Life has been a life of many hardships, the road was rough, but he was resilient. In 1792, at the age of twenty-two, Ludwig van Beethoven came to Vienna from Bonn, and from the time of his death in 1827, he never left the city that was particularly attractive to musicians. Beethoven composed the vast majority of his works here. All nine of his symphonies were premiered in Vienna. In 1805, his only operatic composition, Fidelio, was premiered at the Vienna State Opera. Beethoven is regarded by posterity as the greatest symphonic writer of all time. His Heroic Symphony is full of passion. His Ninth Symphony, taken from the German poet Schiller's Ode to Joy, is now the EU's anthem.
The splendor of Beethoven's compositions did not disguise a difficult life. In 1802, Beethoven wrote what may have been a testament to his brother, in a fit of grief over the gradual loss of his hearing. His passionate endowment forced him to move frequently. He left dozens of residences in the northern part of Vienna's city center, where there were hot springs. But the spas ultimately could not save him from deafness, and in 1819 Beethoven's hearing was completely lost. In 1827, he was buried in the Waehringer Friedhof cemetery. In 1888, Beethoven's remains were interred in the Central Mausoleum in Vienna.
Visiting Beethoven
Beethoven moved around a lot in his later years, and although he left behind a number of homes, many of them are not open to visitors as exhibition halls. Beethoven liked to live in a place called Heiligenstadt, far from the city, directly north of the city center. In 1802, Beethoven resided in this urban area and composed his second symphony here. In October of that year, Beethoven wrote his "Heiligenstadt Testament", a letter to his two brothers, which was not sent and is still intact today. This site of Beethoven is now known as the 'Heiligenstadt Will House' and is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday.
Address: Probusgasse 6, 1190 Wien
The Paqualitihaus was one of Beethoven's longer residences. Between 1804 and 1815, Beethoven left the house several times, but eventually returned to it. The owner of the building, Pasquivaldi, was a good friend of Beethoven's, and each time Beethoven left, he instructed the servants not to rent out Beethoven's room because "he would always come back". It was here that Beethoven experienced his creative heyday, with his Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Fourth Piano Concerto and the opera Fidelio all composed here.
When Beethoven died in 1827, numerous friends and admirers came to offer their condolences. Beethoven was buried in the Waehringer Friedhof cemetery. Literary giant Grillparzer once said in his eulogy "Beethoven gave everything he had to the multitudes, and from them he gained nothing, so he turned away from them." The one thing that will make Beethoven rest in peace is that Schubert was also buried here in 1828 to be with him. A Schubert garden (Schubertpark) was built next to the Wehringer cemetery in honor of Schubert, a talented young musician. Today, this Schubert garden on Wehringerstrasse is a place where many tourists linger.
In 1888, the coffins of the two masters of music were moved together to the Central Mausoleum. Today, Beethoven is buried in the Central Mausoleum's Celebrity Cemetery, 32A, in Grave 29.
In 1880, people who worshiped Beethoven also built a monument to him. Since then, the place has been renamed Beethovenplatz. The statue of Beethoven is surrounded by nine cherubs, symbolizing the master's nine symphonies.
Personally, I think the most painful part of his life as a musician was the loss of his hearing. It's a cruel thing to do