Ludwig Van Beethoven was a composer in the classical period.

Beethoven was born in Germany. His father started giving him piano lessons starting at age 4. Beethoven's father wanted him to be like Beethoven. As a result, his father was very hard on him and made him practice every day and sometimes through the night. Beethoven didn't become famous until his early teens. He was considered to be an exceptional pianist and he played in many people's houses and at court. Beethoven received the opportunity to meet Mozart(one of his idles) in Vienna. Mozart is said to have been impressed with Beethoven. Mozart agreed to take Beethoven on as a student but Beethoven was forced to leave Vienna when he heard of his mother's death. By the time, Beethoven was able to return to Vienna 5 years later Mozart had died. 

 

In his late 20's, Beethoven realized that he was losing his hearing. He stopped playing in public and focused on composing. Beethoven was desperate to hear again, so he would put his ear to the piano strings to try to hear them. Sometimes, he became so frustrated that he would pluck the string hard enough to break them. 

 

In his personal life, Beethoven was a grumpy man who very few people liked. He didn't care about fashion and always had wild hair and dirty clothes. He never married but was always in love and often wrote beautiful pieces for the women he fell in love with(for example: Fur Elise). Beethoven died at the age of 56 of a lingering illness.

 

Here are a few examples of the variety of Beethoven's compositions: