When Beethoven was a young man, he was known as a brilliant pianist and a brilliant composer. But he didn't really have a happy life.

He was born in the German city of Bonn and he gave his first public concert at the age of seven. But his father was very strict and made him practise for hours every day.

When he was in his 20s and already famous, he began to go deaf. Imagine how awful that was for such a great musician: to him, music was getting softer and softer, until he could hardly hear a thing. He bashed his poor piano more and more as he tried to hear what he was playing. He became grumpy!

But he loved music so much that he kept composing. He heard music in his head and wrote it down on paper: when he looked at the paper, he could hear it again in his head.

When his Ninth Symphony was played for the first time, Beethoven sat by the stage and tried to help with the conducting. At the end, everyone started clapping and cheering. But Beethoven didn't realise they were doing it because he had his back to them and he couldn't hear them. One of the musicians came and turned him around to face the audience, and he could see that they were all standing up and applauding. He realised how much they liked his symphony. It was a big moment for him.

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Music Tracks and Information:

TR 1 ( 00:05:50 ) Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: I. Allegro con brio

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia; Drahos, Béla

TR 2 ( 00:06:35 ) Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, "Spring": IV. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Nishizaki, Takako; Jandó, Jenő

TR 3 ( 00:01:26 ) 2 Marches for Military Band: March No. 1, WoO 18

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra; Lenárd, Ondrej

TR 4 ( 00:03:19 ) Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73, "Emperor": II. Adagio un poco mosso (excerpt)

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Capella Istropolitana; Wordsworth, Barry; Vladar, Stefan

TR 5 ( 00:05:55 ) String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3, "Rasumovsky": IV. Allegro molto

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Kodály Quartet

TR 6 ( 00:03:22 ) Bagatelle in A Minor, WoO 59, "Für Elise"

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Jandó, Jenő

TR 7 ( 00:03:12 ) Serenade in D Major, Op. 8: V. Allegretto alla polacca

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Falvay, Attila; Fejérvári, János; Éder, György

TR 8 ( 00:02:47 ) Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral" (excerpts) - III. Happy gathering of villagers: Allegro

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia; Drahos, Béla

TR 9 ( 00:04:05 ) Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastoral" (excerpts) - IV. Thunderstorm: Allegro

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia; Drahos, Béla

TR 10 ( 00:05:30 ) Piano Quintet in E-Flat Major, Op. 16: III. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Kiss, József; Kovács, Béla; Vajda, József

TR 11 ( 00:05:21 ) Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69: II. Scherzo: Allegro molto

Composer: Beethoven, Ludwig van | Performer: Onczay, Csaba; Jandó, Jenő

TR 12 ( 00:05:20 ) Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, "Moonlight": I.