Ludwig van Beethoven's 250th birthday in 2020

These are perhaps the best known four tones in music history. We are talking about the beginning of the first movement (Allegro con brio) of the Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven – "Thus fate throbs to the gate", its creator is said to have said about this opening sequence. Melodies written by Beethoven can be found in many places, not only in the concert hall. Whether as a ring tone, in advertising or in various remixes of the hottest DJs – Beethoven is in on it. This and much more is reason enough to celebrate the composer's 250^th birthday extensively in 2020.

During another stay in Vienna almost five years later – Mozart had died in the meantime – he was to receive "Mozart's spirit from Hayden's hands". He took lessons from 60-year-old Joseph Haydn, an expert in Viennese and European musical life. The one-year period of study was extremely conflictual. Political events made a return to Bonn impossible, so that the Rhinelander finally remained permanently in Vienna.

Beethoven excelled above all through his art of improvisation, which is why he first became popular as a piano virtuoso, later did he gain recognition as a composer. In 1796, Beethoven undertook an extensive concert tour to Berlin, Prague and Dresden, among other places, exactly the same journey that Mozart made a few years earlier.

At the age of 28, the first symptoms of his hearing loss appeared, which eventually led to deafness. Despite this, Beethoven acted extremely productively. The events surrounding the French Revolution and Napoleonic activities had a lasting influence on him and his music. Throughout his life, the composer dealt with a poor health. In addition, there were regular private, family and financial problems. Beethoven died on 26^th March 1827, 20,000 people attended his funeral and his grave is in Vienna's Central Cemetery.