The musical works of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) are listed below. Two overlapping lists of Beethoven's works are presented here. The first is a listing of his most well-known works classified by genre. The second is a larger list of works, classified by various numbering systems. Years in parentheses denote dates of composition or publication.

The most common methods of numbering Beethoven's works are by Opus number, assigned by Beethoven's publishers during his lifetime, and by number within genre. For example, the 14th string quartet, published as Opus 131, may be referenced either as "String Quartet No. 14" or "the Opus 131 String Quartet".

Many works that were unpublished have been assigned either "WoO" or "Anh" numbers. For example, the short piano piece "Für Elise", is more fully known as the "Bagatelle in A minor, WoO 59 ('Für Elise')". Some works are also commonly referred to by their nicknames, such as the 'Kreutzer' Violin Sonata, or the Eroica Symphony.

The listings that follow include all of these relevant identifiers. While other catalogues of Beethoven's works exist, the numbers here represent the most commonly used and widely known.

List of works by genre

Orchestral music

Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, nine concertos, and a variety of other orchestral music, ranging from overtures and incidental music for theatrical productions to other miscellaneous "occasional" works, written for a particular occasion. Of the concertos, seven are widely known (one violin concerto, five piano concertos, and one triple concerto for violin, piano, and cello); the other two are an unpublished early piano concerto (WoO 4) and an arrangement of the Violin Concerto for piano and orchestra (Opus 61a).

Symphonies

Opus 21: Symphony No. 1 in C major (composed 1799–1800, premièred 1800)

Opus 36: Symphony No. 2 in D major (composed 1801–02, premièred 1803)

Opus 55: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major ("Eroica") (composed 1803/04, premièred 1804)

Opus 60: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major (composed 1806, premièred 1807)

Opus 67: Symphony No. 5 in C minor (composed 1804–08, premièred 1808)

Opus 68: Symphony No. 6 in F major ("Pastoral") (composed 1804–08, premièred 1808)

Opus 92: Symphony No. 7 in A major (composed 1811–12, premièred 1813)

Opus 93: Symphony No. 8 in F major (composed 1812, premièred 1814)

Opus 125: Symphony No. 9 in D minor ("Choral") (composed 1817–24, premièred 1824)

Once believed by some to be an early symphony by Beethoven, the "Jena" Symphony in C major is now thought to be by Friedrich Witt.

Beethoven is believed to have intended to write a Tenth Symphony in the last year of his life; a performing version of possible sketches was assembled by Barry Cooper.

Concerti

WoO 4: Piano Concerto No. 0 in E-flat major (1784)

Opus 19: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (first two movements composed 1787–1789, finale composed in 1795)

Opus 15: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major (composed 1796–97)

Opus 37: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor (composed 1800–01)

Opus 56: Triple Concerto for violin, cello, and piano in C major (1805)

Opus 58: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major (composed 1805–06)

Opus 61: Violin Concerto in D major (1806)

Opus 61a: Beethoven's arrangement of Opus 61 for piano

Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor") (composed 1809–10)

Hess 13: Romance in E minor for 3 soloists and orchestra

Hess 15: Piano Concerto No. 6 in D major (unfinished – performing version completed by Nicholas Cook) (1815)

Other works for soloist and orchestra

WoO 6: Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in B-flat major (1793)

Opus 40: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G major (1802)

Opus 50: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major (1798)

Opus 80: "Choral Fantasy" (Fantasia in C minor for piano, chorus, and orchestra) (1808)

Hess 12: Oboe Concerto in F (fragment)

Overtures and incidental music

Opus 43: The Creatures of Prometheus, overture and ballet music (1801)

Opus 62: Coriolan Overture (1807)

Overtures composed for Beethoven's opera Fidelio, Op. 72:

*Opus 72: Fidelio Overture (1814)

*Opus 72a: Leonore Overture "No. 2" (1805)

*Opus 72b: Leonore Overture "No. 3" (1806)

*Opus 138: Leonore Overture "No. 1" (1807)

Opus 84: Egmont, overture and incidental music (1810)

Opus 91: Wellington's Victory ("Battle Symphony") (1813)

Opus 113: The Ruins of Athens (Die Ruinen von Athen), overture and incidental music (1811)

Opus 117: King Stephen (König Stephan), overture and incidental music (1811)

Opus 115: Zur Namensfeier (Feastday) Overture (1815)

Opus 124: Consecration of the House (Die Weihe des Hauses), overture (1822)

Chamber music

Beethoven wrote 16 string quartets and numerous other forms of chamber music, including piano trios, string trios, and sonatas for violin and cello with piano, as well as works with wind instruments.

Trios

Piano trios

The numbering of Beethoven's twelve piano trios is fairly arbitrary, and other than the three trios in Op. 1 as being Nos. 1 through 3, sources including both recordings and authoritative publications use other numberings from those shown here, or more frequently, none at all. It's more usual to identify a piano trio only by its catalog number and key.

Hess 48: Allegretto in E-flat major for Piano Trio (ca. 1790–1792)

WoO 38: Piano Trio in E-flat major (1791)

WoO 39: Allegretto in B-flat major for Piano Trio (1812)

Opus 1: Three Piano Trios (1795)

*No. 1: Piano Trio No. 1 in E-flat major

*No. 2: Piano Trio No. 2 in G major

*No. 3: Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor

Opus 11: Piano Trio [No. 4](?) in B-flat major ("Gassenhauer") (1797) (version with violin)

Opus 44: Variations on an original theme in E-flat major

Opus 70: Two Piano Trios (1808)

*No. 1: Piano Trio [No. 5](?) in D major, "Ghost"

*No. 2: Piano Trio [No. 6](?) in E-flat major

Opus 97: Piano Trio [No. 7](?) in B-flat major ("Archduke") (1811)

Opus 121a: Kakadu Variations, for Piano Trio (Variations on "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu") (1803)

Piano quartets

WoO 36: 3 Piano Quartets (1785)

*No. 1 in E-flat major

*No. 2 in D major

*No. 3 in C major

Opus 16/b: Piano Quartet in E-flat (1797) (arrangement of Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op. 16)

String trios

Opus 3: String Trio No. 1 in E-flat major (1794); five-movement piano transcription (anon, supervised composer?, c 1814–15)

Opus 8: String Trio No. 2 ("Serenade") in D major (1797)

Opus 9: Three String Trios (1798)

*No. 1: String Trio No. 3 in G major

*No. 2: String Trio No. 4 in D major

*No. 3: String Trio No. 5 in C minor

Hess 28: Movement in A-flat for String Trio

Other

WoO 37: Trio for flute, bassoon, and piano in G major (1786)

String quartets

Early

Opus 18: Six String Quartets

*No. 1: String Quartet No. 1 in F major (1799)

*No. 2: String Quartet No. 2 in G major (1799)

*No. 3: String Quartet No. 3 in D major (1798/99)

*No. 4: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor (1799)

*No. 5: String Quartet No. 5 in A major (1799)

*No. 6: String Quartet No. 6 in B-flat major (1800)

Middle

Opus 59: Three String Quartets ("Rasumovsky") (1806)

*No. 1: String Quartet No. 7 in F major

*No. 2: String Quartet No. 8 in E minor

*No. 3: String Quartet No. 9 in C major

Opus 74: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major ("Harp") (1809)

Opus 95: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ("Serioso") (1810)

Late

Opus 127: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major (1823/24)

Opus 130: String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major (1825)

Opus 131: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor (1826)

Opus 132: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (1825)

Opus 133: Große Fuge in B-flat major – originally finale of Opus 130 (1826) (Also arranged by Beethoven for piano duet (four-hands) Opus 134) (1826)

Opus 135: String Quartet No. 16 in F major (1826)

String quintets

Opus 4: String Quintet in E-flat major (1795)

Opus 29: String Quintet in C major (1801)

Opus 104: String Quintet in C minor (1817)

Opus 137: Fugue for String Quintet in D major (1817)

Chamber music with winds

WoO 37: Trio for Piano, Flute, and Bassoon in G major (1786)

Opus 11: Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello in B-flat major ("Gassenhauer") (Version with Violin instead of Clarinet is considered Piano Trio No. 4) (1797)

Opus 16: Quintet for piano and winds in E-flat major (1796) (later arranged for piano quartet)

Opus 20: Septet for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and contrabass in E-flat major (1799)

Opus 25: Serenade for flute, violin and viola in D major (1800-01)

Opus 38: Trio for Piano, Clarinet (or Violin), and Cello in E-flat major (1803) (reduction of the Op. 20 Septet)

Opus 71: Sextet for clarinets, horns, and bassoons in E-flat major (1796)

Opus 81b: Sextet for Horns and String Quartet

Opus 87: Trio for two oboes and English horn in C major (1795)

Opus 103: Octet for oboes, clarinets, horns, and bassoons in E-flat major (1792)

Opus 105: Six sets of variations for piano and flute (1819)

Opus 107: Ten sets of variations for piano and flute (1820)

Hess 19: Wind Quintet in E-flat

Sonatas for solo instrument and piano

Violin sonatas

Opus 12: Three Violin Sonatas (1798)

*No. 1: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major

*No. 2: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major

*No. 3: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E-flat major

Opus 23: Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor (1801)

Opus 24: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major ("Spring") (1801)

Opus 30: Three Violin Sonatas (1803)

*No. 1: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A major

*No. 2: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor

*No. 3: Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major

Opus 47: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major ("Kreutzer") (1803)

Opus 96: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major ("The Cockcrow") (1812)

Cello sonatas

Opus 5: Two Cello Sonatas (1796)

*No. 1: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major

*No. 2: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor

Opus 69: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major (1808)

Opus 102: Two Cello Sonatas (1815)

*No. 1: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major

*No. 2: Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major

Horn sonatas

Opus 17: Horn Sonata in F major (1800)

Solo piano music

In addition to the 32 celebrated sonatas, Beethoven's work for solo piano includes many one-movement pieces, notably more than twenty largely unpublished sets of variations and over thirty bagatelles, including the well-known Für Elise.

====Piano sonatas====

Opus 2: Three Piano Sonatas (1795)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major

*No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major

Opus 7: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major ("Grand Sonata") (1797)

Opus 10: Three Piano Sonatas (1798)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major

*No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major

Opus 13: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ("Pathétique") (1798)

Opus 14: Two Piano Sonatas (1799)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major (Also arranged by the composer for String Quartet in F major (H 34) in 1801)

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major

Opus 22: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major (1800)

Opus 26: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major ("Funeral March") (1801)

Opus 27: Two Piano Sonatas (1801)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major 'Sonata quasi una fantasia'

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor 'Sonata quasi una fantasia' ("Moonlight")

Opus 28: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major ("Pastoral") (1801)

Opus 31: Three Piano Sonatas (1802)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor ("Tempest")

*No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major ("The Hunt")

Opus 49: Two Piano Sonatas (1792)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major

Opus 53: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ("Waldstein") (1803)

*WoO 57: Andante favori – Original middle movement of the "Waldstein" sonata (1804)

Opus 54: Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major (1804)

Opus 57: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ("Appassionata") (1805)

Opus 78: Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major ("A Thérèse") (1809)

Opus 79: Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major (1809)

Opus 81a: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major ("Les adieux/Das Lebewohl") (1810)

Opus 90: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor (1814)

Opus 101: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major (1816)

Opus 106: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major ("Hammerklavier") (1819)

Opus 109: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major (1820)

Opus 110: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major (1821)

Opus 111: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor (1822)

Variations

Opus 34: Six variations on a theme in F major (1802)

Opus 35: Fifteen variations and a fugue on an original theme in E-flat major ("Eroica Variations") (1802)

Opus 76: Six variations on an original theme in D major (1809)

Opus 120: Thirty-three variations on a waltz by Diabelli in C major ("Diabelli Variations") (1823)

WoO 63: Nine variations for piano on a march by Ernst Christoph Dressler

WoO 64: Six Variations on a Swiss song for piano or harp

WoO 65: Twenty-four variations for piano on Vincenzio Righini's aria "Venni Amore"

WoO 66: Thirteen variations for piano on the aria "Es war einmal ein alter Mann" from Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf's opera Das rote Käppchen

WoO 67: Eight variations for piano four hands on a theme by Count Waldstein

WoO 68: Twelve variations for piano on the "Menuet a la Vigano" from Jakob Haibel's ballet La nozza disturbate

WoO 69: Nine variations for piano on "Quant'e piu bello" from Giovanni Paisiello's opera La Molinara

WoO 70: Six variations for piano on "Nel cor più non mi sento" from Giovanni Paisiello's opera La Molinara

WoO 71: Twelve variations for piano on the Russian dance from Paul Wranitzky's ballet Das Waldmädchen

WoO 72: Eight variations for piano on "Une Fièvre Brûlante" from André Ernest Modeste Grétry's opera Richard Coeur-de-lion

WoO 73: Ten variations for piano on "La stessa, la stessissima" from Antonio Salieri's opera Falstaff

WoO 74: "Ich denke dein" — song with six variations for piano four hands

WoO 75: Seven variations for piano on "Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen" from Peter Winter's opera Das unterbrochene Opferfest

WoO 76: Eight variations for piano on "Tandeln und scherzen" from Franz Xaver Süssmayr's opera Soliman II

WoO 77: Six easy variations on an original theme for piano

WoO 78: Seven variations for piano on "God Save the King"

WoO 79: Five variations for piano on "Rule Britannia"

WoO 80: Thirty-two variations on an original theme in C minor (1806)

Bagatelles

Opus 33: Seven Bagatelles (1802)

Opus 119: Eleven new Bagatelles (1822)

Opus 126: Six Bagatelles (1823)

WoO 52: Presto (Bagatelle) for piano in C minor (1795, rev. 1798 and 1822) WoO 53: Allegretto (Bagatelle) for piano in C minor (1796–97) WoO 54: Lustig-Traurig (Bagatelle) for piano in C major (1802) WoO 56: Allegretto (Bagatelle) for piano in C major (1803, rev. 1822) WoO 59: Poco moto (Bagatelle) in A minor, "Für Elise" (c. 1810) WoO 60: Ziemlich lebhaft (Bagatelle) for piano in B-flat major (1818)

Other works

Opus 39: Two Preludes through all twelve major keys for piano (1789)

Opus 42: Notturno for Viola and Piano in D major (1803)

Opus 51: Two Rondos for Piano (1797)

*No. 1: Rondo in C major

*No. 2: Rondo in G major

Opus 77: Piano Fantasia in G minor (1809)

Opus 89: Polonaise in C major (1814)

Opus 129: Rondo à Capriccio for piano in G major ("Rage over a lost penny") (1795)

Vocal music

While he completed only one opera, Beethoven wrote vocal music throughout his life, including two Mass settings, other works for chorus and orchestra (in addition to the Ninth Symphony), arias, duets, art songs (lieder), and true song cycles.

Opera

Opus 72: Leonore (1805) The first version in three acts

Opus 72: Leonore (1806) The second version in two acts

Opus 72: Fidelio (1814) The final version in two acts

Choral

Opus 80: Choral Fantasy for solo piano, chorus, and orchestra (1808)

Opus 85: Christus am Ölberge (Christ on the Mount of Olives) – oratorio (1803)

Opus 86: Mass in C major (1807)

Opus 112: Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), for chorus and orchestra (1815)

Opus 123: Missa Solemnis in D major (1823)

Opus 136: The moment of Glory, Cantata for four solo voices, chorus and orchestra

*1. Chorus: "Europa steht!"

*2. Recitative: "O seht sie nah und näher treten!", Chorus: "Vienna Vienna Vienna"

*3. Recitative: "O Himmel welch Enzücken!" Aria (Vienna) with chorus: "Alle die Herrscher darf ich grüssen"

*4. Recitative: "Das Auge schaut" with chorus: "Dem die erste Zähre"

*5. Recitative: "Der den Bund im Sturme festgehalten"

*6. Chorus: "Es treten vor die Scharem der Frauen"

Emperor Cantatas

*WoO 87: Funeral cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra

**1. Chorus and soloists: "Tot! Tot, stöhnt es durch die öde Nacht"

**2. Recitative: "Ein Ungeheuer, sein Name Fanatismus" (bass)

**Aria: "Da kam Joseph" (bass)

**3. Aria (soprano) with chorus: "Da stiegen die Menschen an's Licht"

**4. Recitative: "Er schläft, von den Sorgen seiner Welten entladen" (soprano)

**Aria: "Hier schlummert seinen stillen Frieden der grosse Dulder" (soprano)

**5. Chorus and soloists: "Tot! Tot, stöhnt es durch die öde Nacht"

*WoO 88: Cantata on the Accession of Emperor Leopold II, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra

**1. Recitative: "Er schlummert" – "Lasst sanft den grossen Fürsten Ruhen!" (soprano, chorus)

**Aria: "Fliesse, Wonnezähre, fliesse!" (soprano)

**2. Recitative: "Ihr staunt, Völker der Erde!" (bass)

**3. Recitative: "Wie bebt mein Herz vor Wonne!" (tenor)

**Trio: "Ihr, die Joseph ihren Vater nannten" (tenor, bass, soprano)

**4. Chorus: "Heil! Stürzet nieder, Millionen" (chorus, soloists)

Song

Opus 46: "Adelaide" – song (1794–1795)

Opus 48: "Gellert Songs" – song set (1802)

Opus 52: 8 Lieder

*no.1 Urians Reise um die Welt (before 1790?)

