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Beethoven's birth
Ludwig Van Beethoven was born on Dec. 16, 1770 near the River Rhine in Germany to Johann Van Beethoven and Maria Keverich. His mother, Maria, was a noble and good-hearted person with abundant amounts of spirit. His father, Johann was a court musician and had very little strength of personality. This event is significant because Beethoven would move on and become one of the world's best composers creating multiple famous compositions. He also became one of the greatest musicians.(Wolcott 55). -
Beethoven's grandfather
On Dec. 24, 1773, Elder Ludwig Van Beethoven died when Beethoven was just three-years old. Like Beethoven, Elder Beethoven was musically talented too, except he was a singer. Beethoven was very close to his grandfather and constantly retained memories of him throughout his life, even though he died when he was three years old. This event is significant because Elder Ludwig' spirit helped carry Ludwig through the difficulty of his childhood, turning him into who he was. (Wolcott 55). -
The Revolutionary War
The American Revolution, began on April 19, 1775, and ended on Sept. 3, 1783. The growing tensions between the colonial government and Britain's American colonies resulted in the start of the war. Until Saratoga, the rebels' spirits dropped very quickly. The rebels fought for their freedom and won with the help of the French. This event is significant because the Americans earned their independence from Britain, no longer under the rule of England.
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Beethoven's 1st public concert
When Beethoven was about seven and a half, he performed his first public performance on March 26, 1778. The piece of music he played was called "Variations on a March By Dressler" on the piano. At Cologne, the audience was introduced to young Beethoven, whose father said he was six. He thought he was younger than he actually was, thanks to his dad. This event is significant because this will be the first of many public performances to come. ("History of Ludwig Van Beethoven"). -
Neefe's student
Beethoven's first experience with a "real" teacher wasn't until the year 1782. Christian-Gottlob Neefe, became a mentor to Beethoven. He taught him to play the piano and write basic composition, from musicians like Bach. Neefe and Beethoven grew a bond very quickly over the years, and referred to each other as great friends. This event is important because it gave Beethoven the knowledge, support and inspiration he needed to continue his passion of music.(Elliot). -
The Establishment of the U.S Government
The U.S Constitution was adopted on Sept. 17, 1787, which declared and described the three different branches of government(Executive, Legislative, and Judicial). The Executive branch is the president who can appoint the cabinet. The Legislative branch provides two houses of congress which determines representation. The Judicial branch has the Supreme Court which determines the meaning of the constitution. This is significant because it's a new form of government in the world. (Arnheim). -
Law of Conservation of Mass
The Law of Conservation of Mass was discovered by Antoine Lavoisier in 1789.It states "mass is neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions"(Lavoisier). He performed experiments in which the weight stayed the same.In order to prove his hypothesis, he needed large burning lenses to reach high temps. to cause chemical reactions.This is significant since it's important to the study of chemical reactions and is a guideline to scientists.("Lavoisier & the Law of Conservation of Mass"). -
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was "the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing"(Industrial Revolution). Some changes were technological which increased the use of natural resources. This is significant because it introduced new ways to increase the economy and produced "a wider distribution of wealth". ("Industrial Revolution"). It also increased mass production of manufactured goods. ("Industrial Revolution"). -
Time in Vienna
In 1792, Beethoven arrived in Vienna, Austria to pursue his dreams. However, the French Revolution was occurring during this time leaving many people wrapped up political unrest, rather than the arts. Beethoven, moved to Vienna to study with Haydn. Beethoven was very successful in the music industry. This event is significant because he composed some of his greatest and most challenging works, like the Fidelio, for the sophisticated Viennese aristocrats. (Jacobs 54-55). -
Beethoven's deafness
In the year 1798, Ludwig Van Beethoven started to become deaf. He hid it for as long as he could, but when he couldn't anymore, he used a notebook to help him. When visitors wanted to know something about him they wrote it in the notebook. He was advised by his doctors to try different treatments of his deafness, but nothing worked. This is significant because even though he lost his hearing, he wrote his greatest compositions including the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony.(Hicks). -
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars(1799-1815) were a series of conflicts between Napoleon Bonaparte and multiple European nations who fought against each other in bloody battles that overflowed into other countries. During this time, warfare and weaponry were slowly modernized, as well as weaponry. Napoleon's elite guard was eventually annihilated and he was exiled, resulting in the end of the war. This is significant because most of Europe was at war for 16 years. (Dugdale-Pointon). -
Beethoven's 5th Symphony
The 5th symphony was completely finished in 1808, and performed at the end of a long concert, where the participants were too tired to hear the beauty. Rhythm played a huge part in this composition because it tied the music together. This symphony is in four movements; the first dramatic, the second is calmer, the third is back to dramatic, and the fourth is explosive. This is significant because it's considered the most well known western piece of music in the world.(The Great Fifth Symphony). -
War of 1812
The War of 1812, began on June 8th 1812, and ended on March 23rd, 1815. The British’s multiple attempts to restrict US’ trade angered Americans, but the Royal Navy’s impressment of US sailers had angered Americans the most, initially starting the War of 1812. Both sides suffered defeats, but Great Britain lost the war, and signed the Treaty Of Ghent, declaring the US had won. This war is significant since it boosted self-confidence around the US and encouraged American expansion. (War of 1812). -
Beethoven's nephew
In January of 1816, Beethoven had gained full custody of his nephew, Karl Van Beethoven. Beethoven, obsessed with becoming Karl's father, saw Karl as his heir, musically, to which Karl wanted no part of. Karl would rather kill himself than become Beethoven's prodigy, and he attempted to commit suicide, but failed. This event is significant because this is when Beethoven felt like he failed the duty of a father, and had since changed his views on things. (Elliot). -
Beethoven's 9th symphony
On May 5, 1824, the first performance of the Ninth Symphony was performed.It was a grand event with the newest material composed by the greatest composer in Vienna at the time. However during this performance, Beethoven was completely deaf, but the applause was outstanding. This event is significant because this piece of music is recognized as one of the all-time greatest achievements in humanity. People still admire this masterpiece around the world today. (Kelly). -
Beethoven's death
On March 3, 1827, Ludwig Van Beethoven died from pneumonia in Vienna Austria because his nephew, Carl, had neglected to get him a doctor. This is significant because his legacy remains. He is considered the grestest composer of all time. Even though he was deaf for the majority of his compositions, that did not stop his creativeness. Beethoven is one of the most influential musicians in history. (Wolcott 60).
