Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on this day in 1770. As to when he was born, nobody is sure (though it was certainly in Bonn in what is now Germany), but at that time, baptisms usually occurred within a day of birth, so ... close enough. He started learning music as an upper-class kid under his father's tutelage before studying with several local music teachers. He burst onto the national music scene in the early 1790s, when he was commissioned to compose music for ballet performances and choral arrangements for royal events.
He became famous very quickly and was soon seen as the successor to Mozart (no pressure, Ludwig). Fast-forwarding by a decade, by 1801 anybody who was anybody knew Beethoven's work. At the same time, he felt his hearing diminishing. It hurt him professionally and socially, as he began to withdraw from the outside world. But his hearing was never totally lost, and he continued to compose new pieces through family, health, and legal issues until 1826, when he died from an unclear illness.
Want to learn more about Beethoven? Check out this writeup from the National Repertory Orchestra.
