Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential of all composers.
Born in Bonn, which was then in the Electorate of Cologne in western Germany, he moved to Vienna in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. Beethoven's hearing gradually deteriorated beginning in his twenties, yet he continued to compose, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.
Beethoven's compositional career is usually divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods. In this scheme, his early period is taken to last until about 1802, the middle period from about 1803 to about 1814, and the late period from about 1815.
In his Early period, Beethoven's work was strongly influenced by his predecessors Haydn and Mozart and include the set of six string quartets Opus 18 published here by Pro Arte Music. His Middle (Heroic) period began shortly after Beethoven's personal crisis brought on by his recognition of encroaching deafness. The five string quartets (Nos. 7–11) were written in this period. Beethoven's Late period began around 1815. Works from this period, including the last 6 string quartets, are characterized by their intellectual depth, their formal innovations, as well as their intense, highly personal expression.