*no.2 Feuerfarb (1794)

*no.3 Das Liedchen von der Ruhe (1794)

*no.4 Maigesang (1796)

*no.5 Mollys Abschied (?)

*no.6 Die Liebe (1790)

*no.7 Marmotte (1790?)

*no.8 Das Blümchen Wunderhold (?)

Opus 75: 6 Gesänge

*no.1 Kennst du das Land

*no.2 (2nd Version) Neue Liebe neues Leben

*no.3 Aus Goethes Faust (Mephistos Flohlied)

*no.4 Gretels Warnung; no.5 An den fernen Geliebten

*no.6 Der Zufriedene

Opus 82: 4 Arietten und ein Duett (1809–10)

*no.1 Dimmi ben mio che mami

*no.2 Tintendo si mio cor

*no.3 Lamante impaziente (Arietta buffa)

*no.4 Lamante impaziente (Arietta assai seriosa)

*no.5 Odi laura che dolce sospira (Duet)

Opus 88: "Vita felice" (1803)

Opus 94: "An die Hoffnung" (2nd Version, 1815)

Opus 98: An die ferne Geliebte – song cycle (April 1816) (“The first true song cycle in the history of music”)

*no.1 Auf dem Hügel sitz ich spähend

*no.2 Wo die Berge so blau

*no.3 Leichte Segler in den Höhen

*no.4 Diese Wolken in den Höhen

*no.5. Es kehret der Maien, es blühet die Au

*no.6 Nimm sie hin denn, diese Lieder

Opus 99: Der Mann von Wort (Summer 1816)

Opus 100: Merkenstein (2nd setting, 1815)

Opus 108: Twenty-five Scottish Songs

*No. 1 Music, love and wine

*No. 2 Sunset

*No. 3 O sweet were the hours

*No. 4 The Maid of Isla

*No. 5 The sweetest lad was Jamie

*No. 6 Dim, dim is my eye

*No. 7 Bonny Laddie, Highland Laddie

*No. 8 The lovely lass of Inverness

*No. 9 Behold, my Love, how Green The Groves

*No. 10 Sympathy

*No. 11 Oh! thou art the lad of my heart, Willy

*No. 12 Oh, had my fate been join′d with thine

*No. 13 Come fill, fill, my good fellow!

*No. 14 O, how can I be blithe and glad

*No. 15 O cruel was my father

*No. 16 Could this ill world have been contriv′d

*No. 17 O Mary, at thy window be

*No. 18 Enchantress, farewell

*No. 19 O swiftly glides the bonny boat

*No. 20 Faithfu′ Johnie

*No. 21 Jeanie′s Distress

*No. 22 The Highland Watch

*No. 23 The Shepherd's Song

*No. 24 Again, my lyre, yet once again

*No. 25 Sally in our Alley

Opus 128: Ariette (Der Kuss) (1798, 1822)

WoO 107: Achilderung eines Machens (1782)

WoO 118: Seufzer eines Ungeliebten – Gegenlieb (1795)

WoO 123: Ich liebe dich so wie du mich (Zartliche Liebe) (1795)

WoO 124: La partenze (1795)

WoO 126: Opferlied (1798)

WoO 129: Der Wachtelschlag (1803)

WoO 132: Als die Geliebte sich trennen wolte (1806)

WoO 133: In questa tomba oscura (1807)

WoO 135: Die laute Klage (1814–15)

WoO 136: Andenken (1808)

WoO 137: Gesang aus der Ferne (1809)

WoO 138: Der Jüngling in der Fremde (1809)

WoO 139: Der Liebende (1809)

WoO 142: Der Bardengeist (1813)

WoO 145: Das Geheimnis (Liebe und Wahrheit) (1815)

WoO 146: Sehnsucht (late 1815)

WoO 147: Ruf vom Berge (December 1816)

WoO 149: Resignation (Winter 1817)

WoO 150: Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel (1820)

WoO 108: An einen Säugling (1783)

WoO 109: Erhebt das Glas mit froher Hand (Trinklied beim Abschied zu singen) (1791 or 1792)

WoO 110: Elegie auf den Tod eines Pudels (?)

WoO 111: Punschlied (1791 or 1792)

WoO 112: An Laura (1792)

WoO 113: Klage (1790)

WoO 114: Ein Selbstgespräch (1793)

WoO 115: An Minna (1792)

WoO 116: Que le temps me dure (1st version hess129; 2nd version hess130)

WoO 117: Der freie Mann (1794 or 1795)

WoO 119: Oh care selve oh cara (1794 or 1795)

WoO 120: Man strebt die Flamme zu verhehlen (1800 or 1801)

WoO 121: Abschiedsgesang an Wiens Bürger (Nov. 1796)

WoO 122: Kriegslied der Österreicher (April 1797)

WoO 125: La tiranna (1798–99)

WoO 127: Neue Liebe neues Leben (1798–99)

WoO 128: Romance (1799)

WoO 130: Gedenke mein! (1820)

WoO 134: Sehnsucht (1st–5th setting, 1807–08)

WoO 140: An die Geliebte (2nd–3rd version, 1811)

WoO 141: Der Gesang der Nachtigall (1813)

WoO 143: Des Kriegers Abschied (1814)

WoO 144: Merkenstein (1st setting 1814)

WoO 148: So oder so (1816–17)

WoO 150: Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel (Spring 1820) (“The final contribution to the medium before writing the song of the songs, that symbiosis of vocal and instrumental music that forms the final movement of the Ninth Symphony”)

WoO 151: Der edle Mensch (1823?)

Hess 133: Das liebe Kätzchen (March 1820)

Hess 134: Der Knabe auf dem Berge (March 1820)

Folksong Arrangements

Opus 108: 25 Scottish Songs

*No. 1 Music, love and wine

*No. 2 Sunset

*No. 3 O sweet were the hours

*No. 4 The Maid of Isla

*No. 5 The sweetest lad was Jamie

*No. 6 Dim, dim is my eye

*No. 7 Bonny Laddie, Highland Laddie

*No. 8 The lovely lass of Inverness

*No. 9 Behold, my Love, how Green The Groves

*No. 10 Sympathy

*No. 11 Oh! thou art the lad of my heart, Willy

*No. 12 Oh, had my fate been join’d with thine

*No. 13 Come fill, fill, my good fellow!

*No. 14 O, how can I be blithe and glad

*No. 15 O cruel was my father

*No. 16 Could this ill world have been contriv’d

*No. 17 O Mary, at thy window be

*No. 18 Enchantress, farewell

*No. 19 O swiftly glides the bonny boat

*No. 20 Faithfu’ Johnie

*No. 21 Jeanie’s Distress

*No. 22 The Highland Watch

*No. 23 The Shepherd’s Song

*No. 24 Again, my lyre, yet once again

*No. 25 Sally in our Alley

WoO 152: 25 Irish Songs

*No. 1 The Return to Ulster

*No. 2 Sweet Power of Song!

*No. 3 Once more I hail thee

*No. 4 The morning air plays on my face

*No. 5 On the Massacre of Glencoe

*No. 6 What shall I do to shew how much I love her?

*No. 7 His boat comes on the sunny tide

*No. 8 Come draw we round a cheerful ring

*No. 9 Our bugles sung truce; or The Soldier’s Dream

*No. 10 The Deserter

*No. 11 Thou emblem of Faith (Upon returning a ring)

*No. 12 English Bulls; or, The Irishman in London

*No. 13 Musing on the roaring ocean

*No. 14 Dermot and shelah

*No. 15 Let brain-spinning swains

*No. 16 Hide not thy anguish

*No. 17 In vain to this desert my fate I deplore

*No. 18 They bid me slight my Dermot Dear

*No. 19 Wife, Children and Friends

*No. 20 Farewell bliss and farewell Nancy

*No. 21 Morning a cruel turmoiler is

*No. 22 From Garyone, my happy home

*No. 23 A wand’ring gypsey, Sirs, am I

*No. 24 The Traugh Welcome

*No. 25 O harp of Erin

WoO 153: 20 Irish Songs

*No. 1 When Eve’s last rays in twilight die

*No. 2 No riches from his scanty store

*No. 3 The British Light Dragoons; or The Plain of Badajos

*No. 4 Since greybeards inform us that youth will decay

*No. 5 I dreamd I lay where flow’rs were springing

*No. 6 Sad and luckless was the season

*No. 7 O soothe me, my lyre

*No. 8 Farewell mirth and hilarity: Norah of Balamagairy

*No. 9 The kiss, dear maid, thy lip has left

*No. 10 Oh! Thou hapless soldier

*No. 11 When far from the home

*No. 12 I’ll praise the saints with early song

*No. 13 ’Tis sunshine at last

*No. 14 Paddy O’Rafferty

*No. 15 ’Tis but in vain, for nothing thrives

*No. 16 O might I but my Patrick love!

*No. 17 Come, Darby dear! easy be easy

*No. 19 Judy, lovely matchless creature

*No. 18 No more, my Mary, I sigh for splendour

*No. 20 Thy ship must sail, my Henry dear

WoO 154: 12 Irish Songs

*No. 1 The Elfin Fairies

*No. 2 O Harp of Erin

*No. 3 The Farewell Song

*No. 4 The pulse of an Irishman

*No. 5 O who, my dear Dermot

*No. 6 Put round the bright wine

*No. 7 From Garyon, my happy home

*No. 8 Save me from the grave and wise

*No. 9 O would I were but that sweet linnet!

*No. 10 The hero may perish

*No. 11 The soldier in A Foreign Land

*No. 12 He promised me at parting

WoO 157: 12 Songs Of Various Nationalities

*No. 1 God save the King

*No. 2 The Soldier

*No. 3 Charlie is my darling

*No. 4 O sanctissima

*No. 5 The Miller of Dee

*No. 6 A health to the brave

*No. 7 Robin Adair

*No. 8 By the side of the Shannon

*No. 9 Highlander’s Lament

*No. 10 Sir Johnnie Cope

*No. 11 The wandering minstrel

*No. 12 La gondoletta

WoO 155: 26 Welsh Songs

*No. 1 Sion, The Son of Evan

*No. 2 The Monks of Bangor’s March

*No. 3 The Cottage Maid

*No. 4 Love without hope

*No. 5 The Golden Robe

*No. 6 The Fair Maid of Mona

*No. 7 O let the night my blushes hide

*No. 8 Farewell, thou noisy town

*No. 9 To the Aeolian Harp

*No. 10 Ned Pugh’s Farewell

*No. 11 Merch Megan; or, Peggy’s Daughter

*No. 12 Waken, lords and ladies gay

*No. 13 Helpless Woman

*No. 14 The Dream

*No. 15 When mortals all to rest retire

*No. 16 The Damsels of Cardigan

*No. 17 The Dairy House

*No. 18 Sweet Richard

*No. 19 The Vale of Clwyd

*No. 20 To the Blackbird

*No. 21 Cupid’s kindness

*No. 22 Constancy

*No. 23 The Old Strain

*No. 24 Three Hundred Pounds

*No. 25 The Parting Kiss

*No. 26 Good Night

WoO 156: 12 Scottish Songs

*No. 1 The Banner of Buccleuch

*No. 2 Duncan Grey

*No. 3 Up! quit thy bower

*No. 4 Ye shepherds of this pleasant vale

*No. 5 Cease your funning

*No. 6 Highland Harry

*No. 7 Polly Stewart

*No. 8 Womankind

*No. 9 Lochnagar

*No. 10 Glencoe

*No. 11 Auld Lang Syne

*No. 12 The Quaker’s Wife

WoO 158b: 7 British Songs

*No. 1 Adieu, my Lov’d harp

*No. 2 Castle O’Neill

*No. 3 O was not I a weary wight! (Oh ono chri!)

*No. 4 Red gleams the sun on yon hill tap

*No. 5 Erin! O Erin!

*No. 6 O Mary, yes be clad in silk

*No. 7 Lament for Owen Roe O’Neill

WoO 158c: 6 Songs Of Various Nationalities

*No. 1 When my hero in court appears

*No. 2 Non, non, Colette n’est point trompeuse

*No. 3 Mark yonder pomp of costly fashion

*No. 4 Bonnie wee thing

*No. 5 From thee, Eliza, I must go

*No. 6 Untitled

WoO 158a: 23 Songs Of Various Nationalities

*No. 1 Ridder Stigs Runer

*No. 2 Horch auf, mein Liebchen

*No. 3 Wegen meiner bleib d’Fraula

*No. 4 Wann i in der Früh aufsteh

*No. 5 Teppichkramer-Lied

*No. 6 A Madel, ja a madel

*No. 7 Wer solche Buema afipackt

*No. 8 Ih mag di nit nehma

*No. 9 Oj, oj upilem sie w karczmie

*No. 10 Poszla baba po popiol

*No. 11 Yo no quiero embarcarme

*No. 12 Seus lindos olhos

*No. 13 Vo lesocke komarockov mnogo urodilos’

*No. 14 Akh, Rrecen’ki recen’ki

*No. 15 Kak posli nasi podruzki

*No. 16 Schone Minka, ich muss scheiden

*No. 17 Lilla Car (Vaggvisa)

*No. 18 An ä Bergli bin i gesasse

*No. 19 Una paloma blanca

*No. 20 Como la mariposa soy

*No. 21 Tiranilla Espanola

*No. 22 Edes kinos emlekezet (Magyar Szuretölö Enek)

*No. 23 Da brava, Catina

Secular Vocal Works

Opus 65: Ah! Perfido

Opus 116: Tremate empi tremate

Opus 118: Elegiac Song

Opus 121b: Sacrificial Song

Opus 122: Song of Fellowship

WoO 89: Prüfung des Küssens

WoO 92: Mit Mädeln sich vertragen

WoO 92: Primo amore

WoO 92a: No non turbarti

WoO 93: Ne giorni tuoi felici

WoO 95: Chor for the Allied Princes

WoO 99

*No. 1 Bei labbri che amore (Hess 211)

*No. 2 Chi mai di questo core Hess 214)

*No. 3a Fra tutte le pene

*No. 3b Fra tutte le pene (Hess 225)

*No. 3c Fra tutte le pene (1st version)

*No. 4a Gia la notte savvicina (Hess 222)

*No. 4b Gia la notte savvicina (Hess 223)

*No. 5a Giura il nocchier (Hess 221) (2nd version)

*No. 5b Giura il nocchier (Hess 227)

*No. 6 Ma tu tremi (Hess 212)

*No. 7a Nei campi e nelle selve (Hess 217) (1st version)

*No. 7a Nei campi e nelle selve (Hess 217) (2nd version)

*No. 9 Per te d'amico aprile (Hess 216)

*No. 10a Quella cetra ah pur tu sei (Hess 213) (1st version)

*No. 10b Quella cetra ah pur tu sei (Hess 218)

*No. 10c Quella cetra ah pur tu sei (Hess 219) (2nd version)

*No. 11 Scrivo in te (Hess 215)

WoO 102: Song of Farewell

WoO 103: Rural Cantata

WoO 104: The Monks Song

WoO 105: Wedding Song

WoO 106: Lobkowitz-Kantate

WoO 100: Lob auf den Dicken

WoO 101: Graf, liebster Graf

WoO 159: Im Arm der Liebe ruht sich's wohl

WoO 161: Ewig Dein

WoO 163: Kurz ist der Schmerz

WoO 164: Freundschaft ist die Quelle wahrer Glückseligkeit

WoO 165: Gluck zum neuen Jahr!

WoO 166: Kurz ist der Schmerz

WoO 167: Brauchle Linke

WoO 168/2: Das Schweigen

WoO 168/2: Das Reden

WoO 169: Ich küsse sie

WoO 170: Ars longa, vita brevis

WoO 172: Ich bitt' dich, schreib mir die es-skala auf

WoO 173: Hol euch der Teufel! B'hüt euch Gott!

WoO 174: Glaube und Hoffe!

WoO 175: Sankt Petrus war ein Fels!

WoO 176: Glück zum neuen Jahr!

WoO 177: Bester Magistrat, Ihr friert!

WoO 178: Signor Abate!

WoO 179: Alles Gute

WoO 180: Hoffman, sei ja kein Hofmann

WoO 182: O Tobias!

WoO 183: Bester Herr Graf, Sie sind ein Schaf!

WoO 184: Falstafferel, lass dich sehen!

WoO 185: Edel sei der Mensch

WoO 186: Te solo adoro

WoO 187: Schwenke dich ohne Schwanke!

WoO 188: Gott ist eine feste Burg

WoO 189: Doktor, sperrt das Tor dem Tod

WoO 190: Ich war hier Doktor, Ich war hier

WoO 191: Kühl, nicht Lau

WoO 192: Ars longa, vita brevis

WoO 193: Ars longa, vita brevis

WoO 194: Si non per portas, per muros

WoO 195: Freu dich des Lebens!

WoO 196: Es muss sein!

WoO 197: Da ist das Werk

WoO 198: Wir irren allesamt

WoO 202: Das Schöne zum Guten!

WoO 203: Das Schöne zu dem Guten!

