Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was born in Germany on December 17, 1770, and died on March 26, 1827. Beethoven is still one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music. His works are some of the most played in the classical music repertoire, nd they span the transition from the Classical to the Romantic eras. Ludwig van Beethoven, a musician from the town of Mechelen in the Austrian Duchy of Brabant who moved to Bonn when he was 21 years old, was Beethoven's grandfather. After 1810, when Beethoven was becoming less social, he wrote many of his best-known pieces, such as his later symphonies, mature chamber music, and late piano sonatas. His only opera, Fidelio, was first performed in 1805. In 1814, the last changes were made to it. Between 1819 and 1823, he wrote Missa Solemnis. Between 1822 and 1824, he wrote Symphony No. 9, one of the first choral symphonies. Read More Read Less