Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in Bonn, Germany.  Ludwig gave his first public performance as a pianist when he was eight years old. At the age of eleven he received training in piano performance and composition from Christian Gottlob Neefe, organist and court musician in Bonn.  In 1787 Beethoven went to study in Vienna under Mozart but he soon had to return to Bonn, and after his mother's death had to look after the family.

In 1792 he moved to Vienna and took lessons from Haydn and others. By 1795 he had earned a name for himself as a pianist, admired especially for his brilliant improvisations. Before long he was traveling in the circles of the nobility. They offered Beethoven their patronage, and the composer dedicated his works to them in return. By 1809 his patrons provided him with money which enabled him to live as a freelance composer without financial worries.

Around the year 1798 Beethoven noticed that he was suffering from a hearing disorder. He withdrew into increasing seclusion for the public and from his few friends and was eventually completely deaf. By 1820 he was able to communicate with visitors and trusted friends only in writing, using "conversation notebooks".

The final years in the life of the restless bachelor (he moved fifty-two times) were darkened by severe illness and by the struggle over the guardianship of his nephew Karl. When the most famous composer of the age died, about thirty thousand mourners and curious onlookers were present at the funeral procession on March 26, 1827.

Therese Malfatti (1792-1851)

The Bagatelle in A minor known as 'Für Elise' (for Elise) was written in 1810 for Therese Malfatti - a lady Beethoven was considering marrying at that time. Nothing came of this, because Therese's father objected to the marriage and she married someone else instead. In a letter of May 1810 to Therese, Beethoven refers to the Bagatelle - 'In this letter, beloved Therese, you are receiving what I promised you.'  It has been suggested as Beethoven's hand-writing was notoriously bad that he had actually written 'Fur Therese' - however it seems that Beethoven did write the name 'Elise' which was used then as an affectionate name for a loved one.

What does Bagatelle mean?
A bagatelle is a short, light piece of music.

Click here to see and hear "Für Elise"

Is Vienna the capital city of Australia or Austria?