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“ Portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820Signature of Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (; ; baptized 17 December 1770  – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers.
Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early 20s, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in his late twenties, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.

Biography

Background and early life
House of birth, Bonn, Bonngasse 20, now the Beethoven-Haus museumBeethoven was the grandson of a musician of Flemish origin named Ludwig van Beethoven (1712–73) who moved at the age of twenty to Bonn. (Ludwig is the German cognate of Dutch Lodewijk) who was employed as a bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne, rising to become Kapellmeister (music director). Ludwig had one son, Johann van Beethoven (1740–1792), who worked as a tenor in the same musical establishment, also giving lessons [......] ”

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