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Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
Born in Bonn, Beethoven moved to Vienna in 1792, where he established himself as a composer of extraordinary originality. Despite losing his hearing — one of music history's cruelest ironies — he continued to compose, producing some of his most revolutionary works in total deafness. His choral output culminates in the monumental Missa Solemnis and the towering Symphony No. 9, which broke new ground by incorporating vocal soloists and full choir into the symphonic form — an unprecedented move. The Ninth's finale, setting Schiller's Ode to Joy, remains among the most celebrated pieces of choral writing in the entire Western canon.
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