Ludwig van Beethoven

composer · classical music · genius · piano

Deaf but unstoppable. Even though Beethoven went completely deaf as an adult, he continued composing some of the most famous music in the world. He wrote music in his mind, imagining every note perfectly without being able to hear it.

Changed music forever. Beethoven took the classical style he learned and pushed it into something new and more emotional called Romantic music. He made symphonies and piano sonatas much longer, more powerful, and more intense than anybody expected.

Performed and conducted. Beethoven wasn't just a composer who wrote music on paper. He was also a pianist and conductor who led orchestras and performed his own works for audiences.

Still the most played. Over 200 years after he lived, Beethoven's music is still performed more often than almost any other composer's in the whole world. People of all ages still love listening to his symphonies and sonatas today.

Master of big forms. Beethoven became famous for writing incredible symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets. These were the big, important musical forms of his time, and he made them even greater.