Chapter 01 of 5
The Boy from Bonn
A harsh father, a hard childhood, and a teenager who had to hold his family together.
- The Birth
Bonn, 1770
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, in what is now Germany, in December 1770. He was baptised on the 17th.
- The Family
A musical line
His grandfather, also called Ludwig, was the respected head of music at the local court. His father, Johann, was a court singer.
- The Father
A harsh teacher
Johann drank heavily and drove his son hard, sometimes making him practise late at night until he wept.
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Could you answer this?
Who did Beethoven's father want him to become?
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🎹 The Composer Who Couldn't Hear
- 01The Boy from BonnA harsh father, a hard childhood, and a teenager who had to hold his family together.
- 02A Secret SilenceVienna's star pianist begins to go deaf, and tells almost no one.
- 03The Heiligenstadt TestamentA secret letter of despair, then the most defiant music he ever wrote.
- 04Conversation BooksA deaf genius, notebooks full of chatter, and a secretary who rewrote history.
- 05Ode to JoyThe Ninth Symphony's premiere, a famous moment of applause, and a tune the world adopted.