Hess 231: Sei mio ben

Hess 228: Salvo tu vuoi lo sposo?

Hess 210: Fra tutte le pene (2nd version)

Hess 230: Giura il nocchier (1st version)

Hess 276: Herr Graf, ich komme zu fragen

Hess 277: Esel aller Esel

Music for Wind Band

WoO 18: March No. 1 in F major for Military Band (1808)

WoO 19: March No. 2 in F major for Military Band (1808)

List of works by number

The following is a list of Beethoven's works, sorted by Opus number, followed by works listed as WoO in the Kinsky-Halm catalog, and then works listed in the appendix of that catalog, which are given "Anh" numbers, whose composition by Beethoven has since been verified. These are followed by additional works listed in the catalog of Willy Hess that are not otherwise listed in the Kinsky-Halm catalog. The chronologically comprehensive Biamonti Catalogue is not listed here.

Works with opus numbers

Opus 1: Three Piano Trios (1795)

*No. 1: Piano Trio No. 1 in E-flat major

*No. 2: Piano Trio No. 2 in G major

*No. 3: Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor

Opus 2: Three Piano Sonatas (1796)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major

*No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major.

Opus 3: String Trio No. 1 in E-flat major (1794)

Opus 4: String Quintet (Reworking of Wind Octet (Op. 103), 1795)

Opus 5: Two Cello Sonatas (1796)

*No. 1: Cello Sonata No. 1 in F major

*No. 2: Cello Sonata No. 2 in G minor.

Opus 6: Sonata for Piano, Four Hands in D major (1797)

Opus 7: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major (1797)

Opus 8: String Trio No. 2 (Serenade) in D major (1797)

Opus 9: Three String Trios (1798)

*No. 1: String Trio No. 3 in G major

*No. 2: String Trio No. 4 in D major

*No. 3: String Trio No. 5 in C minor.

Opus 10: Three Piano Sonatas (1798)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C minor

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 6 in F major

*No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 7 in D major

Opus 11: Piano Trio No. 4 in B-flat major ("Gassenhauer") (1797) (*for clarinet (or violin), cello (sometimes bassoon), and piano)

Opus 12: Three Violin Sonatas (1798)

*No. 1: Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major

*No. 2: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major

*No. 3: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E-flat major

Opus 13: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor ("Pathetique") (1799)

Opus 14: Two Piano Sonatas (1799)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major (Arranged for String Quartet by the composer in F major (H 34) in 1801).

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major.

Opus 15: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major.

Opus 16: Quintet for Piano and Winds (1796) (later arranged for piano quartet)

Opus 17: Horn Sonata in F major (1800)

Opus 18: Six String Quartets (1800)

*No. 1: String Quartet No. 1 in F major

*No. 2: String Quartet No. 2 in G major

*No. 3: String Quartet No. 3 in D major

*No. 4: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor

*No. 5: String Quartet No. 5 in A major

*No. 6: String Quartet No. 6 in B-flat major

Opus 19: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (1795)

Opus 20: Septet in E-flat major (1799)

Opus 21: Symphony No. 1 in C major (1800)

Opus 22: Piano Sonata No. 11 in B-flat major (1800)

Opus 23: Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor (1801)

Opus 24: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, "Spring" (1801)

Opus 25: Serenade for Flute, Violin and Viola in D major (1801)

Opus 26: Piano Sonata No. 12 in A-flat major (1801)

Opus 27: Two Piano Sonatas (1801)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat major

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor ("Moonlight")

Opus 28: Piano Sonata No. 15 in D major (1801)

Opus 29: String Quintet in C major (1801)

Opus 30: Three Violin Sonatas (1803)

*No. 1: Violin Sonata No. 6 in A major

*No. 2: Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor

*No. 3: Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major

Opus 31: Three Piano Sonatas (1802)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 16 in G major

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor ("Tempest")

*No. 3: Piano Sonata No. 18 in E-flat major ("Hunt")

Opus 32: Song – An die Hoffnung (1805)

Opus 33: Seven Bagatelles for piano (1802)

Opus 34: Six variations on an original theme for piano in F major (1802)

Opus 35: Fifteen variations and a fugue for piano on an original theme in E-flat major ("Eroica Variations") (1802)

Opus 36: Symphony No. 2 in D major (1803)

Opus 37: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor (1803)

Opus 38: Piano Trio in E-flat major (Arrangement of the Septet, Opus 20) (1803)

Opus 39: Two Preludes through all twelve major keys for piano (1789)

Opus 40: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G major (1802)

Opus 41: Serenade for Piano and Flute or Violin in D major (1803)

Opus 42: Notturno for Viola and Piano in D major (1803)

Opus 43: The Creatures of Prometheus, overture and ballet music (1801)

Opus 44: Variations on an original theme in E-flat major for piano trio (1792)

Opus 45: Three Marches for Piano, 4 hands (1803)

Opus 46: Song – Adelaïde (1795)

Opus 47: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major ("Kreutzer") (1802)

Opus 48: Six Songs (1802)

*No. 1: "Bitten"

*No. 2: "Die Liebe des Nächsten"

*No. 3: "Vom Tode"

*No. 4: "Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur"

*No. 5: "Gottes Macht und Vorsehung"

*No. 6: "Bußlied"

Opus 49: Two Piano Sonatas (1792)

*No. 1: Piano Sonata No. 19 in G minor

*No. 2: Piano Sonata No. 20 in G major.

Opus 50: Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major (1798)

Opus 51: Two Rondos for Piano (1797)

*No. 1: Rondo in C major

*No. 2: Rondo in G major

Opus 52: Eight Songs (1804–1805)

*No. 1: "Urians Reise um die Welt"

*No. 2: "Feuerfab"

*No. 3: "Das Liedchen von der Ruhe"

*No. 4: "Maigesang"

*No. 5: "Mollys Abschied"

*No. 6: "Die Liebe"

*No. 7: "Marmotte"

*No. 8: "Das Blümchen Wunderhold"

Opus 53: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major ("Waldstein") (1803)

Opus 54: Piano Sonata No. 22 in F major (1804)

Opus 55: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major ("Eroica") (1805)

Opus 56: Triple Concerto for violin, cello, and piano in C major (1804–1805)

Opus 57: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor ("Appassionata") (1805–1806)

Opus 58: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major (1805–1806)

Opus 59: Three String Quartets ("Rasumovsky") (1806)

*No. 1: String Quartet No. 7 in F major

*No. 2: String Quartet No. 8 in E minor

*No. 3: String Quartet No. 9 in C major,

Opus 60: Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major (1806)

Opus 61: Violin Concerto in D major (1806)

Opus 61a: Piano Transcription of Violin Concerto Opus 61

Opus 62: Coriolan Overture (1807)

Opus 63: Arrangement of String Quintet (Opus 4) for Piano Trio (1806)

Opus 64: Arrangement of String Trio (Opus 3) for Piano and Cello (1807)

Opus 65: Aria: "Ah perfido!" (1796)

Opus 66: 12 Variations for cello & piano in F major on Mozart's "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (1796)

Opus 67: Symphony No. 5 in C minor (1807–1808)

Opus 68: Symphony No. 6 in F major ("Pastoral") (1807–1808)

Opus 69: Cello Sonata No. 3 in A major (1808)

Opus 70: Two Piano Trios (1808)

*No. 1: Piano Trio No. 5 in D major ("Ghost")

*No. 2: Piano Trio No. 6 in E-flat major

Opus 71: Wind sextet in E-flat (1796)

Opus 72: Fidelio, opera (c. 1803–05; Fidelio Overture composed 1814)

Opus 72a: Leonore (earlier version of Fidelio, with Leonore Overture No. 2) (1805)

Opus 72b: Leonore (earlier version of Fidelio, with Leonore Overture No. 3) (1806)

Opus 73: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major ("Emperor") (1809)

Opus 74: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major ("Harp") (1809)

Opus 75: Six Songs (1809)

*No. 1: "Mignon"

*No. 2: "Neue Liebe neues Leben"

*No. 3: "Es war einmal ein König" from Goethe's Faust

*No. 4: "Gretels Warnung"

*No. 5: "An die fernen Geliebten"

*No. 6: "Der Zufriedene"

Opus 76: Six variations on an original theme for piano in D major (1809)

Opus 77: Piano Fantasia in G minor (1809)

Opus 78: Piano Sonata No. 24 in F-sharp major (1809)

Opus 79: Piano Sonata No. 25 in G major (1809)

Opus 80: "Choral Fantasy" (Fantasia in C minor for piano, chorus, and orchestra) (1808)

Opus 81a: Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major ("Les Adieux") (1809)

Opus 81b: Sextet in E-flat major (1795)

Opus 82: Four Ariettas and a Duet (1809)

*No. 1: "Dimmi, ben mio, che m'ami"

*No. 2: "T'intendo si, mio cor"

*No. 3: "L'amante impaziente" (first version)

*No. 4: "L'amante impatiente" (second version)

*No. 5: Duet: "Odi 'laura che dolce sospira"

Opus 83: Three Songs (1810)

*No. 1: "Wonne der Wehmut"

*No. 2: "Sehnsucht"

*No. 3: "Mit einem gemalten Band"

Opus 84: Egmont, overture and incidental music (1810)

Opus 85: Oratorio: Christus am Ölberge (Christ on the Mount of Olives) (1803)

Opus 86: Mass in C major (1807)

Opus 87: Trio for two Oboes and English Horn in C major (1795)

Opus 88: Song: "Das Gluck der Freundschaft" (1803)

Opus 89: Polonaise in C major (1814)

Opus 90: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E minor (1814)

Opus 91: Wellington's Victory ("Battle Symphony") (1813)

Opus 92: Symphony No. 7 in A major (1812)

Opus 93: Symphony No. 8 in F major (1812)

Opus 94: Song: "An die Hoffnung" (1814)

Opus 95: String Quartet No. 11 in F minor ("Serioso") (1810)

Opus 96: Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major (1812)

Opus 97: Piano Trio No. 7 in B-flat major ("Archduke") (1811)

Opus 98: An die ferne Geliebte, song cycle (1816)

Opus 99: Song: "Der Mann von Wort" (1816)

Opus 100: Song: "Merkenstein" (1814)

Opus 101: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major (1816)

Opus 102: Two Cello Sonatas (1815)

*No. 1: Cello Sonata No. 4 in C major

*No. 2: Cello Sonata No. 5 in D major.

Opus 103: Octet in E-flat (1792)

Opus 104: String Quintet (arrangement of Piano Trio No. 3, 1817)

Opus 105: Six sets of variations for Piano and Flute (1819)

Opus 106: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major ("Hammerklavier") (1818)

Opus 107: Ten National Airs with Variations for Flute and Piano (1820)

Opus 108: Twenty-Five Scottish Songs (1818)

Opus 109: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major (1820)

Opus 110: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major (1821).

Opus 111: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor (1822)

Opus 112: Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt (Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage), for chorus and orchestra (1815)

Opus 113: Die Ruinen von Athen (The ruins of Athens), overture and incidental music (1811)

Opus 114: Die Ruinen von Athen (The ruins of Athens), March and Chorus (1822).

Opus 115: Zur Namensfeier (Feastday), overture (1815)

Opus 116: "Tremate, empi tremate", vocal trio with orchestra (1802)

Opus 117: König Stephan (King Stephen), overture and incidental music (1811)

Opus 118: "Elegischer Gesang" for four voices and string quartet (1814)

Opus 119: Eleven new Bagatelles for piano (1822)

Opus 120: Thirty-three variations on a waltz by Diabelli for piano in C major ("Diabelli Variations") (1823)

Opus 121a: Kakadu Variations, for Piano Trio (Variations on "Ich bin der Schneider Kakadu") (1803)

Opus 121b: "Opferlied" for soprano, chorus and orchestra (1822)

Opus 122: "Bundeslied" for voices, chorus and wind instruments (1824)

Opus 123: Missa Solemnis in D major (1823)

Opus 124: Die Weihe des Hauses (Consecration of the House), overture (1822)

Opus 125: Symphony No. 9 in D minor ("Choral") (1824)

Opus 126: Six Bagatelles for piano (1824)

Opus 127: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat major (1825)

Opus 128: Song: "Der Kuss" (1822)

Opus 129: Rondo à Capriccio for piano in G major ("Rage over a lost penny") (1795)

Opus 130: String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat major (1825)

Opus 131: String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor (1826)

Opus 132: String Quartet No. 15 in A minor (1825)

Opus 133: Große Fuge in B-flat major for string quartet (originally finale of Opus 130) (1826)

Opus 134: Piano arrangement (4 hands) of the Große Fuge, Opus 133 (1826)

Opus 135: String Quartet No. 16 in F major (1826)

Opus 136: Cantata: Der glorreiche Augenblick (1814)

Opus 137: Fugue for String Quintet in D major (1817)

Opus 138: Leonore, opera (earlier version of Fidelio, with Leonore Overture No. 1) (1807)

Works without opus numbers

Works with WoO numbers

The numbers and categories used below are from the Kinsky catalog of 1955. WoO is an abbreviation of "Werke ohne Opuszahl", German for "Works without Opus number".

Instrumental works: WoO 1–86

;Orchestral works

Orchestra alone

WoO 1: Musik zu einem Ritterballett (Music for a ballet on horseback) – eight movements

WoO 2a: Triumphal March for orchestra for Christoph Kuffner's tragedy Tarpeja (1813)

WoO 2b: Prelude to Act II of Tarpeja (1813)

WoO 3: "Gratulations-Menuett", minuet for orchestra

Concertante

WoO 4: Piano Concerto in E-flat major (solo part only with indications of orchestration), occasionally referred to as Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 0

WoO 5: Violin Concerto movement in C major, fragment

WoO 6: Rondo in B-flat major for piano and orchestra, fragment, possibly part of initial version of the Piano Concerto No. 2

Dances

WoO 7: Twelve minuets for orchestra

WoO 8: Twelve German Dances for orchestra (later arranged for piano)

WoO 9: Six minuets for two violins and cello

WoO 10: Six minuets for orchestra (original version lost, only an arrangement for piano is extant)

WoO 11: Seven Ländler for two violins and cello (original version lost, only an arrangement for piano is extant)

WoO 12: Twelve minuets for orchestra (probably spurious, actually by Beethoven's brother Carl)

WoO 13: Twelve German Dances for orchestra (only a version for piano is extant)

WoO 14: Twelve contredanses for orchestra

WoO 15: Six Ländler for two violins and cello (also arranged for piano)

WoO 16: Twelve Écossaises for orchestra (probably spurious)

WoO 17: Eleven "Mödlinger Tänze" for seven instruments (probably spurious)

Marches and dances for winds

WoO 18: March for Military Band "For the Bohemian Ward" (trio added later)

WoO 19: March for Military Band (trio added later)

WoO 20: March for Military Band "Zapfenstreich" (trio added later)

WoO 21: Polonaise for Military Band

WoO 22: Écossaise for Military Band

WoO 23: Écossaise for Military Band (only a piano arrangement by Carl Czerny is extant)

WoO 24: March for Military Band

;Chamber works Without piano

WoO 25: Rondo for 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 horns and 2 bassoons (original finale of the Octet, opus 103) (1792)

WoO 26: Duo for two flutes

WoO 27: Three duets for clarinet and bassoon (possibly spurious)

WoO 28: Variations for two oboes and cor anglais on "Là ci darem la mano" from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni

WoO 29: March for Wind Sextet in E-flat (2 clarinets, 2 horns & 2 bassoons)

WoO 30: Three Equale for four trombones – Vocal arrangements of these were performed at Beethoven's funeral.

