Happy Birthday, Ludwig!

Well, not actually. Today does mark the 244th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven's date of baptism, though. The great composer was born, likely, on the 16th of December 1770 in Bonn, Germany. His birthplace now serves as the ever-popular Beethoven-Haus museum. Of his youth, we know that Herr Beethoven enjoyed playing the violin and began composing around age 12. His earliest known composition is dated to approximately 1782 and consists of nine variations for piano. A great deal is known about Beethoven due to his particularity for journal-keeping and his intriguing 'conversation books.' These were his method for communication after he began going deaf around 1796 at approximately 25-years-old. In fact, you can take a look at some of his quotes and musings collected into an eBook by the Gutenberg Project HERE. One of my favorite entries is: "I never write a work continuously, without interruption. I am always working on several at the same time, taking up one, then another." (June 1, 1816, to Medical Inspector Dr. Karl von Bursy) I understand, completely, Herr Beethoven. To celebrate the great artistic master, enjoy this video of his masterpiece, Symphonies no. 3, no called the "Eroica Symphony," which was written during his middle, heroic period. http://youtu.be/YObQ6bP0eDQ