The Genius

Ludwing Van Beethoven

He was born in 1770.  His family originated from Brabant, in Belgium. His father was a musician at the court of Bonn, with a definite weakness for alcohol. His mother was always described as a gentle, retiring woman, with a warm heart.

The Beethoven family consisted of seven children, but only the three boys survived, of whom Ludwig was the eldest.

Parents:

María Magdalena Van Beethoven

Ludwig's mother died on 17th July 1787. She was only forty-one. She died of tuberculosis due to poor nutrition, as the family at this time were beset by economic problems. Johann, her husband, having been rejected by the Elector after the death of his father Louis, had taken to drinking, spending what little money he earned in local taverns. His family, deserted and destitute, were left to fend for themselves. Little wonder that Ludwig and his brothers and sister had less than a happy childhood.

Johann van Beethoven  

Johann van Beethoven and Maria Magdalena Laym, nee Kewerich, were married in Bonn in 1767. Grandfather Ludwig van Beethoven initially did not approve of this marriage. He thought that a court musician should marry someone better than a servant's daughter. 

The young couple's brief marital bliss might have received its first blow when their first child, Ludwig Maria, born in the spring of 1769, died after only six days.

One could say that the fate of the Beethoven family in Bonn was shaped by few triumphs and many tragic events. Ludwing Van Beethoven found professional success in his new residence, he was well-respected as a musician and as a man by Bonners of all walks of life: by his aristocratic employer, his fellow court musicians, and by the burghers of Bonn. 

Started drinking and spent all the money alcohol,leaving his

family in poverty.

Never break the silence unless you can improve it.