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.