WoO 31: Fugue for organ

WoO 32: Duo for viola and cello, "mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern" ("with two obbligato eyeglasses")

WoO 33: Five pieces for mechanical clock or flute

WoO 34: Duet for two violins

WoO 35: Canon for two violins

With piano

WoO 36: Three piano quartets

WoO 37: Trio for flute, bassoon, and piano in G major (1786)

WoO 38: Piano Trio No. 8 in E-flat major

WoO 39: Allegretto for piano trio in B-flat major (Piano Trio No. 9)

WoO 40: Twelve variations for piano and violin on "Se vuol ballare" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (1792–93)

WoO 41: Rondo for piano and violin in G major (1793–94)

WoO 42: Six German Dances for violin and piano (1796)

WoO 43a: Sonatina for mandolin and harpsichord

WoO 43b: Adagio for mandolin and harpsichord

WoO 44a: Sonatina for mandolin and piano

WoO 44b: Andante and variations for mandolin and harpsichord

WoO 45: Twelve Variations for cello & piano in G major on Handel's "See, the Conqu'ring Hero comes,"

WoO 46: Seven Variations for cello & piano in E-flat major on Mozart's "Bei Männern,"

;Piano works for 2 or 4 hands Sonatas and single-movement works

WoO 47: Three piano sonatas (E-flat major, F minor, D major) ("Kurfürsten Sonatas") (1783)

WoO 48: Rondo for piano in C major (1783)

WoO 49: Rondo for piano in A major (1783)

WoO 50: Piano Sonata in F major (1790–92)

WoO 51: Piano Sonata in C major (1797–98, fragment) completed Ferdinand Ries, 1830

WoO 52: Presto (Bagatelle) for piano in C minor (1795, rev. 1798 and 1822) WoO 53: Allegretto (Bagatelle) for piano in C minor (1796–97) WoO 54: Lustig-Traurig (Bagatelle) for piano in C major (1802)

WoO 55: Prelude for piano in F minor (1803)

WoO 56: Allegretto (Bagatelle) for piano in C major (1803, rev. 1822))

WoO 57: Andante favori – original middle movement from Piano Sonata No. 21 (Waldstein) (1805)

WoO 58: Cadenzas for 1st and 3rd movements of Mozart's D minor Piano Concerto (K. 466)

WoO 59: Poco moto (Bagatelle) for piano in A minor, "Für Elise" (c. 1810)) WoO 60: Ziemlich lebhaft (Bagatelle) for piano in B-flat major (1818))

WoO 61: Allegretto for piano in B minor (1821)

WoO 61a: Allegretto quasi andante for piano in G minor (1825)

WoO 62: String Quintet in C major (Fragment, Piano Transcription)

Variations

WoO 63: Nine variations for piano on a march by Ernst Christoph Dressler (1782)

WoO 64: Six Variations on a Swiss song for piano or harp (1790–1792)

WoO 65: Twenty-four variations for piano on Vincenzio Righini's aria "Venni Amore" (1790–1791)

WoO 66: Thirteen variations for piano on the aria "Es war einmal ein alter Mann" from Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf's opera Das rote Käppchen

WoO 67: Eight variations for piano four hands on a theme by Count Waldstein

WoO 68: Twelve variations for piano on the "Menuet a la Vigano" from Jakob Haibel's ballet La nozza disturbate (1795)

WoO 69: Nine variations for piano on "Quant'e piu bello" from Giovanni Paisiello's opera La Molinara

WoO 70: Six variations for piano on "Nel cor più non mi sento" from Giovanni Paisiello's opera La Molinara (1795)

WoO 71: Twelve variations for piano on the Russian dance from Paul Wranitzky's ballet Das Waldmädchen

WoO 72: Eight variations for piano on "Une Fièvre Brûlante" from André Ernest Modeste Grétry's opera Richard Coeur-de-lion

WoO 73: Ten variations for piano on "La stessa, la stessissima" from Antonio Salieri's opera Falstaff

WoO 74: "Ich denke dein" – song with six variations for piano four hands

WoO 75: Seven variations for piano on "Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen" from Peter Winter's opera Das unterbrochene Opferfest

WoO 76: Eight variations for piano on "Tandeln und scherzen" from Franz Xaver Süssmayr's opera Soliman II

WoO 77: Six easy variations on an original theme for piano

WoO 78: Seven variations for piano on "God Save the King"

WoO 79: Five variations for piano on "Rule Britannia"

WoO 80: Thirty-two variations on an original theme in C minor for piano

Dances

WoO 81: Allemande for piano in A major

WoO 82: Minuet for piano in E-flat major

WoO 83: Six Écossaises for piano and orchestra in E-flat major

WoO 84: Waltz for piano in E-flat major

WoO 85: Waltz for piano in D major

WoO 86: Écossaise for piano in E-flat major

Vocal works: WoO 87–205

;Cantatas, choruses and arias with orchestra

WoO 87: Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II

WoO 88: Cantata on the Accession of Emperor Leopold II

WoO 89: Aria "Prüfung des Küssens"

WoO 90: Aria "Mit Mädeln sich vertragen"

WoO 91: Two arias for Die Schöne Schusterin (1795)

WoO 92: Aria "Primo Amore"

WoO 92a: Aria "No, non turbati"

WoO 93: Duet "Nei giorni tuoi felice"

WoO 94: "Germania," aria with chorus in B-flat major (1814)

WoO 95: Chorus for the Congress of Vienna

WoO 96: Incidental Music to Leonore Prohaska (1815)

WoO 97: "Es ist vollbracht" for Die Ehrenpforten (1815)

WoO 98: "Wo sich die Pulse," chorus for The Consecration of the House

;Works for multiple voices with piano accompaniment, or unaccompanied

WoO 99: Italian Partsongs

WoO 100: Musical joke for three voices "Lob auf den Dicken"

WoO 101: Musical joke for three voices and chorus "Graf, Graf, liebster Graf"

WoO 102: Chorus for male voices "Abschiedsgesang"

WoO 103: Cantata Un lieto Brindisi

WoO 104: "Gesang der Mönche" from Schiller's Wilhelm Tell for three male voices

WoO 105: Song for solo voice, chorus and piano "Hochzeitslied"

WoO 106: Birthday Cantata for Prince Lobkowitz

;Lieder and songs for solo voice and piano

WoO 107–130: Twenty-four songs

WoO 131: Unfinshed song "Erlkönig"

WoO 132: Song "Als die Geliebte sich trennen wollte"

WoO 133: Song "In questa tomba oscura"

WoO 134: Song "Sehnsucht" in four settings

WoO 135–151: Seventeen Songs

;Folksong arrangements for one or more voices, with piano trio accompaniment

WoO 152: Twenty-five Irish folksongs

WoO 153: Twenty Irish folksongs

WoO 154: Twelve Irish folksongs

WoO 155: Twenty-six Welsh folksongs

WoO 156: Twelve Scottish folksongs

WoO 157: Twelve folksongs of various nationalities

WoO 158a: Twenty-three continental folksongs

WoO 158b: Seven British folksongs

WoO 158c: Six assorted folksongs

WoO 158d: "Air Français"

;Vocal canons

WoO 159–198: Forty-three Canons

;Musical jokes, quips, and dedications

WoO 199: Musical joke "Ich bin der Herr von zu"

WoO 200: Piano Exercise "O Hoffnung!"

WoO 201: Musical joke "Ich bin bereit!"

WoO 202: Riddle canon "Das Schöne zu dem Guten" (first version)

WoO 203: Riddle canon "Das Schöne zu dem Guten" (second version)

WoO 204: Musical joke "Holz, Holz, Geigt die Quartette So"

WoO 205: Ten musical quips (Kinsky's word is "Notenscherze") from Beethoven's letters

Works with Anhang (Anh) numbers

These are works from the Appendix (Anhang in German) of Kinsky's catalog that were attributed to Beethoven at the time the catalog was compiled, but might not have been written by him.

Anh 1: Symphony in C major ("Jena") – now attributed to Friedrich Witt

Anh 2: Six string quartets

Anh 3: Piano Trio in D major

Anh 4: Flute Sonata in B-flat major

Anh 5: Two Piano Sonatinas: Sonatina in G major and Sonatina in F major

Anh 6: Rondo for piano in B-flat major

Anh 7 through 18 are works known by Kinsky to not have been written by Beethoven, but that were previously falsely attributed to him.

Anh 16, No. 2 Gertrude's Dream Waltz for solo piano

Selected works with Hess (H) numbers

These works have numbers that were assigned by Willy Hess. Many of the works in the Hess catalog also have WoO numbers; those entries are not listed here.

H 12: Oboe Concerto in F (lost; only incipits and draft of 2nd movement extant)

H 13: Romance in E minor for 3 soloists and orchestra

H 15: Piano Concerto No. 6 in D major (unfinished)

H 19: Wind quintet in E-flat major

H 28: Movement in A-flat major for string trio

H 29: Prelude and Fugue for String Quartet

H 30: Prelude and Fugue for String Quartet (1794–95)

H 31: Prelude and Fugue for String Quartet (1794–95)

H 32: String Quartet in F major (1799)

H 33: Minuet for string quartet (1790–92)

H 34: String Quartet arrangement of Opus 14 No. 1 (1801–02)

H 36: Handel Fugue arranged for String Quartet (1798)

H 38: Bach Fugue arranged for String Quartet

H 39: String Quintet in F major (lost)

H 40: Movement in D minor for String Quintet

H 46: Violin Sonata in A major

H 48: Allegretto in E-flat major for piano trio

H 61: Anglaise in D major for Piano

H 64: Fugue for keyboard

H 65: Concerto excerpt (arrangement of Opus 37)

H 68: Ländler in C minor

H 69: Bagatelle in C minor for piano

H 87: March for piano (arrangement of WoO 29)

H 88: Minuet for piano (arrangement of Hess 33)

H 89: Musik zu einem Ritterballett (Music for a ballet of knights) (piano arrangement of WoO 1)

H 90: The Creatures of Prometheus (piano arrangement of Opus 43)

H 91: Opferlied (piano arrangement of Opus 121b)

H 92: Bundeslied (piano arrangement of Opus 122)

H 93: "Freudvoll" (piano accompaniment for Opus 84)

H 97: Wellington's Victory ("Battle Symphony") (piano arrangement of Opus 91)

H 99: March for piano (arrangement of WoO 18)

H 107: Grenadier's March

H 108: Wellington's Victory ("Battle Symphony") (panharmonicon arrangement of Opus 91)

H 115: Vestas Feuer (unfinished Opera) (1803)

H 118: Music for The Consecration of the House (from Opus 113)

H 133: Folksong

H 134: Folksong

H 137: Song "Ich wiege dich" (lost)

H 139: Song "Minnesold" (lost)

H 143: Song "An die Freude" (lost)

H 152–207: Folksong settings

H 208–232: Italian partsongs

H 233–246: Counterpoint exercises

H 274–277: Four Canons

H 297: Adagio for three horns

H 300–301: Two Canons

Works with Biamonti Numbers

B838: Overture to Macbeth

Beethoven is believed to have intended to write the opera Macbeth; a performing version of possible sketches was assembled by Albert Willem Holsbergen between 1999–2001. The premiere performance of the Beethoven Macbeth Overture was by the National Symphony Orchestra on September 20–22, 2001, under the direction of Leonard Slatkin.

Notes

References

;Catalogues and bibliographies Biamonti, Giovanni. Catologo cronologo e tematico delle opere di Beethoven. Torino: ILTE, 1968. —Encompasses works with and without opus numbers, as well as sketches and fragments, in 849 chronologically arranged entries. Green, James (ed. and trans). The new Hess catalog of Beethoven’s works. West Newbury, Vermont: Vance Brook, 2003. ISBN 0-9640570-3-4.—An English translation of Willy Hess' important 1957 catalogue and study, updated to reflect more recent scholarship. Hess, Willy. Verzeichnis der nicht in der Gesamtausgabe veröffentlichen Werke Ludwig van Beethovens. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1957. —Hess' original study and catalogue; still more widely available in libraries than Green's edition. Johnson, Douglas and Scott G. Burnham. "Beethoven, Ludwig Van (Works)", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Subscription access). Accessed 19 April 2007.—Includes categorized works list with bibliographical and other information. Kinsky, G. and H. Halm. Das Werk Beethovens: thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner sämtlichen vollendeten Kompositionen. München: G. Henle, 1955. —The standard thematic and bibliographical catalogue of Beethoven's works.—Full title (translated): Beethoven's Works: thematic and bibliographic catalogue of all his completed compositions by Georg Kinsky, completed and edited after the author's death by Hans Helm. Nottebohm, Gustav. Thematisches Verzeichnis der im Druck erschienenen Werke von Ludwig van Beethoven. Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel, 1925 . Reprinted Wiesbaden: M. Sändig, 1969 .—Historically important thematic catalogue, by a pioneering 19th Century Beethoven scholar. Solomon, Maynard. Beethoven (1st edition). New York: Schirmer, 1977. ISBN 0-02-872460-7. pp. 372, 386–391.—Popular biographical study; includes bibliographical notes and (incomplete) works lists.

;Works collections (scores) Ludwig van Beethovens Werke: Vollständige kritisch durchgesehene überall berechtigte Ausgabe. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel,vols i–xxiv, 1862–65; vol xxv (supplement), 1888. —Original critical "complete works" edition, commonly known as the Beethoven Gesamtausgabe. Beethoven: Sämtliche Werke: Supplemente zur Gesamtausgabe, ed. W. Hess. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1959. —Hess's supplement to the 19th century Breitkopf edition. Beethovens Werke: neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke, ed. Joseph Schmidt-Görg, Martin Staehelin, et al. München: G. Henle, 1961 – (current). —New critical edition, "herausgaben vom Beethoven-Archiv, Bonn"; 56 volumes in 13 categories, 36 volumes released as of January 2009.

;Books

External links

Opus numbers, Kinsky, Hess and Biamonti catalogue from lvbeethoven.com — includes dedicatees, librettists, and other information, as well as sound files.

Works Index

Beethoven Beethoven Beethoven

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The death of Ludwig van Beethoven on 26 March 1827 followed a prolonged illness. It was witnessed by his sister-in-law and by his close friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who provided a vivid description of the event. Beethoven's funeral was held three days later, and the procession was witnessed by a large crowd. He was buried in the cemetery at Währing, although his remains were moved in 1888 to Vienna's Zentralfriedhof.

Hüttenbrenner's account has been used to ascribe motivations of resistance and anger to Beethoven in his final moments. Beethoven's last words, and the exact cause of Beethoven's death have also been the subject of some disagreement.

Final illness

Beethoven suffered declining health throughout the last years of his life, including the so-called "Late period" when he produced some of his most admired work. The last work he was able to complete was the substitute final movement of the String Quartet No. 13, deemed necessary to replace the difficult Große Fuge. Shortly thereafter, in December 1826, illness struck again, with episodes of vomiting and diarrhea that nearly ended his life.

As it became apparent that Beethoven would not recover, his friends gathered to help and to pay their final respects. Beethoven's doctors conducted four minor operations to relieve ascites (abdominal swelling), of which the first resulted in infection, the others not. On 24 March, he was given his last rites, and two days later slipped into an unconscious state and then died the same day, 26 March 1827. While others, including Beethoven's brother and some friends, were probably in the house, Hüttenbrenner reports in his 1860 account that only he and Beethoven's sister-in-law were present in the room at the time of death.

Final words

Beethoven's last recorded words were "Pity, pity—too late!", as the dying composer was told of a gift of twelve bottles of wine from his publisher. One common belief was that his last words were "Plaudite, amici, comedia finita est" ("Applaud, my friends, the comedy is over"), the typical conclusion to performances of Italian Commedia dell'arte; this was specifically denied by Hüttenbrenner in 1860. Some sources have listed his last words as, "I shall hear in heaven", but this is also almost certainly apocryphal.

Beethoven biographer A. W. Thayer, in his notebook, recorded Hüttenbrenner's account of Beethoven's death. Hüttenbrenner's eye-witness report is sometimes recast to imply that Beethoven "shook his fist at the heavens" in the moment before death. Since any imputations as to the dying man's emotional state are impossible to verify, they tend to be glossed over or ignored as irrelevant by modern-day Beethoven scholars.

Preparation of the body

An autopsy was performed on 27 March by Dr. Johann Wagner. While it is unclear who ordered the autopsy, a specific request by Beethoven in his Heiligenstadt Testament may have played a role in the decision. The autopsy revealed a severely cirrhotic and shrunken liver, of which ascites is a common consequence. Scholars disagree over whether Beethoven's liver damage was the result of heavy alcohol consumption, hepatic infection, or both. Hepatitis B and C are causes of cirrhosis, but they spread from contact with contaminated body fluids and were almost unknown in Beethoven's day. Hepatitis A on the other hand can be contracted from food and water that were not handled properly and was very common in the 19th century, although it does not cause liver cirrhosis or permanent organ damage.

Heavy metal contamination is thought to be a contributing factor in Beethoven's death as these were commonly used in the medicine of the time. It has also been theorized that he consumed large amounts of lead from illegally-fortified wine. This was a very common practice to sweeten cheap wines, and despite being outlawed in most European countries during the 18th century, the prohibition was difficult to enforce and production of lead-fortified wine (which originated in Roman times) continued unabated. There is no indication the composer had syphilis beyond a mercury treatment prescribed to him around 1815, but these were used for various other ailments as well.

The autopsy indicated damage to his aural nerves as well as hardening of their accompanying arteries, although the latter appears to be consistent with natural aging and not inflammatory damage from syphilis. Beethoven's brain was described as possessing "exaggerated folds", an excess of fluid in the skull, and some thickening of the membranes inside the left ventricle. Scholars believe he may have had a degree of cerebral atrophy, although he showed no sign of cognitive impairment to the end. The skull was described as "possessing unusual thickness".

Beethoven's kidneys had calcareous growths in them, indicating that he was likely developing renal papillary necrosis, a common result of analgesic abuse (it is known that he used large amounts of drugs obtained from his brother Johann, a pharmacist). Diabetes is also a cause of RPN, and scholars have not ruled out the possibility that the composer had diabetes mellitus. His spleen was swollen to twice the normal size and he had portal hypertension, all consistent with end-stage liver failure. He also appears to have had severe pancreatitis, as the doctors described his pancreas as "shrunken and fibrous", with the exit duct being very thin and narrowed. Large amounts of reddish fluid had accumulated in Beethoven's abdomen, likely from spontaneous bacterial infections mixed with some blood. This was possibly a result of draining fluid from his abdomen in his last days, a practice that very often caused infection and death of the patient in a time before antibiotics and bacterial pathology were known.

