his body unidentified. Being deaf didn't stop Beethoven from writing music and it was good music.

But life wasn't easy for him. Beethoven was seriously ill. He moved over fifty times during his final years. Beethoven also took it upon himself to get custody of his nephew. He eventually won custody of his nephew Karl.

He tried to mold Karl into what he wanted but it didn't happen. When the great composer died at the age of 50, almost 30,000 people attended his funeral. Unlike Mozart and other composers of that time, Beethoven enjoyed recognition prior to his death. So notwithstanding the many dimensions of life that both composers traveled through, and despite being dead for over a hundred years, their classical tunes are still considered to be some of the best music still played today.