Beethoven was born in the city of Bonn, Germany in 1770. He was
surrounded at an early age by music, as both his father and
grandfather were local musicians. However, he soon found that
Bonn was too small a pond for a great musician like himself. At
the age of 22, Beethoven made a move to Vienna, the European
centre for music. He put himself under the tutelage of several
prominent teachers, including the famous Haydn and the infamous
Salieri. He also hoped to create a name for himself as both a
concert pianist and a composer. Very quickly he gained the
success that he sought in locating the aristocratic patrons who
would support his musical career. It should be noted that
Beethoven was the first composer to attempt and succeed
freelance composing. Beethoven turned out to be a prolific
composer. He wrote 32 piano sonatas whose numbers included the
famous Moonlight and the powerful Pathetique. He also wrote 18
string quartets and nine symphonies. Few music lovers can forget
the four immortal opening notes of th