Beethoven's childhood was full of painful memories. In order to develop his musical talent, when he was four years old, his father locked him in his room and played the piano or violin for hours on end. Beethoven hated music almost forever, and he had to study under the violence of his father. Because of his poor family, he shouldered the burden of life prematurely. At the age of eleven, he went to the theater orchestra; At the age of thirteen, he became an organist, and at the age of seventeen, his loving mother died. His mother died of tuberculosis, and Beethoven felt that he was infected with tuberculosis, but anxiety was more tormenting than the disease. At the age of seventeen, he became the head of the family and shouldered the heavy responsibility of the family. His old and alcoholic father was asked to retire, and Beethoven received his pension to avoid his extravagance. He found a lifelong friend in a family in Bonn-the lovely Eleanor de Broening. Beethoven taught her music and poetry. Lovely Broening later married Dr. Wegele, who was also one of Beethoven's close friends. The sincere and indifferent friendship between the three people has been maintained until the old age.

Beethoven loved his hometown deeply. When he has to stay away from Bonn, he always misses his hometown in Vienna and its suburbs, where he spent almost his life. The beautiful Rhine River is sometimes gentle and sometimes turbulent, flowing through the shade, with flowers in full bloom on both sides, and fog covering poplars, shrubs, weeping willows and many fruit trees. Villages, churches and cemeteries are scattered in the distance, and the pale blue distant mountains guard the whole land. His heart will always be connected with this land. Until the last moment of his life, he still dreamed of returning to his motherland.

The revolution broke out and began to sweep across Europe. Beethoven is studying at Bonn University, which is the center of new ideas. The famous Schneider recited a very emotional poem in class, which aroused the enthusiasm of the students. Beethoven's heart also beat for the revolution.

1792165438+10. As the war drew near, Beethoven left Bonn for Vienna, the city of music, and settled in Vienna from then on. During this period, he left a portrait. Beethoven's facial expression in the painting is grim: "My talent will overcome everything, and I will go forward bravely. At the age of twenty-five, life is completely opened. " He looks arrogant and vulgar, but he is extremely kind at heart. In his letter to Wegele, he wrote: "If I see that others are short of money and I can't help them at once, I just need to sit at the table for a short time to get him out of trouble ... My art is for the poor."

However, fate played discordant notes, and between 1776 and 1800, he was hard of hearing. Ears buzzing day and night, hearing loss. At first, he was ashamed to tell others, even his best friend. He kept a secret. But at 180 1, he can't hide any longer. He told the secret to two friends: Dr. Veger and Reverend Amanda.

"My dear Amanda ... I hope you can stay with me forever. Your Beethoven is too unfortunate. The noblest part of myself, my hearing, has greatly declined. I've been hiding it from you before, but things are getting worse ... can I be cured? I have hope for this, but I know it is extravagant hope. I want to live a miserable life and escape from everything I cherish. Leave it to fate! Although I once wanted to overcome the disease, now there is nothing I can do. "

In a letter to Wegele, he wrote: "I live a miserable life, I have been living alone, because I can't talk to people: I am deaf, which is a terrible fact for an artist! In the theater, I can only hear the actors who are close to the band. If I sit far away, I can't even hear the highest notes of instruments and songs. I can't hear others whispering; But the noise is so loud that I can't stand it. I curse my fate, maybe I should leave it to chance. But as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I want to challenge my fate, but at some point, I lost my fighting spirit and could do nothing. "

Some works in this period show this melancholy mood. Such as 13 pathetique sonata (1799), especially 10 piano sonata No.3 (1798). Surprisingly, however, not all works are full of sadness, such as the cheerful septet (1800) and the clear symphony No.1 (1800), which are full of young people's enthusiasm, joy and carefree. The mind desperately needs happiness; But when there is no happiness in reality, the mind will create its own happiness. When there is no room for happiness in the cruel reality, the mind will look for happiness in memories. The happy times of the past will not suddenly disappear. Their light shines in memory for a long time. Beethoven, who lives in Vienna, misses every inch of his hometown. In music, the mountains and rivers in my hometown are beautiful and desirable.

However, Beethoven faced not only physical illness, but also strong feelings. He has a pure yearning for love, and such a person will be deceived by love from birth. He constantly pursues love and dreams of happiness. Once happiness disappears, he falls into the abyss of pain. Beethoven's rich inspiration comes from this-the ups and downs of love, and the subsequent emotional changes, until the passion is gone.

