Trained in the traditional music methods by his father, Beethoven was an accomplished pianist by age 12. By his early twenties, he had performed for Joseph Haydn, who compared him to the great Mozart. Beethoven began to lose his hearing, but he threw himself even more deeply into his music, composing “Fur Elise,” “Sonata Pathetique” and the dramatic “Fifth Symphony.” Years later, audience members heard what he could not and leapt to their feet in appreciation for such passionate music. His creativity gave the world music that stirs the soul.
