Baptism: (approx. date of birth): December 17, 1770 in Bonn
Death: March 26, 1827 in Vienna

Family:

• father and grandfather were musicians for the Elector of Cologne in Bonn
  
• never married
  

Career:

• 1783: harpsichordist in Bonn court orchestra
  
• 1784: second organist at Bonn court (later also a viola player)
  
• 1787: visited Vienna to study with Mozart (only a few weeks due to his mother’s illness)
  
• 1792: went to Vienna to study with Haydn, later took lessons from Schenk
  
• 1795: first publication (three piano trios - Op. 1)
  
• 1819: had gone completely deaf by this time
  

Important Works
1. Opera

• Fidelio

2. Sacred Music

Examples

• Christus am Ölberge Op. 85 (1803): oratorio
  
• Mass in D (Missa Solemnis), Op. 123 (1819-22)
  

3. Symphonies

Examples

• No. 1 in C, Op. 21 (1800)
  
• No. 3 in E flat (”Eroica”), Op. 55 (1803)
  
• No. 6 in F (”Pastoral”) Op. 68 (1808)
  
• No. 9 in D minor (”Choral”), Op. 125 (1817-24)
  
• “Battle Symphony” Op. 91 (1813)
  

4. Concertos

Example

• Piano concerto no. 5 in E flat (”Emperor”) Op. 73 (1809)
  

5. Overtures

6. Chamber music

Examples

• piano trios
  
• string quartets
  

7. Piano (solo)

1724: Premiere of 1st version of St. John Passion by J.S. Bach

1824: Premiere of Beethoven’s Op. 123 (Missa solemnis)

1920: Ravi Shankar, Sitar player and composer, born.

1784: Louis Spohr, composer and violinist, born.

1803: Premiere of Christus am Oelberg, oratorio by Beethoven.

1869: Albert Roussel, composer, born.

1874: Premiere of Die Fledermaus, operetta by Johann Strauss.

1908: Herbert von Karajan, conductor, born