Ludwig van Beethoven
“乐圣”贝多芬

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) 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. His best-known compositions include nine symphonies, five concertos for piano, thirty-two piano sonatas, and sixteen string quartets. He also composed other chamber music, choral works (including the celebrated Missa solemnis ), and songs.
路德维希·范·贝多芬(1770—1827)是德国作曲家和钢琴家。贝多芬是西方古典主义音乐与浪漫主义音乐过渡时期的关键人物，迄今仍是世界上最出名和最具影响力的作曲家之一。他最负盛名的作品包括9首交响曲、5首钢琴协奏曲、32首钢琴奏鸣曲和16首弦乐四重奏曲。他也曾创作过其他室内乐、合唱作品(包括著名的《庄严弥撒》)和歌曲。

Beethoven was the grandson of Lodewijk van Beethoven (1712-1773), a musician from Mechelen in the Southern Netherlands (now part of Belgium) who at the age of twenty moved to Bonn. Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven displayed his musical talents at an early age and was taught by his father Johann van Beethoven and by Christian Gottlob Neefe. During his first twenty-two years in Bonn, Beethoven intended to study with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and befriended Joseph Haydn. Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792 and began studying with Haydn, quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. He lived in Vienna until his death. In about 1800 his hearing began to deteriorate, and by the last decade of his life he was almost totally deaf. He gave up conducting and performing in public but continued to compose; many of his most admired works come from this period.
贝多芬的祖父，路易斯·范·贝多芬(1717—1773)，是来自南荷兰(现在部分属于比利时)梅赫伦的一名音乐家，于20岁时迁到波恩。贝多芬就出生在波恩，即当时科隆公国的首都，部分属于神圣罗马帝国。贝多芬很小就表现出了音乐方面的才华，受到了其父约翰·范·贝多芬和克里斯蒂安·戈特洛宝·奈弗的指导和培训。在贝多芬居住在波恩的前22年，他意在师从沃尔夫冈·阿玛多伊斯·莫扎特并与约瑟夫·海顿结为朋友。1792年贝多芬移居维也纳，开始跟着海顿学习，并很快获得了大师级钢琴家的美誉，后来他一直居住在维也纳直至辞世。1800年左右，贝多芬的听力开始恶化，在他生命的最后十年里，他几乎完全失聪。他不再在公开场合进行指挥和表演，但继续坚持创作，他的很多最让世人敬仰的作品都是在这一时期问世的。