In the days immediately preceding and following his death, a number of people, including Anton Schindler and Ferdinand Hiller, cut locks of hair from Beethoven's head. Most of Hiller's lock is now in the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University. One of Beethoven's friends incorrectly thought that "strangers had cut all of his hair off"; in fact, the apparent lack of hair was due to a cloth cap that covered the hair while the body was lying in state.

On 28 March, castings for a death mask were taken. The body was clothed and placed in an oaken coffin, with the head given a wreath of white roses. Its hands held a wax cross and a lily.

Funeral and burial

The funeral was held on 29 March 1827 at the parish church in Alsergrund, and he was buried in the Währing cemetery, northwest of Vienna. Many thousands of citizens lined the streets for the funeral procession. As with all crowds, estimates vary, with witnesses reporting anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 onlookers. Theaters were closed, and many notable artists participated in the funeral procession as pallbearers or torch bearers, including Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Franz Grillparzer, Carl Czerny, and Franz Schubert.

In the days following the funeral, one of the grave-diggers was reportedly offered a substantial sum of money to remove the head from the grave. As a result, Beethoven's friends had a watch put on the grave.

In 1863 Beethoven's body (and also that of Schubert, who was buried nearby) was exhumed, studied and reburied, in proceedings paid for by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. At that time, fragments from the back of his skull, which had been separated during the autopsy, were acquired by the Austrian doctor Romeo Seligmann, which are also now in the Center for Beethoven Studies. His remains were moved in 1888 to the Zentralfriedhof.

Lead poisoning overdose

There is dispute about the cause of Beethoven's death; alcoholic cirrhosis, syphilis, infectious hepatitis, lead poisoning, sarcoidosis and Whipple's disease have all been proposed. In 2008, Austrian pathologist Christian Reiter asserted that Beethoven's doctor, Andreas Wawruch, accidentally killed the composer by giving him an overdose of a lead-based cure. According to Reiter, Wawruch used the cure to alleviate fluid in the abdomen; the lead penetrated Beethoven's liver and killed him. Reiter's hypothesis however is at odds with Dr. Wawruch's written instruction "that the wound was kept dry all the time". Furthermore human hair is a very bad biomarker for lead contamination and Reiter's hypothesis must be considered dubious as long as proper scholarly documentation remains unpublished.

Notes

References

External links

Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University, including pages on the Beethoven skull fragments and a lock of hair in the center's possession.

Beethoven, Ludwig Category:Ludwig van Beethoven Category:1827

tr:Ludwig van Beethoven'ın ölümü

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

Beethoven was the grandson of a musician of Flemish origin named Lodewijk van Beethoven (1712–73) (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). Lodewijk had one son, Johann van Beethoven (1740–1792), who worked as a tenor in the same musical establishment, also giving lessons on piano and violin to supplement his income. Johann married Maria Magdalena Keverich in 1767; she was the daughter of Johann Heinrich Keverich, who had been the head chef at the court of the Archbishopric of Trier.

Beethoven was born of this marriage in Bonn. There is no authentic record of the date of his birth; however, the registry of his baptism, in a Roman Catholic service at the Parish of St. Regius on 17 December, 1770, survives. As children of that era were traditionally baptised the day after birth in the Catholic Rhine country, and it is known that Beethoven's family and his teacher Johann Albrechtsberger celebrated his birthday on 16 December, most scholars accept 16 December, 1770 as Beethoven's date of birth. Of the seven children born to Johann van Beethoven, only Ludwig, the second-born, and two younger brothers survived infancy. Caspar Anton Carl was born on 8 April 1774, and Nikolaus Johann, the youngest, was born on 2 October 1776.

Beethoven's first music teacher was his father. Although tradition has it that Johann van Beethoven was a harsh instructor, and that the child Beethoven, "made to stand at the keyboard, was often in tears," the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians claimed that no solid documentation supported this, and asserted that "speculation and myth-making have both been productive." Beethoven had other local teachers: the court organist Gilles van den Eeden (d. 1782), Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer (a family friend, who taught Beethoven the piano), and Franz Rovantini (a relative, who instructed him in playing the violin and viola). Beethoven's musical talent was obvious at a young age. Johann, aware of Leopold Mozart's successes in this area (with son Wolfgang and daughter Nannerl), attempted to exploit his son as a child prodigy, claiming that Beethoven was six (he was seven) on the posters for Beethoven's first public performance in March 1778.

Some time after 1779, Beethoven began his studies with his most important teacher in Bonn, Christian Gottlob Neefe, who was appointed the Court's Organist in that year. Neefe taught Beethoven composition, and by March 1783 had helped him write his first published composition: a set of keyboard variations (WoO 63). Beethoven soon began working with Neefe as assistant organist, at first unpaid (1781), and then as a paid employee (1784) of the court chapel conducted by the Kapellmeister Andrea Luchesi. His first three piano sonatas, named "Kurfürst" ("Elector") for their dedication to the Elector Maximilian Frederick (1708–1784), were published in 1783. Maximilian Frederick noticed Beethoven's talent early, and subsidised and encouraged the young man's musical studies.

Maximilian Frederick's successor as the Elector of Bonn was Maximilian Franz, the youngest son of Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, and he brought notable changes to Bonn. Echoing changes made in Vienna by his brother Joseph, he introduced reforms based on Enlightenment philosophy, with increased support for education and the arts. The teenage Beethoven was almost certainly influenced by these changes. He may also have been influenced at this time by ideas prominent in freemasonry, as Neefe and others around Beethoven were members of the local chapter of the Order of the Illuminati.

In March 1787 Beethoven traveled to Vienna (possibly at another's expense) for the first time, apparently in the hope of studying with Mozart. The details of their relationship are uncertain, including whether or not they actually met. After just two weeks Beethoven learned that his mother was severely ill, and returned home. His mother died shortly thereafter, and the father lapsed deeper into alcoholism. As a result, Beethoven became responsible for the care of his two younger brothers, and he spent the next five years in Bonn.

Beethoven was introduced to several people who became important in his life in these years. Franz Wegeler, a young medical student, introduced him to the von Breuning family (one of whose daughters Wegeler eventually married). Beethoven often visited the von Breuning household, where he taught piano to some of the children. Here he encountered German and classical literature. The von Breuning family environment was less stressful than his own, which was increasingly dominated by his father's decline. Beethoven also came to the attention of Count Ferdinand von Waldstein, who became a lifelong friend and financial supporter.

In 1789 Beethoven obtained a legal order by which half of his father's salary was paid directly to him for support of the family. He also contributed further to the family's income by playing viola in the court orchestra. This familiarised Beethoven with a variety of operas, including three by Mozart that were performed at court in this period. He also befriended Anton Reicha, a flautist and violinist of about his own age who was a nephew of the court orchestra's conductor, Josef Reicha.

Establishing his career in Vienna

Beethoven was probably first introduced to Joseph Haydn in late 1790, when the latter was traveling to London and stopped in Bonn around Christmas time. They met in Bonn on Haydn's return trip from London to Vienna in July 1792, and it is likely that arrangements were made at that time for Beethoven to study with the old master. With the Elector's help, Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792. From 1790 to 1792, Beethoven composed a significant number of works (none were published at the time, and most are now listed as works without opus) that demonstrated his growing range and maturity. Musicologists identified a theme similar to those of his third symphony in a set of variations written in 1791. Beethoven left Bonn for Vienna in November 1792, amid rumors of war spilling out of France, and learned shortly after his arrival that his father had died. Count Waldstein in his farewell note to Beethoven wrote: "Through uninterrupted diligence you will receive Mozart's spirit through Haydn's hands." Over the next few years, Beethoven responded to the widespread feeling that he was a successor to the recently deceased Mozart by studying that master's work and writing works with a distinctly Mozartean flavor.

Beethoven did not immediately set out to establish himself as a composer, but rather devoted himself to study and performance. Working under Haydn's direction, he sought to master counterpoint. He also studied violin under Ignaz Schuppanzigh. Early in this period, he also began receiving occasional instruction from Antonio Salieri, primarily in Italian vocal composition style; this relationship persisted until at least 1802, and possibly 1809. With Haydn's departure for England in 1794, Beethoven was expected by the Elector to return home. He chose instead to remain in Vienna, continuing his instruction in counterpoint with Johann Albrechtsberger and other teachers. Although his stipend from the Elector expired, a number of Viennese noblemen had already recognised his ability and offered him financial support, among them Prince Joseph Franz Lobkowitz, Prince Karl Lichnowsky, and Baron Gottfried van Swieten.

By 1793, Beethoven established a reputation as an improviser in the salons of the nobility, often playing the preludes and fugues of J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. His friend Nikolaus Simrock had begun publishing his compositions; the first are believed to be a set of variations (WoO 66). By 1793, he had established a reputation in Vienna as a piano virtuoso, but he apparently withheld works from publication so that their publication in 1795 would have greater impact. Beethoven's first public performance in Vienna was in March 1795, a concert in which he first performed one of his piano concertos. It is uncertain whether this was the First or Second. Documentary evidence is unclear, and both concertos were in a similar state of near-completion (neither was completed or published for several years). Shortly after this performance, he arranged for the publication of the first of his compositions to which he assigned an opus number, the three piano trios, Opus 1. These works were dedicated to his patron Prince Lichnowsky, and were a financial success; Beethoven's profits were nearly sufficient to cover his living expenses for a year.

Musical maturity

Beethoven composed his first six string quartets (Op. 18) between 1798 and 1800 (commissioned by, and dedicated to, Prince Lobkowitz). They were published in 1801. With premieres of his First and Second Symphonies in 1800 and 1803, Beethoven became regarded as one of the most important of a generation of young composers following Haydn and Mozart. He also continued to write in other forms, turning out widely known piano sonatas like the "Pathétique" sonata (Op. 13), which Cooper describes as "surpass[ing] any of his previous compositions, in strength of character, depth of emotion, level of originality, and ingenuity of motivic and tonal manipulation." He also completed his Septet (Op. 20) in 1799, which was one of his most popular works during his lifetime.

For the premiere of his First Symphony, Beethoven hired the Burgtheater on 2 April 1800, and staged an extensive program of music, including works by Haydn and Mozart, as well as his Septet, the First Symphony, and one of his piano concertos (the latter three works all then unpublished). The concert, which the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung described as "the most interesting concert in a long time," was not without difficulties; among the criticisms was that "the players did not bother to pay any attention to the soloist."

Mozart and Haydn were undeniable influences. For example, Beethoven's quintet for piano and winds is said to bear a strong resemblance to Mozart's work for the same configuration, albeit with his own distinctive touches. But Beethoven's melodies, musical development, use of modulation and texture, and characterization of emotion all set him apart from his influences, and heightened the impact some of his early works made when they were first published. By the end of 1800 Beethoven and his music were already much in demand from patrons and publishers.

In May 1799, Beethoven taught piano to the daughters of Hungarian Countess Anna Brunsvik. During this time, Beethoven fell in love with the younger daughter Josephine who has therefore been identified as one of the more likely candidates for the addressee of his letter to the "Immortal Beloved" (in 1812). Shortly after these lessons, Josephine was married to Count Josef Deym. Beethoven was a regular visitor at their house, continuing to teach Josephine, and playing at parties and concerts. Her marriage was by all accounts happy (despite initial financial problems), and the couple had four children. Her relationship with Beethoven intensified after Deym died suddenly in 1804.

Beethoven had few other students. From 1801 to 1805, he tutored Ferdinand Ries, who went on to become a composer and later wrote Beethoven remembered, a book about their encounters. The young Carl Czerny studied with Beethoven from 1801 to 1803. Czerny went on to become a renowned music teacher himself, instructing Franz Liszt, and gave the Vienna premiere of Beethoven's fifth piano concerto (the "Emperor") in 1812.

Beethoven's compositions between 1800 and 1802 were dominated by two works, although he continued to produce smaller works, including the Moonlight Sonata. In the spring of 1801 he completed The Creatures of Prometheus, a ballet. The work received numerous performances in 1801 and 1802, and Beethoven rushed to publish a piano arrangement to capitalise on its early popularity. In the spring of 1802 he completed the Second Symphony, intended for performance at a concert that was canceled. The symphony received its premiere instead at a subscription concert in April 1803 at the Theater an der Wien, where Beethoven had been appointed composer in residence. In addition to the Second Symphony, the concert also featured the First Symphony, the Third Piano Concerto, and the oratorio Christ on the Mount of Olives. Reviews were mixed, but the concert was a financial success; Beethoven was able to charge three times the cost of a typical concert ticket.

Beethoven's business dealings with publishers also began to improve in 1802 when his brother Carl, who had previously assisted him casually, began to assume a larger role in the management of his affairs. In addition to negotiating higher prices for recently composed works, Carl also began selling some of Beethoven's earlier unpublished works, and encouraged Beethoven (against the latter's preference) to also make arrangements and transcriptions of his more popular works for other instrument combinations. Beethoven acceded to these requests, as he could not prevent publishers from hiring others to do similar arrangements of his works.

Loss of hearing

Around 1796, by the age of 26, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. He suffered from a severe form of tinnitus, a "ringing" in his ears that made it hard for him to hear music; he also avoided conversation. The cause of Beethoven's deafness is unknown, but it has variously been attributed to typhus, auto-immune disorders (such as systemic lupus erythematosus), and even his habit of immersing his head in cold water to stay awake. The explanation from Beethoven's autopsy was that he had a "distended inner ear," which developed lesions over time.

As early as 1801, Beethoven wrote to friends describing his symptoms and the difficulties they caused in both professional and social settings (although it is likely some of his close friends were already aware of the problems). Beethoven, on the advice of his doctor, lived in the small Austrian town of Heiligenstadt, just outside Vienna, from April to October 1802 in an attempt to come to terms with his condition. There he wrote his Heiligenstadt Testament, a letter to his brothers which records his thoughts of suicide due to his growing deafness and records his resolution to continue living for and through his art. Over time, his hearing loss became profound: there is a well-attested story that, at the end of the premiere of his Ninth Symphony, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous applause of the audience; hearing nothing, he wept. Beethoven's hearing loss did not prevent his composing music, but it made playing at concerts—a lucrative source of income—increasingly difficult. After a failed attempt in 1811 to perform his own Piano Concerto No. 5 (the "Emperor"), which was premiered by his student Carl Czerny, he never performed in public again.

A large collection of Beethoven's hearing aids, such as a special ear horn, can be viewed at the Beethoven House Museum in Bonn, Germany. Despite his obvious distress, Carl Czerny remarked that Beethoven could still hear speech and music normally until 1812. By 1814 however, Beethoven was almost totally deaf, and when a group of visitors saw him play a loud arpeggio of thundering bass notes at his piano remarking, "Ist es nicht schön?" (Is it not beautiful?), they felt deep sympathy considering his courage and sense of humor (he lost the ability to hear higher frequencies first).

As a result of Beethoven's hearing loss, his conversation books are an unusually rich written resource. Used primarily in the last ten or so years of his life, his friends wrote in these books so that he could know what they were saying, and he then responded either orally or in the book. The books contain discussions about music and other matters, and give insights into Beethoven's thinking; they are a source for investigations into how he intended his music should be performed, and also his perception of his relationship to art. Out of a total of 400 conversation books, it has been suggested that 264 were destroyed (and others were altered) after Beethoven's death by Anton Schindler, who wished only an idealised biography of the composer to survive.

Patronage

While Beethoven earned income from publication of his works and from public performances, he also depended on the generosity of patrons for income, for whom he gave private performances and copies of works they commissioned for an exclusive period prior to their publication. Some of his early patrons, including Prince Lobkowitz and Prince Lichnowsky, gave him annual stipends in addition to commissioning works and purchasing published works.

Perhaps Beethoven's most important aristocratic patron was Archduke Rudolph, the youngest son of Emperor Leopold II, who in 1803 or 1804 began to study piano and composition with Beethoven. The cleric (Cardinal-Priest) and the composer became friends, and their meetings continued until 1824. Beethoven dedicated 14 compositions to Rudolph, including the Archduke Trio (1811) and his great Missa Solemnis (1823). Rudolph, in turn, dedicated one of his own compositions to Beethoven. The letters Beethoven wrote to Rudolph are today kept at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna.

In the Autumn of 1808, after having been rejected for a position at the royal theatre, Beethoven received an offer from Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte, then king of Westphalia, for a well-paid position as Kapellmeister at the court in Cassel. To persuade him to stay in Vienna, the Archduke Rudolph, Prince Kinsky and Prince Lobkowitz, after receiving representations from the composer's friends, pledged to pay Beethoven a pension of 4000 florins a year. Only Archduke Rudolph paid his share of the pension on the agreed date. Kinsky, immediately called to military duty, did not contribute and soon died after falling from his horse. Lobkowitz stopped paying in September 1811. No successors came forward to continue the patronage, and Beethoven relied mostly on selling composition rights and a small pension after 1815. The effects of these financial arrangements were undermined to some extent by war with France, which caused significant inflation when the government printed money to fund its war efforts.

The Middle period

Beethoven's return to Vienna from Heiligenstadt was marked by a change in musical style, and is now designated as the start of his "Middle" or "Heroic" period. According to Carl Czerny, Beethoven said, "I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on I intend to take a new way." This "Heroic" phase was characterised by a large number of original works composed on a grand scale. The first major work employing this new style was the Third Symphony in E flat, known as the "Eroica." This work was longer and larger in scope than any previous symphony. When it premiered in early 1805 it received a mixed reception. Some listeners objected to its length or misunderstood its structure, while others viewed it as a masterpiece.