180 1 year, he fell in love with Juliet Gucci. He dedicated his masterpiece "Moonlight Sonata" to her. In his letter to Wegele, he wrote: "I live a happy life now and have more contacts with people. This change was caused by a lovely girl, and we fell in love. In the past two years, happiness has been so close to me that it is almost within reach. " However, he paid a huge price for it. First of all, his present situation made him painfully realize that he could not marry her; Secondly, the defect of Julietta's personality also made Beethoven very painful, and she soon married someone. This passion torments the soul, and for Beethoven, this passion will even completely destroy him. Since then, he has fallen into a desperate situation. At that time, he even wrote a will for his two younger brothers. He almost lost all hope, but his strong character cheered him up. "My physical strength increases with the development of intelligence. I realized that my youth had just begun, and I saw the goal ahead. If only I could cure my illness! I will no longer endure the pain, I will hold the fate by the throat, it can't make me completely yield. How wonderful it is to enjoy life thousands of times. "

The twists and turns of love and the struggle of will are reflected in his 1802 great works: sonata with funeral March (op.26); Fantasy sonata entitled Moonlight (Op. 27); Sonata No.2 (Op.31) and so on. Symphony No.2 (1803) shows more of his love when he was young, and it can be felt that his will prevailed. The flame of life is boiling again. Beethoven longed for happiness and hearing recovery. He is eager for love and full of hope.

In several works, the intensity and compactness of the rhythm are shocking, and the unique heroism in this kind of music comes from the era when it was produced. The Great Revolution came to Vienna. Beethoven's heart was completely occupied by the revolution. He cares about the progress of the revolution and sympathizes with the revolutionary ideas. He likes the Republican principle and supports national independence and national freedom. For this reason, he wrote a heroic symphony: Bonaparte (1804), an imperial epic, and the finale of the fifth symphony, a brilliant epic. Perhaps Beethoven didn't realize that during this period, the connotation of the times was vividly reproduced in his music.

1806 In May, Beethoven got engaged to Treize de Brunswick, and she played the piano with Beethoven very early. When she was a little girl, she fell in love with Beethoven, and Beethoven fell in love with her on 1806. She recalled: "One night, Beethoven was sitting next to the piano. He touched the keys with his hand, struck a few chords first, and then solemnly played a Bach tune:' If you give me your heart, please quietly connect us.'

"My mother has slept, and my brother is watching in front. And I was penetrated by his singing and eyes, immersed in happiness. We met in the garden the next morning. He told me that he was writing an opera, and the protagonist was in his mind. Before his eyes, he has reached such a high level that everything is full of light, purity and light. Before that, he was like an ignorant child, just picking up stones and not looking at the flowers blooming on the road ... It was May 1806, and I became his with my brother's consent.

Beethoven's fourth symphony this year is a pure flower, emitting the fragrance bred by this quiet life. Beethoven tried to unify his talents with traditional music forms, and this spirit of reconciliation, which originated from love, influenced his behavior and daily life. At this time, he was cheerful, humorous and polite, and changed his image of untidiness and neat clothes. Even he concealed his hard of hearing very well. From the outside, he is healthy and happy, and he is also very happy in love. But in his eyes, in the dream and gentleness of the fourth symphony, people still feel his inner wildness and restless power.

The influence of love lasted until 18 10, and Beethoven's talents produced the most beautiful fruits, such as the fifth symphony, the pastoral symphony and the passionate sonata. Beethoven regarded "Sonata of Passion" as the most powerful sonata of all his sonatas, which was published in 1807 and dedicated to Terez's brother.

But this sweet love ended without results. Maybe it is the difference of status and property, maybe he is sick and cynical, and he can't stand the long wait for love. In short, the two are not combined. However, both sides cherish this wonderful memory in their hearts.

18 16 Beethoven said, "Every time I think about her, I get excited." This year, he wrote six songs, named "Dedicated to a Lover Far Away", which was really touching. Beethoven wrote in his notes: "For me, happiness can only be found in art. Let me overcome myself!"

He was abandoned by love, and in 18 10 years, he was alone. But he is in his prime, he feels full of strength, and he no longer cares about anything. He is sloppy and acts bolder than before. He said, "I have nothing in my eyes but kindness."

During this period, in 18 12 in Teplitz, he wrote the seventh and eighth symphonies in only a few months. The former is a rhythmic chorus, while the latter is a humorous symphony.

