The Story Behind Ode to Joy
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't... He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent. His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his father’s pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness. Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy. His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozart’s times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote “Prince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote “How unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I expl
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't... He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent. His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his father’s pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness. Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy. His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozart’s times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote “Prince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote “How unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I expl
Yes, a masterwork. :rose:
The difficult we do right away... ...the impossible takes slightly longer.
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't... He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent. His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his father’s pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness. Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy. His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozart’s times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote “Prince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote “How unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I expl
In this context, about 40 years ago, I used to hear a similarity between the three composers Beethoven - Bach - Mozart and ... The Trinity of South Indian music (also called Carnatic Music) - Thyagaraja Swamigal, Muthuswami Deekshitar and Shyama Shastri, in the Tamilnadu - Andhra region. These three were prolific composers, devotional lyrics. Same timeframe, around 1650 to 1850.
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't... He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent. His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his father’s pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness. Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy. His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozart’s times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote “Prince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote “How unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I expl
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I thought this might be a bit boring, but it was genuinely fascinating. I'm not a Beethoven, (or Mozart) fan but can still appreciate their talent - whether it be natural or by virtue of hard work. Thank you for the insight.
Thanks man. He led an interesting life, that’s for sure.
Jeremy Falcon
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't... He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent. His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his father’s pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness. Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy. His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozart’s times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote “Prince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote “How unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I expl
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I'm sure most of us know the story of Beethoven, but for those that don't... He grew up with an abusive father who was a failed musician but wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. Mozart was only born 14 years prior to Beethoven, but Mozart was a natural child prodigy. So much so that he was renowned by the time Beethoven was getting potty trained. Beethoven was never the natural prodigy like Mozart, he's good but it didn't come naturally. It was forced by his father and Beethoven made the most of it. Still, he looked up to Mozart for his natural talent. His mother was clinically depressed and resented her husband and her marriage. As the oldest son of three, Ludwig was forced to play organ and piano to earn enough money to keep the family afloat. When his father was forced to retire - fired - with a pension, Ludwig had to petition the court to name himself guardian of his father’s pension because his father would drink it all up. This is all while he was still a teenager. When he was 16, he finally got the chance to study with Mozart, but had to cut it short due to his mother's illness. Having lousy role models his entire life. Beethoven's relationships always sucked. He grew up to be abusive too. His world was angst, pain, and hurt and he kept the hate legacy alive by treating the people in his life like crap too. But, back in the depths of his mind he always knew he was screwed up just like his father and deep down wanted happiness and that love that normal people have. And he always had this little melody in the back of his mind that he associated with being happy. His relationship with his nephew horrifies us today. His business dealings with his publishers and benefactors were jaw-droppingly unethical at times. His open disrespect of the aristocrats who were his benefactors would have landed him in prison in Mozart’s times. In one famous letter to one such aristocrat, he wrote “Prince, you are what you are only because of the luck of being born. What I am, I am because I made who I am by my own industry and struggles. There may be many Princes, but there is only one Beethoven.” Just as his career and ambitions were beginning to take off, he began to lose his hearing at the age of 28. By the time of his Second Symphony it was noticeable enough that he had difficulty having conversations. He considered suicide, in a letter to his brothers, trying to explain his predicament and his increasing isolation. In it, he wrote “How unfairly people judge me, not knowing or understanding me. How can I expl
There's a movie about (some of) his life, Immortal Beloved. Though I cannot recall most of it, it's been about twenty years ago since I saw it, I do remember I quite liked it. It gets decent scores on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes too. There's a movie about Mozart too, Amadeus, which I also liked and which scores very highly. Both recommended.
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