The "Middle period" is sometimes associated with a "heroic" manner of composing, but the use of the term "heroic" has become increasingly controversial in Beethoven scholarship. The term is more frequently used as an alternative name for the Middle period. The appropriateness of the term "heroic" to describe the whole Middle period has been questioned as well: while some works, like the Third and Fifth Symphonies, are easy to describe as "heroic", many others, like the "Pastoral" Sixth Symphony, are not.

Some of the Middle period works extend the musical language Beethoven had inherited from Haydn and Mozart. The Middle period work includes the Third through Eighth Symphonies, the Rasumovsky, Harp and Serioso string quartets, the "Waldstein" and "Appassionata" piano sonatas, Christ on the Mount of Olives, the opera Fidelio, the Violin Concerto and many other compositions. During this time Beethoven's income came from publishing his works, from performances of them, and from his patrons. His position at the Theater an der Wien was terminated when the theater changed management in early 1804, and he was forced to move temporarily to the suburbs of Vienna with his friend Stephan von Breuning. This slowed work on Fidelio, his largest work to date, for a time. It was delayed again by the Austrian censor, and finally premiered in November 1805 to houses that were nearly empty because of the French occupation of the city. In addition to being a financial failure, this version of Fidelio was also a critical failure, and Beethoven began revising it.

During May 1809, when the attacking forces of Napoleon bombarded Vienna, according to Ferdinand Ries, Beethoven, very worried that the noise would destroy what remained of his hearing, hid in the basement of his brother's house, covering his ears with pillows.

The work of the Middle period established Beethoven as a master. In a review from 1810, he was enshrined by E. T. A. Hoffmann as one of the three great "Romantic" composers; Hoffman called Beethoven's Fifth Symphony "one of the most important works of the age."

Personal and family difficulties

Beethoven's love life was hampered by class issues. In late 1801 he met a young countess, Julie ("Giulietta") Guicciardi through the Brunsvik family, at a time when he was giving regular piano lessons to Josephine Brunsvik. Beethoven mentions his love for Julie in a November 1801 letter to his boyhood friend, Franz Wegeler, but he could not consider marrying her, due to the class difference. Beethoven later dedicated to her his Sonata No. 14, now commonly known as the "Moonlight" Sonata.

His relationship with Josephine Brunsvik deepened after the death in 1804 of her aristocratic first husband, the Count Joseph Deym. Beethoven wrote Jospehine 15 passionate love letters between late 1804 to around 1809/10. Although his feelings were obviously reciprocated, Josephine was forced by her family to withdraw from him in 1807. She cited her "duty" and the fact that she would have lost the custodianship of her aristocratic children had she remarried to a commoner. After Josephine married Baron von Stackelberg in 1810, Beethoven may have proposed unsuccessfully to Therese Malfatti, the supposed dedicatee of "Für Elise"; his status as a commoner may again have interfered with those plans.

In the spring of 1811 Beethoven became seriously ill, suffering headaches and high fever. On the advice of his doctor, he spent six weeks in the Bohemian spa town of Teplitz. The following winter, which was dominated by work on the Seventh symphony, he was again ill, and his doctor ordered him to spend the summer of 1812 at the spa Teplitz. It is certain that he was at Teplitz when he wrote a love letter to his "Immortal Beloved." The identity of the intended recipient has long been a subject of debate; candidates include Julie Guicciardi, Therese Brunsvik, Josephine Brunsvik, and Antonie Brentano.

Beethoven visited his brother Johann at the end of October 1812. He wished to end Johann's cohabitation with Therese Obermayer, a woman who already had an illegitimate child. He was unable to convince Johann to end the relationship, and appealed to the local civic and religious authorities. Johann and Therese married on 9 November.

In early 1813 Beethoven apparently went through a difficult emotional period, and his compositional output dropped. His personal appearance degraded – it had generally been neat – as did his manners in public, especially when dining. Beethoven took care of his brother (who was suffering from tuberculosis) and his family, an expense that he claimed left him penniless.

Beethoven was finally motivated to begin significant composition again in June 1813, when news arrived of the defeat of one of Napoleon's armies at Vitoria, Spain, by a coalition of forces under the Duke of Wellington. This news stimulated him to write the battle symphony known as Wellington's Victory. It was first performed on 8 December, along with his Seventh Symphony, at a charity concert for victims of the war. The work was a popular hit, probably because of its programmatic style that was entertaining and easy to understand. It received repeat performances at concerts Beethoven staged in January and February 1814. Beethoven's renewed popularity led to demands for a revival of Fidelio, which, in its third revised version, was also well-received at its July opening. That summer he composed a piano sonata for the first time in five years (No. 27, Opus 90). This work was in a markedly more Romantic style than his earlier sonatas. He was also one of many composers who produced music in a patriotic vein to entertain the many heads of state and diplomats that came to the Congress of Vienna that began in November 1814. His output of songs included his only song cycle, "An die ferne Geliebte," and the extraordinarily expressive, but almost incoherent, "An die Hoffnung" (Opus 94).

Custody struggle and illness

Between 1815 and 1817 Beethoven's output dropped again. Beethoven attributed part of this to a lengthy illness (he called it an "inflammatory fever") that afflicted him for more than a year, starting in October 1816. Biographers have speculated on a variety of other reasons that also contributed to the decline, including the difficulties in the personal lives of his would-be paramours and the harsh censorship policies of the Austrian government. The illness and death of his brother Carl from consumption may also have played a role.

Carl had been ill for some time, and Beethoven spent a small fortune in 1815 on his care. After Carl died on 15 November 1815, Beethoven immediately became embroiled in a protracted legal dispute with Carl's wife Johanna over custody of their son Karl, then nine years old. Beethoven, who considered Johanna an unfit parent because of her morals (she had an illegitimate child by a different father before marrying Carl, and had been convicted of theft) and financial management, had successfully applied to Carl to have himself named sole guardian of the boy. A late codicil to Carl's will gave him and Johanna joint guardianship. While Beethoven was successful at having his nephew removed from her custody in February 1816, the case was not fully resolved until 1820, and he was frequently preoccupied by the demands of the litigation and seeing to Karl's welfare, whom he first placed in a private school.

The Austrian court system had one court for the nobility and members of the Landtafel, the R&I; Landrechte, and many other courts for commoners, among them the Civil Court of the Vienna Magistrate. Beethoven disguised the fact that the Dutch "van" in his name did not denote nobility as does the German "von" and his case was tried in the Landrechte. Owing to his influence with the court, Beethoven felt assured of the favorable outcome of being awarded sole guardianship. While giving evidence to the Landrechte, however, Beethoven inadvertently admitted that he was not nobly born. The case was transferred to the Magistracy on 18 December 1818, where he lost sole guardianship.

Beethoven appealed, and regained custody. Johanna's appeal to the Emperor was not successful: the Emperor "washed his hands of the matter." During the years of custody that followed, Beethoven attempted to ensure that Karl lived to the highest moral standards. Beethoven had an overbearing manner and frequently interfered in his nephew's life. Karl attempted suicide on 31 July 1826 by shooting himself in the head. He survived, and was brought to his mother's house, where he recuperated. He and Beethoven were reconciled, but Karl insisted on joining the army, and last saw Beethoven in early 1827.

The only major works Beethoven produced during this time were two cello sonatas, a piano sonata, and collections of folk song settings.

Late works

Beethoven began a renewed study of older music, including works by J. S. Bach and Handel, that were then being published in the first attempts at complete editions. He composed the Consecration of the House Overture, which was the first work to attempt to incorporate these influences. A new style emerged, now called his "Late period". He returned to the keyboard to compose his first piano sonatas in almost a decade: the works of the Late period are commonly held to include the last five piano sonatas and the Diabelli Variations, the last two sonatas for cello and piano, the late string quartets (see below), and two works for very large forces: the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony.

By early 1818 Beethoven's health had improved, and his nephew moved in with him in January. On the downside, his hearing had deteriorated to the point that conversation became difficult, necessitating the use of conversation books. His household management had also improved somewhat; Nanette Streicher, who had assisted in his care during his illness, continued to provide some support, and he finally found a skilled cook. His musical output in 1818 was still somewhat reduced, but included song collections and the Hammerklavier Sonata, as well as sketches for two symphonies that eventually coalesced into the epic Ninth. In 1819 he was again preoccupied by the legal processes around Karl, and began work on the Diabelli Variations and the Missa Solemnis.

For the next few years he continued to work on the Missa, composing piano sonatas and bagatelles to satisfy the demands of publishers and the need for income, and completing the Diabelli Variations. He was ill again for an extended time in 1821, and completed the Missa in 1823, three years after its original due date. He also opened discussions with his publishers over the possibility of producing a complete edition of his work, an idea that was arguably not fully realised until 1971. Beethoven's brother Johann began to take a hand in his business affairs, much in the way Carl had earlier, locating older unpublished works to offer for publication and offering the Missa to multiple publishers with the goal of getting a higher price for it.

Two commissions in 1822 improved Beethoven's financial prospects. The Philharmonic Society of London offered a commission for a symphony, and Prince Nikolay Golitsin of St. Petersburg offered to pay Beethoven's price for three string quartets. The first of these commissions spurred Beethoven to finish the Ninth Symphony, which was first performed, along with the Missa Solemnis, on 7 May 1824, to great acclaim at the Kärntnertortheater. The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung gushed, "inexhaustible genius had shown us a new world," and Carl Czerny wrote that his symphony "breathes such a fresh, lively, indeed youthful spirit [...] so much power, innovation, and beauty as ever [came] from the head of this original man, although he certainly sometimes led the old wigs to shake their heads." Unlike his more lucrative earlier concerts, this did not make Beethoven much money, as the expenses of mounting it were significantly higher. A second concert on 24 May, in which the producer guaranteed Beethoven a minimum fee, was poorly attended; nephew Karl noted that "many people have already gone into the country." It was Beethoven's last public concert.

Beethoven then turned to writing the string quartets for Golitsin. This series of quartets, known as the "Late Quartets," went far beyond what musicians or audiences were ready for at that time. One musician commented that "we know there is something there, but we do not know what it is." Composer Louis Spohr called them "indecipherable, uncorrected horrors." Opinion has changed considerably from the time of their first bewildered reception: their forms and ideas inspired musicians and composers including Richard Wagner and Béla Bartók, and continue to do so. Of the late quartets, Beethoven's favorite was the Fourteenth Quartet, op. 131 in C# minor, which he rated as his most perfect single work. The last musical wish of Schubert was to hear the Op. 131 quartet, which he did on 14 November 1828, five days before his death.

Beethoven wrote the last quartets amidst failing health. In April 1825 he was bedridden, and remained ill for about a month. The illness—or more precisely, his recovery from it—is remembered for having given rise to the deeply felt slow movement of the Fifteenth Quartet, which Beethoven called "Holy song of thanks ('Heiliger dankgesang') to the divinity, from one made well." He went on to complete the quartets now numbered Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Sixteenth. The last work completed by Beethoven was the substitute final movement of the Thirteenth Quartet, which replaced the difficult Große Fuge. Shortly thereafter, in December 1826, illness struck again, with episodes of vomiting and diarrhea that nearly ended his life.

Illness and death

Beethoven was bedridden for most of his remaining months, and many friends came to visit. He died on Monday, 26 March 1827, during a thunderstorm. His friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner, who was present at the time, claimed that there was a peal of thunder at the moment of death. An autopsy revealed significant liver damage, which may have been due to heavy alcohol consumption. It also revealed considerable dilation of the auditory and other related nerves.

Beethoven's funeral procession on 29 March 1827 was attended by an estimated 20,000 Viennese citizens. Franz Schubert, who died the following year and was buried next to Beethoven, was one of the torchbearers. Unlike Mozart, who was buried anonymously in a communal grave (the custom at the time), Beethoven was buried in a dedicated grave in the Währing cemetery, north-west of Vienna, after a requiem mass at the church of the Holy Trinity (Dreifaltigkeitskirche). His remains were exhumed for study in 1862, and moved in 1888 to Vienna's Zentralfriedhof.

There is dispute about the cause of Beethoven's death: alcoholic cirrhosis, syphilis, infectious hepatitis, lead poisoning, sarcoidosis and Whipple's disease have all been proposed. Friends and visitors before and after his death clipped locks of his hair, some of which have been preserved and subjected to additional analysis, as have skull fragments removed during the 1862 exhumation. Some of these analyses have led to controversial assertions that Beethoven was accidentally poisoned to death by excessive doses of lead-based treatments administered under instruction from his doctor.

Character

Beethoven's personal life was troubled by his encroaching deafness and irritability brought on by chronic abdominal pain (beginning in his twenties) which led him to contemplate suicide (documented in his Heiligenstadt Testament). Beethoven was often irascible. It has been suggested he suffered from bipolar disorder. Nevertheless, he had a close and devoted circle of friends all his life, thought to have been attracted by his strength of personality. Toward the end of his life, Beethoven's friends competed in their efforts to help him cope with his incapacities.

Sources show Beethoven's disdain for authority, and for social rank. He stopped performing at the piano if the audience chatted amongst themselves, or afforded him less than their full attention. At soirées, he refused to perform if suddenly called upon to do so. Eventually, after many confrontations, the Archduke Rudolph decreed that the usual rules of court etiquette did not apply to Beethoven.

Beethoven was attracted to the ideals of the Enlightenment. In 1804, when Napoleon's imperial ambitions became clear, Beethoven took hold of the title-page of his Third Symphony and scratched the name Bonaparte out so violently that he made a hole in the paper. He later changed the work's title to "Sinfonia Eroica, composta per festeggiare il sovvenire d'un grand'uom" ("Heroic Symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man"), and he rededicated it to his patron, Prince Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz, at whose palace it was first performed.

The fourth movement of his Ninth Symphony features an elaborate choral setting of Schiller's Ode An die Freude ("Ode to Joy"), an optimistic hymn championing the brotherhood of humanity.

Music

Beethoven is acknowledged as one of the giants of classical music; occasionally he is referred to as one of the "three Bs" (along with Bach and Brahms) who epitomise that tradition. He was also a pivotal figure in the transition from the 18th century musical classicism to 19th century romanticism, and his influence on subsequent generations of composers was profound.

Overview

Beethoven composed in several musical genres and for a variety of instrument combinations. His works for symphony orchestra include nine symphonies (the Ninth Symphony includes a chorus), and about a dozen pieces of "occasional" music. He wrote seven concerti for one or more soloists and orchestra, as well as four shorter works that include soloists accompanied by orchestra. His only opera is Fidelio; other vocal works with orchestral accompaniment include two masses and a number of shorter works.

His large body of compositions for piano includes 32 piano sonatas and numerous shorter pieces, including arrangements of some of his other works. Works with piano accompaniment include 10 violin sonatas, 5 cello sonatas, and a sonata for French horn, as well as numerous lieder.

Beethoven also wrote a significant quantity of chamber music. In addition to 16 string quartets, he wrote five works for string quintet, seven for piano trio, five for string trio, and more than a dozen works for various combinations of wind instruments.

The three periods

Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods. In this scheme, his early period is taken to last until about 1802, the middle period from about 1803 to about 1814, and the late period from about 1815.

In his Early period, Beethoven's work was strongly influenced by his predecessors Haydn and Mozart. He also explored new directions and gradually expanded the scope and ambition of his work. Some important pieces from the Early period are the first and second symphonies, the set of six string quartets Opus 18, the first two piano concertos, and the first dozen or so piano sonatas, including the famous Pathétique sonata, Op. 13.

His Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis brought on by his recognition of encroaching deafness. It includes large-scale works that express heroism and struggle. Middle-period works include six symphonies (Nos. 3–8), the last three piano concertos, the Triple Concerto and violin concerto, five string quartets (Nos. 7–11), several piano sonatas (including the Moonlight, Waldstein and Appassionata sonatas), the Kreutzer violin sonata and Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio.

Beethoven's Late period began around 1815. Works from this period are characterised by their intellectual depth, their formal innovations, and their intense, highly personal expression. The String Quartet, Op. 131 has seven linked movements, and the Ninth Symphony adds choral forces to the orchestra in the last movement. Other compositions from this period include the Missa Solemnis, the last five string quartets (including the massive Große Fuge) and the last five piano sonatas.

Beethoven on screen

Eroica is a 1949 Austrian film depicting life and works of Beethoven (Ewald Balser), which entered the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. The film is directed by Walter Kolm-Veltée, produced by Guido Bagier with Walter Kolm-Veltée and written by Walter Kolm-Veltée with Franz Tassié.

In 1962, Walt Disney produced a made-for-television, largely fictionalised, life of Beethoven titled The Magnificent Rebel, starring Karlheinz Böhm as Beethoven. The film was given a two-part premiere on the Walt Disney anthology television series, and was released to theatres in Europe.

