Beethoven, Ludwig van

1. A German composer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, whose works spanned the classic and romantic musical traditions ( see romanticism ). Considered one of the greatest composers of all time, he is particularly well known for his Moonlight Sonataand other sonatas for piano ; for his string quartets ; for his concertos ; and for his nine symphonies . The Third Symphony ( Eroica ), Fifth Symphony, and Ninth Symphony (“Choral”) are the most famous.

Notes

Beethoven began to grow deaf midway through his career but continued to compose great works.