Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He
is considered to have been the most crucial figure in the transitional
period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical
music, and remains one of the most famous and influential composers of
all time.
Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and a part
of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in present-day Germany, he
moved to Vienna in his early twenties and settled there, studying with
Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His
hearing began to deteriorate in the late 1790s, yet he continued to
compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.