Beethoven himself said: "I brew spiritual nectar for mankind, and I bring people mental madness."

Perhaps, as Wagner said, he wanted to depict a Dionysian celebration in the finale of the Seventh Symphony. In this passionate country music, there are a lot of open and free forces. In the eighth symphony, the power is not so strong, but it is more peculiar and humanized.

18 14 years, Beethoven reached the peak. At the Vienna conference, he was regarded as the glory of Europe, and the princes rushed to pay tribute to him. He proudly let them flatter him.

He was so excited by the war of independence that he wrote a series of works for it, which brought him more fame than all his other works. 18 12 He left a portrait of him gritting his teeth. The most striking feature of his face mixed with anger and pain is his strong will. He once said, "If I were as good at war as music, I would defeat Napoleon."

This glorious moment is followed by the most tragic period.

Beethoven was a wild musical genius. In a flashy city like Vienna, he found a bosom friend. Beethoven always wanted to leave Vienna and go somewhere else. But there are also some elegant connoisseurs in Vienna who try their best to keep this great musician. 1809, three wealthy nobles in Vienna promised him a large annuity, and the only condition was to ask him to stay in the motherland. However, after 18 14, his protector and friends died and dispersed. By 18 15, he said that he had no friends and lived alone in the world. His ears changed from hard of hearing to total deafness, and for him, disaster came.

Beethoven conducted a concert at 1822. But he is deaf in both ears and can't hear the performance on the stage at all. The band and singer couldn't cooperate, so Beethoven had to give up his command and go home in despair. He suffered a fatal blow and never got out of the shadows until the day he died.

Two years later, on May 7th, 1824, when conducting a chorus symphony, the audience cheered him. He doesn't know about it. When he faced the audience, he found that the audience stood up, waved their hats at him and applauded.

Beethoven isolated himself from anyone, and only nature could calm him down. He seems to live on nature. In Vienna, he walks around the city every day. In the country, rain or shine, he walks alone on the country road. "In the woods, I am very happy. No one in the world loves fields and Woods like me. "

Naturally, it also eased his mental anxiety. He was exhausted by financial difficulties. His works can't be sold, and he has to go to court for custody of his nephew. He said, "I'm almost like a beggar, but I still have to hold on." Writing for bread is really miserable. "

On his nephew, he devoted all his warm love. He wrote: "God, you must know the pain in my heart. I have to put up with others fighting for my Charlie. Please accept my request and let me live with Charlie, otherwise my life will be meaningless. "

Later, this nephew named Charlie let his uncle down. Beethoven's letter to him was full of pain and anger, but it was touching.

"Don't, you repay me is ruthless betrayal and deception? If our relationship breaks down, so be it! I did what I had to do, and I have a clear conscience. And you should be an ordinary and sincere person. You are spoiled, and your hypocrisy to me chills me. I just want to leave you because you can't trust me. "

But he relented again:

"My dear child, come back to my arms, and I will accept you with the greatest love. I won't blame you again, but I will love you more and help you. Come back, go back to your father. -Beethoven. "

Beethoven regarded his brother's son as his own and made great efforts for his growth. At first, he wanted his nephew to go to college, but he wanted to do business, so Beethoven had to promise him. But Charlie often goes to casinos and owes a lot of money. What is terrible is that instead of thanking his uncle for his kindness, Charlie bites the hand that feeds him. He said, "I got worse because my uncle made me progress." 1in the summer of 826, he shot himself in the head. Beethoven almost died of this and never recovered from this terrible blow. Charlie was cured, but he didn't let his uncle live a stable life until his death. Before his death, he was not around, and it was not Charlie, whom he called "his own son", who died for Beethoven.

But Beethoven began to praise happiness in the abyss of sadness. This is the plan of his life.

Since 1793, when he was in Bonn, he began to consider singing the praises of joy. Throughout his life, he has been thinking about how to praise Joy and which work to put it in. It is very difficult to join chorus in symphony. He made great efforts to introduce chorus into the paragraphs of his works. This man who is always tortured by misfortune is always eager to eulogize happiness, but he has to postpone this task year after year, because he is constantly troubled by passion and tired by sadness. It was not until the last moment of his life that he got his wish.

When the theme of joy first appeared, the band suddenly stopped, and a mysterious and sacred atmosphere came into being. Joy falls from the sky and is born slowly from peace. At first, it sounded gentle and quietly infiltrated into the soul. When the theme entered the voice, the bass sang a serious and somewhat depressing tune. Gradually, the atmosphere of joy became stronger and stronger, the rhythm of the March sounded warm, and the tenor sang bright and loud. We can feel the composer rushing to the venue, shouting and composing, as if he were crazy. In music, human enthusiasm is mobilized, cheering and embracing joy tightly.

