#English music prodigy plus

He would certainly become a second Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart if he were to continue to progress as he has begun.” (Translation by Wayne Senner) This young genius deserves the support to enable him to travel.

Now he is training him in composition, and to give him encouragement has had his variations on a march for keyboard engraved in Mannheim. Neefe has also given him some instruction in the thoroughbass.

#English music prodigy plus

Whoever knows this collection of preludes and fugues in all keys (which one could call the non plus ultra) will know what that means. He plays the keyboard skillfully and powerfully, sight-reads very well, and to sum it up, he mostly plays The Well-Tempered Clavier of Sebastian Bach, which Mr. “Louis van Betthoven, son of the above-mentioned tenor, a boy of eleven years and of very promising talent. The first published notice of Beethoven, written by his teacher Neefe, appeared in this music magazine when Beethoven was twelve (not eleven, as stated there): The name Oeser likely refers to Adam Friendrich Oeser (1717-1799), a German etcher, painter, and sculptor who was Goethe’s drawing teacher. “Uz” may refer to the great-grandson of Noah or to the place where Job lived. So would Oeser paint the splendor of her eyes.Ī young woman nicknamed “Elise” would later become a figure in Beethoven’s life as a teacher. Just as stars glitter on a winter’s night, Here is a translation of the anonymous poem:ĭo you want me, my friend, to describe Elise to you? The other was the song “Schilderung eines Mädchen” (“Description of a Maiden”), Beethoven’s first work for voice and fortepiano.

One was Beethoven’s Rondo in C Major, WoO 48. He also composed two small pieces published in the collection, Blumenlese für Klavierliebhaber (Anthology for Keyboard Lovers) intended for the amateur musician. With these compositions, Beethoven transferred his skill on the keyboard to the printed page.

By the age of twelve he had composed a set of variations and three sonatas for fortepiano. He did find some time to exercise his creative energy by composing music. During Neefe’s extended absense, Beethoven also served as the rehearsal fortepianist at the theater and sometimes played viola in the orchestra. He played organ at the court and assisted Neefe at the Minorite Church. By the age of seven he was performing in public on the “clavier,” a word used to describe either the clavichord, harpsichord, or fortepiano.īeethoven’s duties as a court musician were considerable. Despite the severity of his early training, Beethoven’s natural talent and inclination for music shined through the drudgery. However, Cäcilia Fischer, Wegeler, and other observers recounted seeing little Ludwig practicing for long hours, sometimes standing on a footstool in front of the keyboard instrument. The Fischer manuscript and the Biographische Notizen by Franz Gerhard Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries are the sources for many of the stories of Beethoven’s childhood, some of which cannot be confirmed. Several decades later, in 1838, Cäcilia Fischer (1762-1845) and her brother Gottfried (1780-1864) began writing down their reminiscences of Beethoven as a child. At that time the Beethoven family lived with the Fischer family Bonn. We do not know exactly when Beethoven started his musical training, but by the age of six his instruction had progressed rapidly under the strict guidance of his father Johann, who made his living as a court singer and private music tutor.