It is close to the middle of the Rhine River, and the scenery on both sides is elegant and delicate. Standing on the west bank overlooking the southeast, mountains and white clouds in Qiling Mountain, mountain castles are hidden from time to time. Against the background of the green Rhine, the scenery is even more charming. It is said that Beethoven often looked at the river and concentrated his thoughts.
The former residence is not exquisite, but it is antique. There is a sign at the door that says "Beethoven's Former Residence" in German. The hand pump in the yard, the tools for brewing wine, and the big wooden barrel for loading wine all kept the style of that year. This fake three-story building has been transformed into the former residence museum of 1898. At present, there are seven exhibition rooms on the first and second floors to display Beethoven's baptism certificate and family history materials; The original piano, violin and hearing aid he used; He wrote a lot of music manuscripts and three love letters without the recipient's name, which was speculated by later generations. These manuscripts are somewhat yellowed due to the vicissitudes of time, but the vigorous and powerful notes in calligraphy are still as vigorous and magnificent as Beethoven's music, which makes visitors marvel.
Climb the winding stairs and come to a small room on the third floor with an area of less than 8 square meters and a height of less than 2 meters. 1770 65438+February 16, Beethoven was born here. There is a bust of Beethoven against the wall in the room. He is very imposing, his eyes are full of shocking power, and his head tilts slightly to the right, as if catching moving notes. The hard oak floor in the room has been uneven, which is the witness of the passage of time and countless visitors. Music pilgrims from all over the world laid wreaths in front of the statue, adding luster to this small room.
Beethoven was born into a family of "music servants". His grandfather is the music director of the court choir and orchestra, and his father is a choir singer. After grandpa died, my father drank heavily and the family became poorer and poorer. Beethoven was just four years old, and his father often pulled Beethoven out of bed, practiced the piano until dawn, and came back drunk at night. Beethoven showed the genius of playing the piano at an early age, and studied under the famous German music educator Nie Fei at that time. He taught Beethoven, acoustics and counterpoint, and explained the music of Bach, Gandel, Haydn and Mozart. Beethoven also took a philosophy class at Bonn University and read masterpieces by masters such as Shakespeare and Goethe, which laid a solid knowledge foundation for his brilliant achievements in the future. With the help of Nie Fei, Beethoven started his career as a "music servant" at the age of 12. 1787, he saved some money to go to Vienna to study Mozart. Because he went back to Bonn to attend his mother's funeral, he only studied for two months, but his improvisation left a deep impression on Mozart and asserted: "This young man will soon be famous in the world."
Mozart was right. The exhibits in the former residence museum show that Beethoven was later recognized as one of the most outstanding composers of all time. During his 57 spring and autumn periods, he created 256 works, among which there are many masterpieces handed down from generation to generation, such as Song of Enthusiasm. Critics believe that Beethoven's works are masterpieces of classical music and the forerunner of romantic music. He revealed more clearly than any of his predecessors that the power of music can convey a philosophy of life without the help of language. Through his own musical language, he poured out the sufferings of the European people under the yoke of feudal autocracy, adhered to the creed that "the works of people's artists should serve the poor", and eulogized the heroic struggle of the broad masses of people against autocratic rule and foreign aggression. He advocated that "there should be peace in the world, perfect laws and no more aggression", and music "should show external and internal peace". In terms of musical forms, he expanded the scope of sonatas, symphonies, concertos and quartets. One of his greatest achievements is to improve the status of music: music was once considered inferior to literature and painting in the18th century; After him, music can no longer be said to be just a "sweet art".
However, what impressed visitors more was Beethoven's amazing perseverance in overcoming deafness and becoming a musical saint. He suffered from ear disease when he was young, but his condition worsened at the age of 32, and he was completely deaf at the age of 49. This is undoubtedly a fatal blow to a musician. He once flashed the idea of suicide and wrote the famous "Heiligen's Will", but the artist's sense of responsibility woke him up from the bottom of his heart: "You can't leave this world without creating anything." He is determined to challenge bad luck and "hold the fate by the throat". As a result, in the case of deafness in both ears, he composed and played by relying entirely on memory and musical sense, and wrote many immortal masterpieces such as the Fifth Symphony and the Ninth Symphony, which reached the glorious peak of music. Engels, the great proletarian tutor, once talked about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in his letter to his sister: "What a good symphony I heard last night! If you haven't heard of this magnificent work, then you can say that you have never heard of it in your life. " According to the commentator, the first performance of the Ninth Symphony was an unprecedented success, and many people shed tears. When Beethoven appeared, the crowd applauded warmly five times, and traditionally only applauded the royal family three times. The cheers didn't stop until the police intervened.
Wandering around the old piano used by Beethoven, it seems that Beethoven practiced the piano in front of him all night, as if the powerful and passionate music melody produced by Beethoven sounded in his ear. Sometimes it is like a raging wave, magnificent; Sometimes sad and angry, as if telling the injustice of the world; Sometimes it seems like a trickle, melodious and smooth. It is reported that people all over the world play Beethoven's music without a minute's pause. This is a miracle.
Looking at the endless stream of music "pilgrims" around the world, an idea arises spontaneously: how many insurmountable obstacles there are from deafness to becoming a world-recognized musician, and how amazing perseverance is needed! However, Beethoven did not bow to bad luck, and played a magnificent symphony of destiny with his extraordinary life of fighting against bad luck. It shows the world that life is always challenged by fate. Only at the crossroads of fate can we dare to make a choice to overcome ourselves and embark on the road of being strong.