Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven came to Vienna from Bonn in 1792, studied with Haydn, and established himself as a pianist. His works include nine symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, the Missa solemnis, and in Fidelio a single opera he rewrote more than once. These symphonies include the Eroica and the Fifth. His later works include the last sonatas, the Diabelli Variations, the Ninth with its choral finale, and the late quartets. He died in Vienna in 1827. In the Heiligenstadt Testament of 1802 he described his increasing deafness; by 1818 conversation books had become necessary for communication.