Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Alexander Scriabin

Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Scriabin
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Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and Scriabin
Ludwig van Beethoven
Early Life and Family Background
Beethoven was a prominent German pianist and composer. He was born around 17th December 1770 at Bonn, Holy Roman Empire principality in Germany. During the time when Beethoven was born, babies were supposed to be baptized within twenty-four after birth (Budden, 2022). Beethoven was the eldest child and had two brothers, namely Johann and Caspar. His mother was Maria Magdalena and father Johann van Beethoven. Beethoven’s grandfather, Kapellmeister Ludwig van Beethoven, was a popular Bonn musician. He was proud of his grandchild, who appeared to have been talented in the music field. Although Beethoven’s father supported him, he was too harsh and sometimes brutal to the young boy. Besides, his father taught the boy to play clavier and violin, which the young boy practiced for extra hours, depriving him of sleep. Despite Beethoven’s father harsh music lessons, Beethoven was talented in music and showed his prowess throughout the Romantic and Classical eras. He died on 26th March 1827.
Education
Beethoven appeared for his first recital when he was around seven years old, on 26th March 1778. Although he played well, his recital did not go viral. The talented young boy attended Tirocinium, which was a Latin grade school. Beethoven was not a good performer in other subjects apart from music. In 1781, Beethoven dropped out of school so that he would focus on music. During that time, he was only ten years old. Christian Gottlob Neefe, a Court Organist, worked with Beethoven after he withdrew from school. When the boy was aged 12 years, he published his first composition (Budden, 2022). Indeed, it was piano variations based on Dressler’s, a classical composer, theme. In 1784, Beethoven’s father became unable to support his family since he was addicted to alcohol. As such, Beethoven requested to be appointed as the assistant Court Organist. Luckily, despite being young, his request to serve the people was accepted. In 1787, Beethoven was sent to Vienna by the court to facilitate his music development. Vienna was Europe’s capital of music and culture, and Beethoven was ready to be trained by some of the most renowned composers, such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, he was obliged to return to Bonn, after he received the news that his mother was severely sick.
Career
Beethoven’s key orchestral work was called the First Symphony, and he released it in 1800. He published his string quartets set in 1801. The person released his Third Symphony in 1804 and Fifth Symphony in 1808. In 1806, he launched his Violin Concerto. Emperor was the name of his piano concerto released in 1811, which he dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, his patron from Austria (Budden, 2022). Deafness was a health problem that had a significant effect on Beethoven’s career. Beethoven started having hearing issues in 1798 after a quarrel with a particular singer. However, during that time, his condition did not prevent him from performing and appearing in public. In 1802, the health complication worsened, and Beethoven’s doctor advised him to relocate to Heiligenstadt, a small town in Austria so that he can cope with the problem. At that time, he wrote “Heiligenstadt Testament,” a document that was sent to his brothers showing how deteriorating deafness made him contemplate suicide (Stevens, Jacobsen, & Crofts, 2013). Nevertheless, in 1806, he accepted his health condition and realized that he could continue composing music.  
Vienna significantly shaped Beethoven’s music career. He returned to Vienna in 1792. At that time, he was determined to study the work of Mozart. In addition, Beethoven worked under other prominent music performers and composers, such as Joseph Haydn and Ignaz Schuppanzigh. For instance, he mastered counterpoint from Haydn and violin from Schuppanzigh. He also received instructions of Italian vocal style of composing from Antonio Salieri (Budden, 2022). Johann Albrechtsberger was another teacher who influenced Beethoven’s career. As a result, Beethoven developed his performing and composing reputation in music in Vienna.
Beethoven’s Greatest Achievements
Beethoven is recognized as among the most influential and great composers during the classical tradition. The individual defied deafness that started when he was 28 years old and produced nine symphonies, 16 string quartets, 35 piano sonatas, and 722 works (Budden, 2022). Beethoven’s creativity and imagination made him a renowned composer, and he showed the entire world that physical limitations are not supposed to challenge one’s career. Some of his prominent works are the Diabelli Variations, Missa Solemnis, Sixth Symphony (Pastoral), and Piano Sonata. Beethoven had devoted his life to his career and family. Notably, he never married or have children of his own. He spent all his time in music and came up with some of the greatest compositions that have shaped the music until today. Beethoven never looked back regardless of his father’s harshness and cruelty during training when he was a young boy. Despite being talented, Beethoven was taught by some of the best artists in Vienna who helped him to show the world his significant performing and composing skills. Overall, he died at the age of fifty six years having achieved numerous significant things in music and will live to be remembered.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Early Life and Family Background
Tchaikovsky was one of the most prominent Russian composers. He was born on 7th May 1840 at Kamsko-Votkinsk, Vyatka in Russia. Tchaikovsky was the second eldest child in a family of eight people. Ilya Tchaikovsky, his father, worked as a Kamsko-Votkinsk metal manager and mine inspector (Poznansky, 2022). Tchaikovsky was passionate about music starting from his childhood. In reality, his earliest musical work emanates from the orchestrina at his family home. For instance, when he was four years old, Tchaikovsky recorded a song that he wrote together with Alexandra Assier, his sister. Tchaikovsky was one of the Russian composers that had music that left an impression internationally. The individual wrote theatrical music and concert, such as The Nutcracker, Violin Concerto, Swan Lake, 1812 Overture, and First Piano Concerto. Tchaikovsky died on 6th November 1893.
Education
In 1845, Tchaikovsky started taking piano lessons from a local tutor. His family noted that the young boy was passionate about music and supported him entirely. In that light, Tchaikovsky mastered Frederic Chopin’s mazurkas and Friedrich Kalkbrenner’s piano pieces. During this time, Russia did not have institutions that taught music education, which was why Tchaikovsky was tutored at home. Despite everyone in Tchaikovsky’s family noting that he was good at music, his parents did not think that their son would end up pursuing a career in music. Instead, they were determined to ensure that their son had a career in civil service. Tchaikovsky joined the Imperial School of Jurisprudence in Saint Petersburg in 1850 (Classic Cat, 2021). Indeed, it was a boarding school for boys, and he studied for nine years. At school, Tchaikovsky was a diligent and intelligent student who within a short period became popular among his colleagues. Tchaikovsky’s mother died in 1854 due to cholera. When the boy was almost done with school, Tchaikovsky’s father noted that his son was so much interested in music and that nothing would have stopped his passion. As such, he invited Rudolph Kundinger, a professional music teacher, to teach the boy piano lessons. When Tchaikovs...