In 1994 a film about Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman) entitled Immortal Beloved was written and directed by Bernard Rose. The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer, Anton Schindler (portrayed by Jeroen Krabbé), as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved) addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers. Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire to interview potential candidates. Filming took place in the Czech cities of Prague and Kromeriz, and the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna, Austria, between 23 May and 29 July 1994.

In 2003 a made-for-television BBC/Opus Arte film Eroica dramatised the 1804 first performance of the Eroica Symphony at the palace of Prince Lobkowitz. Ian Hart was cast as Beethoven, while Jack Davenport played Prince Lobkowitz; the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner perform the Symphony in its entirety during the film.

In a 2005 three-part BBC miniseries, Beethoven was played by Paul Rhys.

A movie entitled Copying Beethoven was released in 2006, starring Ed Harris as Beethoven. This film is a fictionalised account of Beethoven's production of his Ninth Symphony.

Memorials

The Beethoven Monument, Bonn was unveiled in August 1845, in honour of his 75th anniversary. It was the first statue of a composer created in Germany, and the music festival that accompanied the unveiling was the impetus for the very hasty construction of the original Beethovenhalle in Bonn (it was designed and built within less than a month, on the urging of Franz Liszt). A statue to Mozart had been unveiled in Salzburg, Austria in 1842. Vienna did not honour Beethoven with a statue until 1880.

References

Notes

Cited sources

Brandenburg, Sieghard (ed.): Ludwig van Beethoven: Briefwechsel. Gesamtausgabe. 8 vols. Munich: Henle 1996.

Lorenz, Michael: “Die ‘Enttarnte Elise’. Elisabeth Röckels kurze Karriere als Beethovens ‘Elise’”. Bonner Beethoven-Studien 9, 2011, pp. 169–190 .

Sachs, Harvey, The Ninth: Beethoven and the World in 1824, London, Faber, 2010. ISBN 978-0-571-22145-5.

Steblin, Rita: "'A dear, enchanting girl who loves me and whom I love': New Facts about Beethoven's Beloved Piano Pupil Julie Guicciardi". Bonner Beethoven-Studien 8 (2009), pp. 89–152.

Other sources

Albrecht, Theodore, and Elaine Schwensen, "More Than Just Peanuts: Evidence for December 16 as Beethoven's birthday". The Beethoven Newsletter 3 (1988): 49, 60–63.

Bohle, Bruce, and Robert Sabin. The International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians. London: J.M. Dent & Sons LTD, 1975. ISBN 0-460-04235-1.

Davies, Peter J. The Character of a Genius: Beethoven in Perspective. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2002. ISBN 0-313-31913-8.

Davies, Peter J. Beethoven in Person: His Deafness, Illnesses, and Death. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2001. ISBN 0-313-31587-6.

DeNora, Tia. "Beethoven and the Construction of Genius: Musical Politics in Vienna, 1792–1803". Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1995. ISBN 0-520-21158-8.

Geck, Martin. Beethoven. Translated by Anthea Bell. London: Haus, 2003. ISBN 1-904341-03-9 (h), ISBN 1-904341-00-4 (p).

Kornyei, Alexius. Beethoven in Martonvasar. Verlag, 1960. OCLC Number: 27056305

Kropfinger, Klaus. Beethoven. Verlage Bärenreiter/Metzler, 2001. ISBN 3-7618-1621-9.

Martin, Russell. Beethoven's Hair. New York: Broadway Books, 2000. ISBN 978-0-7679-0350-9.

Morris, Edmund. Beethoven: The Universal Composer. New York: Atlas Books / HarperCollins, 2005. ISBN 0-06-075974-7.

Rosen, Charles. The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. Expanded ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998. ISBN 0-393-04020-8 (hc); ISBN 0-393-31712-9 (pb).

Solomon, Maynard. Late Beethoven: Music, Thought, Imagination. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. ISBN 0-520-23746-3.

Thayer, A. W., rev. and ed. Elliot Forbes. Thayer's Life of Beethoven. (2 vols.) Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-09103-X.

Sullivan, J. W. N., Beethoven: His Spiritual Development New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927.

External links

Beethoven-Haus Bonn. Official website of Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany. Links to extensive studio and digital archive, library holdings, the Beethoven-Haus Museum (including "internet exhibitions" and "virtual visits"), the Beethoven-Archiv research center, and information on Beethoven publications of interest to the specialist and general reader. Extensive collection of Beethoven's compositions and written documents, with sound samples and a digital reconstruction of his last house in Vienna.

The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies, The Beethoven Gateway (San José State University)

Digitised, scanned material (books, sheetmusic)

"Beethoven" Titles; Beethoven as author from archive.org

"Beethoven" Titles; Beethoven as author from books.google.com

Digital Archives from Beethoven-Haus Bonn

"Beethoven" titles from Gallica

Sheetmusic (scores)

Works by Beethoven Beethoven-Haus Bonn

"Beethoven" Titles from the Munich Digitization Center (MDZ)

"Beethoven" Titles from the University of Rochester

Free sheet music from Kreusch-sheet-music.net

Beethoven scores from Mutopia Project

Historical recordings

Beethoven — recordings with audio available;   Beethoven — recordings (incl. without avail. audio);   Information on sound files (CHARM)

Beethoven cylinder recordings, from the Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara Library

Recordings at archive.org

General reference

De Beethovensite. Alles over Ludwig van Beethoven. [The Beethoven Site. Everything about Ludwig van Beethoven.] All in Dutch, except for the first page which has a few FAQs answered in English.

Very comprehensive "Euro" website in French/English/Spanish/Italian.

The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Page. Info about each song's lyrics (often in multiple translations), origin, other versions, many interesting details.

Unheard Beethoven Very good to find out about recordings of less well-known works – there are, after all, according to the latest Biamonti Catalogue, nearly 1000 of them.

Mad About Beethoven by British television and radio announcer John Suchet

Beethoven: The Immortal. Introduction and detailed account of the composer's life. Articles include his deafness, demeanor, daily routine, medical history, final days, and letters.

Raptus Association for Music Appreciation site on Beethoven

All About Ludwig van Beethoven

Listings of live performances at Bachtrack

Specific topics

Beethoven's last apartment in Vienna, digitally reconstructed 2004, on Multimedia CD-ROM edited by Beethoven-Haus Bonn

Maynard Solomon: Beethoven, 2nd ed.

24 Jul 2011 Michael Lorenz about "Für Elise"

"Beethoven's Only Beloved: Josephine!"

Category:1770 births Category:1827 deaths Category:18th-century German people Category:Burials at the Zentralfriedhof Category:Classical era composers Category:Deaf musicians Category:German classical pianists Category:German composers Category:German people of Flemish descent Category:German Roman Catholics Category:People from Bonn Category:People from the Electorate of Cologne Category:Romantic composers Category:Opera composers Category:Smallpox survivors Category:Age of Enlightenment Category:Viennese composers Category:Walhalla enshrinees Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:Composers for piano

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Wilhelm Walter Friedrich Kempff (25 November 1895 – 23 May 1991) was a German pianist and composer. Although his repertory included Bach, Liszt, Chopin, Schumann, and Brahms, Kempff was particularly well known for his interpretations of the music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, both of whose complete sonatas he also recorded. He is considered to have been one of the great pianists of the 20th century.

Early life

Kempff was born in Jüterbog, Brandenburg, in 1895. He grew up in nearby Potsdam where his father was a royal music director and organist at St. Nicolai Church. His grandfather was also an organist and his brother Georg became director of church music at the University of Erlangen. Kempff studied music at first at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik at the age of nine after receiving lessons from his father at a younger age. Whilst there he studied composition with Robert Kahn and piano with Karl Heinrich Barth (with whom Arthur Rubinstein also studied). In 1914 Kempff moved on to study at the Viktoria gymnasium in Potsdam before returning to Berlin to finish his training.

As a pianist

In 1917, Kempff made his first major recital, consisting of predominantly major works, including Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata and Brahms Variations on a theme of Paganini. Kempff toured very widely in Europe and much of the rest of the world. Between 1936 and 1979 he performed ten times in Japan (a small Japanese island was named Kenpu-san in his honor). Kempff made his first London appearance in 1951 and in New York in 1964. He gave his last public performance in Paris in 1981, and then retired for health reasons (Parkinson's Disease). He died in Positano, Italy at the age of 95, five years after his wife, whom he had married in 1926. They are survived by seven children.

Wilhelm Kempff recorded over a period of some sixty years. His recorded legacy includes works of Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Mozart, Bach, Liszt, Chopin and particularly, of Beethoven.

He was among the first to record the complete sonatas of Franz Schubert, long before these works became popular. He also recorded two sets of the complete Beethoven sonatas (and one early, almost complete set on shellac 1926-1945), one in mono (1951–1956) and the other in stereo (1964–1965). He recorded the complete Beethoven piano concertos twice as well, both with the Berlin Philharmonic; the first from the early 1950s in mono with Paul van Kempen, and the later in stereo from the early 1960s with Ferdinand Leitner. Kempff also recorded chamber music with Yehudi Menuhin, Pierre Fournier, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Paul Grummer, and Henryk Szeryng, among others.

The pianist Alfred Brendel has written that Kempff "played on impulse... it depended on whether the right breeze, as with an aeolian harp, was blowing. You then would take something home that you never heard elsewhere." (in Brendel's book, The Veil of Order). He regards Kempff as the "most rhythmical" of his colleagues. Brendel helped choose the selections for Phillip's "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" issue of Kempff recordings, and wrote in the notes that he regarded Kempff "achieves things that are beyond him" in his "unsurpassable" recording of Liszt's first Legende, "St. Francis Preaching to the Birds." When pianist Artur Schnabel undertook his pioneering complete recording of the Beethoven sonatas in the 1930s, he told EMI that if he didn't complete the cycle, they should have Kempff complete the remainder - even though the two pianists took noticeably different approaches to the composer (for example, Schnabel preferred extremely fast or slow tempos, while Kempff preferred moderate ones). Later, when Kempff was in Finland, the composer Jean Sibelius asked him to play the slow movement of Beethoven's 29th Sonata, the Hammerklavier; after Kempff finished, Sibelius told him, "You did not play that as a pianist but rather as a human being."

Technique

As a performer he stressed lyricism, charm, and spontaneity in music, particularly effective in intimate pieces or passages. He always strove for a singing, lyrical quality. He avoided extreme tempos and display for its own sake. He left recordings of most of his repertory, including the complete sonatas of Beethoven and Schubert. He performed to an advanced age, often concertizing past his eightieth birthday. He appeared in 1979 with the Berlin Philharmonic, marking an association with them that spanned over sixty years.

As a teacher

In 1924–1929 Wilhelm Kempff took over the direction of the Stuttgart College of Music as a successor of Max Pauer. In 1931 he was co-founder of the Summer courses at Marmorpalais Potsdam. In 1957 Wilhelm Kempff founded “Fondazione Orfeo” (today: Kempff Kulturstiftung) in the south-Italian city Positano and held his first Beethoven interpretation masterclass at Casa Orfeo, which Kempff had built especially for this reason. Until 1982 he continued teaching there once a year. After his death in 1991, Gerhard Oppitz taught the courses from 1992-1994 until John O'Conor continued till today. Oppitz and O’Conor had both been outstanding participants of Kempff's masterclasses and were personally closely connected with Wilhelm Kempff. Other noted pianists to have studied with Kempff include Jörg Demus, Norman Shetler, Mitsuko Uchida, Peter Schmalfuss, Idil Biret and Carmen Piazzini.

Composition

A lesser-known activity of Kempff was composing. He composed for almost every genre and used his own cadenzas for Beethoven's Piano Concertos 1-4. His student Idil Biret has recorded a CD of his piano works. His second symphony premiered in 1929 at the Leipzig Gewandhaus by Wilhelm Furtwängler. He also prepared a number of Bach transcriptions, including the Siciliano from the Flute Sonata in E major, that have been recorded by Kempff and others.

Recordings

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 12, 19, and 20 (DG LP 138 935; released 1965; recipient of Grand Prix du Disque)

Autobiography

Kempff, Wilhelm. Unter dem Zimbelstern: Jugenderinnerungen eines Pianisten ["Under the Cymbal Star: The Development of a Musician" (1951)]. Laaber: Laaber Verlag, 1978.

References

External links

Obituary for Wilhelm Kempff, by B. John Zavrel

A discussion of Kempff's work, with a special emphasis on Beethoven, by Christopher Breunig, in Jeunesses Musicales

Wilhelm Kempff discography by Frank Forman

Video recordings of Kempff performances, youtube.com

Wilhelm Kempff playing the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

Kempff home page, in German

Category:1895 births Category:1991 deaths Category:German classical pianists Category:German composers Category:Litteris et Artibus recipients Category:People from the Province of Brandenburg Category:People with Parkinson's disease Category:Members of the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art

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name	Daniel Barenboim
birth date	November 15, 1942
birth place	Buenos Aires, Argentina
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resting place coordinates
ethnicity
citizenship	Argentinian-Israeli-Spaniard-Palestinian
occupation	Pianist and conductor
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religion	Jewish
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Daniel Barenboim, KBE (born 15 November 1942) is an Argentinian-Israeli-Spanish-Palestinian pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings.

Currently, he is general music director of La Scala in Milan, the Berlin State Opera, and the Staatskapelle Berlin; he previously served as Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre de Paris. Barenboim is also known for his work with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a Sevilla-based orchestra of young Arab and Israeli musicians, and as an outspoken critic of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Barenboim has received numerous awards and prizes, including Britain's Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, France's Légion d'honneur both as a Commander and Grand Officier, the German Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz and Willy Brandt Award, and, together with the Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, Spain's Prince of Asturias Concord Award. He has won seven Grammy awards for his work and discography.

Biography

Daniel Barenboim was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to parents of Russian Jewish descent. He started piano lessons at the age of five with his mother, continuing to study with his father, who remained his only teacher. On August 19, 1950, at the age of seven, he gave his first formal concert in his hometown, Buenos Aires.

In 1952, Barenboim moved to Israel with his family. Two years later, in the summer of 1954, his parents took him to Salzburg to take part in Igor Markevitch's conducting classes. During that summer he also met and played for Wilhelm Furtwängler, who has remained a central musical influence and ideal for Barenboim. Furtwängler called the young Barenboim a "phenomenon" and invited him to perform the Beethoven First Piano Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic, but Barenboim's father considered it too soon after the second world war for a child of Jewish parents to be performing in Berlin. In 1955 Barenboim studied harmony and composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.

In June 1967 Barenboim married British cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who had converted to Judaism. The ceremony took place at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a few days after it was captured by the Israeli troops during the Six Day War. The marriage lasted until du Pré's death from multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1987. Du Pré retired from music in 1973, after being diagnosed. In the early 1980s, Barenboim began a relationship with the Russian pianist Elena Bashkirova, with whom he has two sons born in Paris prior to du Pré's death: David Arthur, born 1983, and Michael, born 1985. Barenboim tried to keep his relationship with Bashkirova hidden from du Pré and believed he had succeeded. He and Bashkirova married in 1988. Their son David is a manager-writer for the German hip-hop band Level 8, and Michael is a classical violinist.

Barenboim holds citizenship of Argentina and Israel, as well as citizenship of Spain and Palestine, and lives in Berlin.

Music career

After performing in Buenos Aires, Barenboim made his international debut as a pianist in 1952 in Vienna and Rome. In 1955 he performed in Paris, in 1956 in London, and in 1957 in New York under the baton of Leopold Stokowski. Regular concert tours of Europe, the United States, South America, Australia and the Far East followed thereafter.

His friendship with musicians Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta, and Pinchas Zukerman, and marriage to du Pré led to the 1969 film by Christopher Nupen of their Schubert "Trout" Quintet.

Following his debut as a conductor with the English Chamber Orchestra in Abbey Road Studios, London in 1966, Barenboim was invited to conduct by many European and American symphony orchestras. Between 1975 and 1989 he was music director of the Orchestre de Paris, where he conducted much contemporary music.

Barenboim made his opera conducting debut in 1973 with a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Edinburgh Festival. He made his debut at Bayreuth in 1981, conducting there regularly until 1999. In 1988 he was appointed artistic and musical director of the Opera-Bastille in Paris, scheduled to open in 1990, but was fired in January 1989 by the opera's chairman Pierre Bergé. Barenboim was then appointed music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a post he held until 17 June 2006. He expressed frustration with the need for fund-raising duties in the United States as part of being a music director of an American orchestra.

Since 1992 he has been music director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Berlin State Opera) and the Berlin Staatskapelle, succeeding in maintaining the independent status of the Staatsoper. He has tried to maintain the orchestra's traditional sound and style. In autumn 2000 he was made conductor for life of the Berlin Staatskapelle. On 15 May 2006 Barenboim was named principal guest conductor of La Scala opera house, in Milan, after Riccardo Muti's resignation. In October 2011 he took over as music director, lining up a starry opening cast in Mozart's Don Giovanni.

In 2006, Barenboim was the BBC Reith Lecturer, giving five lectures called 'In the Beginning was Sound' from London, Chicago, Berlin, and twice from Jerusalem in which he meditated on music. In the autumn of 2006, Barenboim gave the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University entitled 'Sound and Thought'.

