• December 16, 1770 - March 26, 1827
• Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, all of which were composed between 1799 and 1824.
• He studied under Haydn for less than a year in 1793.
• In 1801, he wrote a letter to his friend about his loss of hearing. He soon went completely deaf, but continued to compose.
• His father Johann sang soprano in the electoral chapel where Johann's father was Kapellmeister (chapel master). Johann grew up proficient enough to teach violin, piano, and voice to earn a living.
• At a very early age, he received violin and piano lessons from his father. Although his musical genius was compared to that of Mozart's, his education never exceeded elementary level.
• He had seven brothers and sisters, but only two survived: Caspar Anton Carl and Nikolaus Johann.
• His third Symphony, "Eroica," was originally titled Bonaparte, a tribute to Napoleon.
• He loved a woman named Fanny, but never married. He spoke of her in a letter saying, "I found only one whom I shall doubtless never possess." >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France, for all above

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