Beethoven's works beat mediocrity. Vienna's frivolous musical taste has been strongly impacted. The sad Beethoven originally planned to settle in London and play the Ninth Symphony there. For example, in 1809, several distinguished friends kept him again. They said, "We know that you have written a new work, in which you have devoted yourself wholeheartedly to your beliefs and feelings. We know that another wonderful flower has blossomed in your great symphony garden. In recent years, operas from Italy have tried to occupy our stage, trying to squeeze German music into a corner that nobody cares about. Only you can rebuild the glory of German art, and flowers will bloom in spring because of your genius. " Beethoven enjoys a high reputation in the hearts of German elites, not only in art, but also in spirit. He was deeply moved by the sincere letter from his admirer, and he stayed.

On May 7th, the first performances of1824 Mass in D major and Symphony No.9 were held in Vienna. The performance was a great success, and it was packed. When Beethoven appeared, the audience applauded five times, and even when the royal family came, it was customary to applaud three times. The symphony caused a frenzy.

After the concert, Beethoven fainted with excitement. He was carried into a friend's house and didn't eat or drink all night until the next morning. The concert didn't bring Beethoven a penny. He is still as poor as before. But he is a winner. He overcame mediocrity, his own destiny and his own pain.

He seized the happiness he had been pursuing all his life. But instead of wandering in joy, he fell into the sadness of the past, and his last quartet was full of strange shadows. He plans to write the tenth symphony, a prelude to Bach, and compose music for Goethe's Faust, all of which indicate that his thoughts are beginning to approach the ancient German masters.

1826, my friend said Beethoven was full of energy and radiant. No force can bind Beethoven's thoughts. Beethoven is a great voice of freedom, perhaps the only voice of freedom under German reactionary autocracy. He felt this, and he wanted to use his art to fight for mankind, to benefit mankind, to give mankind courage and strength, to awaken mankind, and to rebuke human cowardice. He never forgot his mission in front of anyone, and he freely expressed his views and voices.

Nothing can bring him to his knees. He doesn't seem to care about pain In the last few years of his life, despite the difficult creative conditions, his music often has a proud and cheerful feature. The new ending of his work 130, which was completed four months before his death, is very happy, but this kind of happiness is not the usual joy, but the joy after overcoming all kinds of pains. He is the winner. He didn't believe in death, but it came anyway.

1826165438+1At the end of October, he fell ill in Vienna, and all his friends were far away. He asked his nephew to call a doctor for him. But the cold guy called the doctor two days later. His treatment was delayed, and the doctor's diagnosis and treatment were sloppy. He has been fighting against illness for three months. He asked his nephew to be the heir to the estate, wrote letters to friends far away and poured out his thoughts. Several British friends generously helped him through the last moment of his life. He swallowed his last breath in a heavy rain, and a stranger helped him close his eyes. That was March 26th, 1827.

Many people praise Beethoven's greatness in art, but his greatness lies not only in his outstanding artistic talent, but in that he represents the bravest force of contemporary art, and he stands up in suffering and fights against fate. When our hearts are broken, he will soothe our broken hearts with music. When we are exhausted after the useless and endless struggle against vulgarity, we will return to the music he created and gain peace and courage in the ocean of faith and will. His courage, the joy of struggle and his fascination with music all infected us. Beethoven seems to have gained profound strength in his communication with nature. He is a natural force in itself, which makes people stunned by his strength.

Beethoven's life is like a thunderstorm. At first, it was a sunny morning, but there was thunder. Suddenly, dark clouds rolled and thunder roared, and the heroic symphony and the fifth symphony began. However, with light, happiness is still happiness. But after 18 10 years, the light became dim, and happiness was mixed with bitterness. With the arrival of the night, the thunderstorm is gathering, full of lightning, the storm comes, and the ninth symphony begins. In the storm, lightning tore open the darkness of the night and the light shone on the earth.

No conquest can match it, and the mind has never won such a brilliant victory! A victim in trouble, illness and suffering, a person who has never really been happy, has brought such shocking joy to the world! As he once said, he created happiness with his own sufferings, which condensed his lifelong pursuit and became the motto of all brave souls:

"Pain brings joy."