#Ludwig van beethoven compositions list full

Beethoven is furious, but he heals the rift with his teacher when he dedicates the Piano Sonatas to him. 2Ģ9 March: Beethoven's first public performance in Vienna, where he premieres either his First or Second Piano Concerto.īeethoven performs the Piano Trios before Haydn, who is critical of no. 1.īeethoven begins composing Piano Trios op. One after the other he defeats them and quickly establishes his reputation as the finest piano virtuoso in Vienna. The city's most influential musical patrons - particularly Prince Lichnowsky - take Beethoven under their wing, and put him forward to take on the city's piano virtuosos in improvisation contests. In fact he stays in Vienna for the rest of his life - never to return to his home town.ġ8 December: Beethoven's father dies. He has been given six months leave of absence by the elector. November: Beethoven, one month short of his 22nd birthday, leaves Bonn for Vienna to study with Haydn. On the boat, which sails up the Rhine and the Main, he is appointed kitchen scullion.ĥ December Mozart dies. 1791 The Ritterballetīeethoven composes the Ritterballet, allowing his patron Count Waldstein to claim it as his own composition.īeethoven goes with the electoral orchestra on a trip to Mergentheim. Haydn, impressed, encourages him to come to Vienna where, he promises, he will take him on as a pupil. He meets Beethoven, who shows him his scores of the two Cantatas. The musicians of the electoral orchestra refuse to perform the first, claiming it is unplayable.ĭecember: Haydn passes through Bonn on his way to London. 1790 Cantata on the Death of Joseph II the Cantata on the Elevation of Leopold IIīeethoven composes the Cantata on the Death of Joseph II, and the Cantata on the Elevation of Leopold II.

#Ludwig van beethoven compositions list full

In fact he remained in Bonn, and for appearance's sake he received his full retirement salary, making half of it over to his son privately. Because of his alcoholism, he was ordered by the Elector to be banished to a village away from Bonn, and half his salary paid to Ludwig. On one occasion, after becoming drunk in public, he was arrested - only to be released after Ludwig had pleaded with the police. 1789īeethoven's father, Johann van Beethoven, a tenor singer, is forced to retire from the electoral choir, after his increased drinking ruined his voice.

By the time he returns to Vienna nearly five years later, Mozart is dead.ġ7 July: Beethoven's mother, Maria Magdalena, dies. Barely two weeks after arriving, and having impressed Mozart so much he agrees to take him on as a pupil, Beethoven has to return to Bonn where his mother is dying of consumption. 1787 Meets MozartĪpril: Beethoven achieves his long-held ambition to travel to Vienna to meet Mozart, almost certainly thanks to the intervention of his patron Count Waldstein with the new Elector, Maximilian Franz. 1784īeethoven appointed assistant court organist alongside Neefe. Listen below:ġ4 October: Beethoven publishes the three Kurfürsten Piano Sonatas, dedicated to the Elector of Cologne and Münster, Maximilian Friedrich. Nine Variations on a March by Dressler includes clever harmonies, delightful melodic phrasing and hints at his later stormy musical character. He would surely become a second Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were he to continue as he has begun.' 1783 First compositionsīeethoven composes his first piece, aged 12. This youthful genius is deserving of help to enable him to travel. He played 'various clavier concertos and trios'.īeethoven begins lessons with Gottlob Neefe, who writes of him in Cramer's Magazin der Musik: 'He plays the clavier very skilfully and with power reads at sight very well. His father advertised his age as six years, although he was in fact seven, probably to draw favourable comparisons with the child prodigy Mozart. 1778: Beethoven's first public appearanceĢ6 March: Beethoven's first known public performance, in Cologne.