In November 2006, Lorin Maazel submitted Barenboim's name as his nominee to succeed him as the NYP's music director. Barenboim said he was flattered but "nothing could be further from my thoughts at the moment than the possibility of returning to the United States for a permanent position." In January 2007, Barenboim further demurred on this question by stating his lack of interest in any United States music directorship, "at the moment." In April 2007, Barenboim stated he was not interested in the New York Philharmonic's music directorship or their newly created principal conductor position.

Barenboim made his conducting debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York for the House's 450th performance of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde on 28 November 2008. In 2009, he conducted the New Year Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic and 2014 Edition.

Musical style

Barenboim has rejected musical fashions based on current musicological research, such as the authentic performance movement. A notable example is his preference for some conventional practices, rather than fully adhering to Bärenreiter's new edition (edited by Jonathan Del Mar) of Beethoven's symphonies, in his recording of those works.

Barenboim has opposed the practice of choosing the tempo of a piece based on historical evidence, such as composer metronome marks. He argues instead for finding the tempo from within the music, especially from its harmony and harmonic rhythm. The general tempi chosen in his recording of Beethoven's symphonies, reflecting this belief, usually adhere to early twentieth-century practices, and are not influenced by faster tempos chosen by other conductors such as David Zinman and authenic movement advocate Roger Norrington. In Barenboim's recording of the Well-Tempered Clavier he makes frequent use of the right-foot sustaining pedal, a device absent from the keyboard instruments of Bach's time (although the harpsichord was highly resonant), producing a sonority very different from the "dry" and often staccato sound favored by the influential (and highly individual) pianist Glenn Gould. Moreover, in the fugues, one voice is often played considerably louder than the others, a practice impossible on a harpsichord, which according to some scholarship, began in Beethoven's time (see, for example, Matthew Dirst's book The Iconic Bach). Indeed, when justifying his interpretation of Bach, Barenboim claims that he is interested in the long tradition of playing Bach, that has existed for two and a half centuries, rather than in the exact style of performance that existed in Bach's time:

The study of old instruments and historic performance practice has taught us a great deal, but the main point, the impact of harmony, has been ignored. This is proved by the fact that tempo is described as an independent phenomenon. It is claimed that one of Bach's gavottes must be played fast and another one slowly. But tempo is not independent! ... I think that concerning oneself purely with historic performance practice and the attempt to reproduce the sound of older styles of music-making is limiting and no indication of progress. Mendelssohn and Schumann tried to introduce Bach into their own period, as did Liszt with his transcriptions and Busoni with his arrangements. In America Leopold Stokowski also tried to do it with his arrangements for orchestra. This was always the result of "progressive" efforts to bring Bach closer to the particular period. I have no philosophical problem with someone playing Bach and making it sound like Boulez. My problem is more with someone who tries to imitate the sound of that time...

Barenboim's performances have also been criticized. Among musicians, he has a reputation for arrogance and aloofness. Reviews of his work often cite inconsistencies in interpretation and tempo.

Recordings

In the beginning of his career, Barenboim concentrated on music of the classical era, as well as some romantic composers. He made his first recording in 1954. Notable classical recordings include the complete cycles of Mozart's and Beethoven's piano sonatas, and Mozart's piano concertos (in the latter, taking part as both soloist and conductor). Notable Romantic recordings include Brahms's piano concertos (with John Barbirolli), Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte, and Chopin's nocturnes. Barenboim also recorded many chamber works, especially in collaboration with his first wife, Jacqueline du Pré, the violinist Itzhak Perlman, and the violinist and violist Pinchas Zukerman. Noted performances include: the complete Mozart violin sonatas (with Perlman), Brahms's violin sonatas (live concert with Perlman, previously in the studio with Zukerman), Beethoven's and Brahms's cello sonatas (with du Pré), Beethoven's and Tchaikovsky's piano trios (with du Pré and Zukerman), and Schubert's Trout Quintet (with du Pré, Perlman, Zukerman, and Zubin Mehta).

Notable recordings as a conductor include: the complete symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Schubert and Schumann, the Da Ponte operas of Mozart, numerous operas by Wagner, including the complete Ring Cycle, and various concertos. Barenboim has written about his changing attitude to the music of Gustav Mahler; he has recorded Mahler's Fifth, Seventh and Ninth Symphonies and Das Lied von der Erde. He has also performed and recorded the Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo and Heitor Villa-Lobos guitar concerto with John Williams as the guitar soloist.

By the late 1990s, Barenboim had widened his concert repertoire, performing works by baroque as well as twentieth-century classical composers. Examples include: Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (which he has played since childhood) and Goldberg Variations, Albeniz's Iberia, and Debussy's preludes. In addition, he turned to other musical genres, such as jazz, and the folk music of his birthplace, Argentina. He conducted the 2006 New Year's Eve concert in Buenos Aires, in which tangos were played.

Barenboim has continued to perform and record chamber music, sometimes with members of the orchestras he has led. Some examples include the Quartet for the End of Time by Messiaen with members of the Orchestre de Paris during his tenure there, Richard Strauss with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra during his tenure there, and the Clarinet Trio of Mozart with members of the Berlin Staatskapelle.

Conducting Wagner in Israel

Wagner's music was unofficially tabooed in Israel's concert halls because of the use Nazi Germany had made of the composer. Previously, the Palestine Philharmonic had performed Wagner's music, in spite of his known antisemitism. Barenboim has long opposed the ban, regarding it as reflecting what he calls a "diaspora" mentality that is no longer appropriate to Israel. In a conversation with Edward Said, Barenboim said that "Wagner, the person, is absolutely appalling, despicable, and, in a way, very difficult to put together with the music he wrote, which so often has exactly the opposite kind of feelings ... noble, generous, etc." He called Wagner's anti-Semitism obviously "monstrous", and feels it must be faced, and argues that "Wagner did not cause the Holocaust."

At the Israel Festival in Jerusalem in July 2001, Barenboim had scheduled to perform the first act of Die Walküre with three singers, including tenor Plácido Domingo. However, strong protests by some Holocaust survivors, as well as the Israeli government, led the festival authorities to ask for an alternative program. (The Israel Festival's Public Advisory board, which included some Holocaust survivors, had originally approved the program.) Barenboim agreed to substitute music by Robert Schumann and Igor Stravinsky. At the end of the concert with the Berlin Staatskapelle, he announced that he would like to play Wagner as a second encore and invited those who objected to leave, saying, "Despite what the Israel Festival believes, there are people sitting in the audience for whom Wagner does not spark Nazi associations. I respect those for whom these associations are oppressive. It will be democratic to play a Wagner encore for those who wish to hear it. I am turning to you now and asking whether I can play Wagner." A half-hour debate ensued, with some audience members calling Barenboim a "fascist." In the end, a small number of attendees walked out and the overwhelming majority remained, applauding loudly after the performance of the Tristan und Isolde ouverture.

Barenboim regarded the performance of Wagner as a political statement, and said he had decided to defy the taboo on Wagner when a news conference he held the previous week was interrupted by the ringing of a mobile phone to the tune of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries. "I thought if it can be heard on the ring of a telephone, why can't it be played in a concert hall?" he said. Barenboim was declared "a cultural persona non grata in Israel" by the Knesset education committee shortly after the concert, a move condemned by the musical director of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Zubin Mehta and members of Knesset.

In 2005, Barenboim gave the inaugural Edward Said Memorial Lecture at Columbia University, entitled "Wagner, Israel and Palestine".

In 2010, before conducting Wagner's Die Walküre for the gala premiere of La Scala's season in Milan, he said that the perception of Wagner was unjustly influenced by the fact that he was Hitler's favorite composer: "I think a bit of the problem with Wagner isn't what we all know in Israel, anti-Semitism, etc... It is how the Nazis and Hitler saw Wagner as his own prophet... This perception of Wagner colors for many people the perception of Wagner... We need one day to liberate Wagner of all this weight".

Political views

Barenboim, a supporter of Palestinian rights, is an outspoken critic of Israel's right-wing governments and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. In an interview with the British music critic Norman Lebrecht in 2003, Barenboim accused Israel of behaving in a manner which was, "morally abhorrent and strategically wrong", and, "putting in danger the very existence of the state of Israel." However, in 1967 at the start of the Six-Day War, Barenboim and du Pré had performed for the Israeli troops on the front lines, as well as during the Yom Kippur war in 1973. During the Gulf War, he and an orchestra performed in Israel in gas masks.

West-Eastern Divan

In 1999, Barenboim and Palestinian-American intellectual Edward Said jointly founded the West-Eastern Divan orchestra. It is an initiative to bring together, every summer, a group of young classical musicians from Israel, the Palestinian territories and Arab countries to promote mutual reflection and understanding. Barenboim and Said were recipients of the 2002 Prince of Asturias Awards for their work in "improving understanding between nations." Together they wrote the book Parallels and Paradoxes, based on a series of public discussions held at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In September 2005, presenting the book written with Said, Barenboim refused to be interviewed by uniformed Israel Defense Forces Radio reporter Dafna Arad, considering the wearing of the uniform insensitive for the occasion. In response, Israeli Education Minister Limor Livnat of the Likud party called him "a real Jew hater" and "a real anti-Semite". In July 2012, Barenboim and the orchestra will play a pivotal role at the BBC Proms, performing a cycle of Beethoven's nine symphonies, the ninth timed to coincide with the opening of the London Olympic Games.

Wolf Prize

In May 2004, Barenboim was awarded the Wolf Prize at a ceremony at the Israeli Knesset. Education Minister Livnat held up the nomination until Barenboim apologized for his performance of Wagner in Israel. Barenboim called Livnat's demand "politically motivated", adding "I don't see what I need to apologize about. If I ever hurt a person privately or in public, I am sorry, because I have no intention of hurting people...", which was good enough for Livnat, but the ceremony was boycotted by Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, also a member of the Likud party. In his acceptance speech, Barenboim took the opportunity to express his opinions on the political situation, referring to the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948:

"I am asking today with deep sorrow: Can we, despite all our achievements, ignore the intolerable gap between what the Declaration of Independence promised and what was fulfilled, the gap between the idea and the realities of Israel? Does the condition of occupation and domination over another people fit the Declaration of Independence? Is there any sense in the independence of one at the expense of the fundamental rights of the other? Can the Jewish people whose history is a record of continued suffering and relentless persecution, allow themselves to be indifferent to the rights and suffering of a neighboring people? Can the State of Israel allow itself an unrealistic dream of an ideological end to the conflict instead of pursuing a pragmatic, humanitarian one based on social justice?"

Israel's President Moshe Katsav and Education Minister Livnat criticized Barenboim for his speech. Livnat accused him of attacking the state of Israel, to which Barenboim replied that he had not done so, but that he instead had merely cited the text of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. In March 2007, Barenboim said: "The whole subject of Wagner in Israel has been politicized and is a symptom of a malaise that goes very deep in Israeli society..."

Performing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

Barenboim has performed several times in the West Bank, in 1999 at Bir Zeit University and several times in Ramallah.

In December 2007, Barenboim and 20 musicians from England, the United States, France and Germany, and one Palestinian were scheduled to play a baroque music concert in Gaza. Although they had received authorization from Israeli authorities, the Palestinian was stopped at the Israel-Gaza border and told that he needed individual permission to enter. The group waited seven hours at the border, and then canceled the concert in solidarity. Barenboim commented: "A baroque music concert in a Roman Catholic church in Gaza – as we all know – has nothing to do with security and would bring so much joy to people who live there in great difficulty."

In January 2008, after performing in Ramallah, Barenboim accepted honorary Palestinian citizenship, becoming the first Jewish Israeli citizen to be offered the status. Barenboim said he hoped it would serve as a public gesture of peace. Some Israelis criticized Barenboim's decision to accept Palestinian citizenship. The parliamentary faction chairman of the Shas party demanded that Barenboim be stripped of his Israeli citizenship, but the Interior Minister told the media that "the matter is not even up for discussion."

In January 2009, Barenboim cancelled two concerts of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Qatar and Cairo "due to the escalating violence in Gaza and the resulting concerns for the musicians’ safety."

In May 2011, Barenboim conducted the "Orchestra for Gaza" composed of volunteers from the Berlin Philharmonic, the Berlin Staatskapelle, the Orchestra of La Scala in Milan, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Orchestre de Paris—at al-Mathaf Cultural House. The concert, held in Gaza City, was co-ordinated in secret with the United Nations. The orchestra flew from Berlin to Vienna and from there to El Arish on a plane chartered by Barenboim, entering the Gaza Strip at the Egyptian Rafah Border Crossing. The musicians were escorted by a convoy of United Nations vehicles. The concert, the first performance by an international classical ensemble in the strip, was attended by an invited audience of several hundred schoolchildren and NGO workers, who greeted Barenboim with applause. The orchestra played Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Symphony No. 40, also familiar to an Arab audience as basis of one of the songs of the famous Arab singer Fairuz. In his speech Barenboim said: "Everyone has to understand that the Palestinian cause is a just cause therefore it can be only given justice if it is achieved without violence. Violence can only weaken the righteousness of the Palestinian cause".

Awards and recognition

Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz, 2002

Prince of Asturias Awards, 2002 (jointly with Edward Said)

Tolerance Prize, Evangelische Akademie Tutzing, 2002

Wilhelm Furtwängler Prize, 2003 (with Staatskapelle Berlin)

Buber-Rosenzweig-Medal, 2004

Wolf Prize in Arts, 2004 (According to the documentary "Knowledge Is the Beginning", Barenboim donated all the proceeds to music education for Israeli and Palestinian youth)

Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2005

Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, 2006

Cavaliere di Gran Croce Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, 2007 Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur, 2007

Goethe Medal, Praemium Imperiale, 2007

Nominated "Honorary Guide" by UFO religion Raëlian Movement, 2008 International Service Award for the Global Defence of Human Rights, 2008 Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal, 2008 Istanbul International Music Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009 Léonie Sonning Music Prize, 2009

Westphalian Peace Prize (Westfälischer Friedenspreis), in 2010, for his striving for dialog in the Near East

Otto Hahn Peace Medal (Otto-Hahn-Friedensmedaille) of the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN), Berlin-Brandenburg, for his efforts in promoting peace, humanity and international understanding, 2010.

Grand Officier of the Légion d'honneur, 2011 Edison Award for Lifetime Achievement 2011, the most prestigious music award in The Netherlands KBE (Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), 2011 ;Honorary degrees

Doctor of Philosophy – Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1996

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 2003

Doctor of Music – D.Mus., University of Oxford, 2007

Doctor of Music – D.Mus., SOAS, University of London, 2008

Doctor of Music – D.Mus., Royal Academy of Music, 2010

Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording:

Christoph Classen (producer), Eberhard Sengpiel, Tobias Lehmann (engineers), Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Jane Eaglen, Thomas Hampson, Waltraud Meier, René Pape, Peter Seiffert, the Chor der Deutschen Staatsoper Berlin & the Staatskapelle Berlin for Wagner: Tannhäuser (2003)

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:

Daniel Barenboim, Dale Clevenger, Larry Combs, Daniele Damiano, Hansjörg Schellenberger & the Berlin Philharmonic for Beethoven/Mozart: Quintets (Chicago-Berlin) (1995)

Daniel Barenboim & Itzhak Perlman for Brahms: The Three Violin Sonatas (1991)

Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance:

Daniel Barenboim (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Corigliano: Symphony No. 1 (1992)

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra):

Martin Fouqué (producer), Eberhard Sengpiel (engineer), Daniel Barenboim, Dale Clevenger, Larry Combs, Alex Klein, David McGill & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Richard Strauss Wind Concertos (Horn Concerto; Oboe Concerto, etc.) (2002)

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra):

Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Itzhak Perlman & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Elgar: Violin Concerto in B Minor (1983)

Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Arthur Rubinstein & the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos (1977) (also awarded Grammy Award for Best Classical Album)

In 2005, he was voted the 111th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.

References

External links

Daniel Barenboim official website

Daniel Barenboim Revealed on CNN.com

Parallels and Paradoxes, NPR interview with Barenboim and Edward Said, 28 December 2002

In harmony, [Guardian] newspaper feature on Barenboim and Said, 5 April 2003

In the Beginning was Sound, 2006 BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures.

BBC Radio 3 interviews, November 1991

Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks

Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor, opus 85 Jacqueline Du Pré with Daniel Barenboim and The New Philharmonia Orchestra on YouTube

Review: Fidelio played by Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra

Westphalian Peace Prize

Barenboim's outstanding Beethoven, on the symphony cycle at classicstoday.com

Category:Living people Category:1942 births Category:Jewish classical pianists Category:Israeli classical pianists Category:Israeli conductors (music) Category:Argentine classical pianists Category:Argentine conductors (music) Category:Child classical musicians Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists Category:Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Category:Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Category:Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Wolf Prize in Arts laureates Category:United Nations Messengers of Peace Category:Music directors of the Berlin State Opera Category:Alumni of the Accademia Musicale Chigiana Category:Illustrious Citizen of Buenos Aires Category:Israeli people of Russian origin Category:Israeli expatriates in Germany Category:Israeli expatriates in Italy Category:Argentine emigrants to Israel Category:Israeli Jews Category:Argentine Jews Category:Israeli–Palestinian peace efforts Category:Palestinian Jews Category:People from Buenos Aires Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire

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