| Front Page | Chronology | Works | Influences | Life & Times | In His Own Words | Musical Instruments | Discs | Quiz |
| YEAR | BEETHOVEN: A Selective Musical Chronology |
| 1770 | born December 16 in Bonn to Johann van Beethoven, tenor and violinist of the Elector of Saxony, and Magdalena Kewerich |
| 1778 | gives first recital on May 26 |
| 1780 | becomes a pupil of Christian Gottlob Neefe, organist at the Court of Bonn and director of the National Theater |
| 1783 | replaces Neefe at the Court; publishes a sonata, 2 pieces from the Bossless anthology, a fugue and a rondo |
| 1784 | composes a rondo and a piano concerto |
| 1785 | composes 3 quartets |
| 1787 | travels to Vienna where he meets Mozart, returns to Bonn to visit his ailing mother who dies July 17 |
| 1789 | enrolls at the University of Bonn; becomes legal head of the Beethoven family when his father is dismissed as a court singer; becomes a violist in the court theater orchestra |
| 1790 | composes 2 cantatas for the Emperor's death and music for a ballet |
| 1791 | writes a few pieces for a violin concerto; Mozart dies December 5; becomes music teacher of the von Breuning family and friend of Count Waldstein |
| 1792 | composes a trio for strings; departs for Vienna, where he lives for the rest of his life; his father Johann dies |
| 1793 | studies with Haydn, then with Johann Schenk, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, and Antonio Salieri |
| 1794 | composes Trio for Pianoforte, op. 1; gives first performance at the Burgtheater; has first symptoms of deafness |
| 1796 | travels to Nuremberg, Prague, Dresden and Berlin where he composes Sonata for violoncello, op. 5; composes Sonata for Pianoforte, op.2, nos. 1-3 which he dedicated to Haydn |
| 1797 | composes Sonata for Pianoforte, op. 7, two cello sonatas, piano sonata for four hands, the Austrian War Song, Serenade, op. 8 |
| 1798 | composes Sonata for Pianoforte, op. 10 and the Sonata for Violin, op. 12; Neefe dies |
| 1799 | composes Symphony No. 1, Sonatas op. 13 (Pathëtique), op.14, and three violin sonatas |
| 1800 | composes Quartet for Strings, op. 18, the Septet, op. 20, the Piano Concerto, op. 37, the ballet The Men of Prometheus, op. 43; conducts his Frist Symphony |
| 1801 | composes the Spring Sonata, op. 24 and the Pastoral (Sonata for Pianoforte, op. 28) |
| 1802 | writes the Heiligenstadt Testament, a moving letter revealing his deepest thoughts at a time of personal crisis; composes variations on the the Eroica, the Moonlight Sonata, op. 27, and Symphony No. 2, op. 36 |
| 1803 | works on the Eroica; completes and performs the Piano Concerto op. 37, and the Kreutzer Sonata |
| 1804 | composes the Waldheim Sonata, op. 53 and the Appassionata, op. 57 |
| 1805 | first public performance of the Eroica on April 7, as is Fidelio, his only opera; composes the Piano Concerto No. 4, op. 58 and Overtures Nos. 1 and 2 for Leonore |
| 1806 | composes Overture No. 3 for Leonore, Symphony No. 4, op.60, the Violin Concerto, and the Rasoumowsky Quartet, op. 59; Fidelio is revised and performed again |
| 1807 | first performance of Symphony No.4 and the Piano Concerto No. 4; composes Symphony No. 5, op. 67, the Coriolan Overture, the Missa (which premieres Sept 13 at Eisenstadt) |
| 1808 | composes Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, op. 80; completes Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral); performs Piano Concert No. 4, premieres Symphonies No. 5 and 6 |
| 1809 | French attack and capture Vienna; completes Piano Concerto No. 5, Quartet, op. 74, Sonatas for Pianoforte, op. 78, 79, 81 and the song Mignon |
| 1810 | meets Bettina Brentano, one of several women associated with Beethoven; sets Goethe's Egmont to music, composes Quartet, op. 95; Piano Concerto No.5 premieres in Leipzig |
| 1811 | composes The Ruins of Athens and Archduke Trio |
| 1812 | meets Goethe; writes Immortal Beloved letter; composes Symphony No. 7 and No. 8 |
| 1813 | composes the cantata The Glorious Moment; Symphony No. 7 and Wellington's Victory premiere |
| 1814 | after another revision, Fidelio is completed and successfully performed; composes Sonata for Pianoforte, Op. 90 |
| 1815 | composes the two Cello Sonatas op. 102, and the Scottish Songs, op.108; becomes guardian of his nephew Karl |
| 1816 | composes Sonata for Pianoforte, op. 101 and Six Songs for An die Ferne Geliebte |
| 1817 | writes first score of Symphony No. 9 |
| 1818 | composes the Hammerklavier Sonata, begins Missa Solemnis |
| 1820 | composes Sonata, op. 109 |
| 1822 | composes Sonatas for Pianoforte, op. 110 and 111; completes Missa Solemnis; composes Overture to Weihe des Hauses, op. 124 |
| 1824 | completes and premieres Symphony No. 9; composes Variations, op. 120 and the Diabelli Variations; premieres Missa Solemnis for Archduke Rudolph |
| 1825 | Quartet, op. 127 premieres in Vienna; composes Quartets op. 130 and 132, and Grand Fugue, op. 133 |
| 1826 | composes Quartets, op. 131 and 135; becomes ill with pneumonia |
| 1827 | dies on March 26 |
EMAIL THIS PAGE!
THE BEETHOVEN PAGES
FRONT PAGE
CHRONOLOGY
WORKS
INFLUENCES
LIFE AND TIMES
IN HIS OWN WORDS
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
DISCS
MASK
QUIZ
FIDELIO - his only opera
The SYMPHONIES as Chamber Music?
VIDEO
AUDIOFILES
AUDIENCE ETIQUETTE
MUSICPLANNER
PRESS ROOM
NEW RELEASES
FOOD & MUSIC
SITE MAP
Sign up:
Email Updates
GIVEAWAY!
FanFaire's all-new
AMAZON aSTORE
- where we make shopping for everything about CLASSICAL MUSIC and OPERA
easy for you!
USA
UK
DEFR
CA
Buy sheet music
| Front Page | Chronology | Works | Influences | Life & Times | In His Own Words | Musical Instruments | Discs | Quiz |
