The Evolution of Beethoven's Music (From 11 to 55 Years Old)

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Enjoy this video showing the evolution of Beethoven's music from age 11 to 55 years old.

0:00 11 Years Old: 9 Variations on a March by Dressler, WoO 63, 1782
0:28 12 Years Old: Rondo in C Major, WoO 48, 1783
1:00 20 Years Old: 24 Variations on 'Venni Amore', WoO 65, 1791
1:20 24 Years Old: Rage Over a Lost Penny, Rondo a Capriccio, Op.129, 1795
1:53 26 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 1, 1st Movement, 1797
2:22 27 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor 'Pathétique', Op. 13, 3rd Movement, 1798
2:45 28 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 14, No. 2, 1st Movement, 1799
3:20 30 Years Old: Moonlight Sonata, Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, 3rd Movement, 1801
3:43 31 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor 'The Tempest', Op. 31, No. 2, 3rd Movement, 1802
4:13 33 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 21 in C Major 'Waldstein', Op. 53, 1st Movement, 1804
4:37 35 Years Old: Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60, 3rd Movement, 1806
5:05 37 Years Old: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, 1st Movement, 1808
5:31 39 Years Old: Für Elise, Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, WoO 59, 1810
6:12 41 Years Old: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, 4th Movement, 1812
6:44 43 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 27 in E Minor, Op. 90, 1st Movement, 1814
7:27 47 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-Flat Major 'Hammerklavier', Op. 106, 1st Movement, 1818
7:49 49 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109, 1st Movement, 1820
8:27 51 Years Old: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111, 1st Movement, 1822
9:09 53 Years Old: Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125, 4th Movement, Ode to Joy, 1824
9:45 55 Years Old: Letzer musikalischer Gedanke (Last Musical Thought), WoO 62, 1826

Composer(s): Ludwig van Beethoven

Original Music: Ludwig van Beethoven © (1782-1826)

[PianoMusicBros]

Time to honor the evolution of Beethoven's music. What's your favorite work by him?

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[brianbernstein]

of all classical masters, Beethoven evolves the most. year to year, his style changes completely. old baroque structures revived, new harmonic languages implemented, and yet it ALWAYS somehow sounds "like Beethoven" due to the jolting dynamic contrasts, expanding forms, drama, and signature motives

[KeysOnFire]

In "Rage over a lost penny" you can notice the birth of what made Beethoven "Beethoven": his fury, his passion, his greatness, and that powerful bass progression over the cute and light melody; just the like the 3rd, the 5th and parts of his 7th symphony (specially the third movement).
What a great mind!!!
Viva Beethoven ❤️
Thanks for the video.

[Foxzolaire]

And by 24 years of age, Beethoven unlocked beast mode. By 30, he was the final boss.

[ljmk]

Goosebumps, his work when he was 43 was amazing. He was deaf and still managed to compose something like that?? geeez i love this mans' talent so much

[PianoMusicBros]

It's time for another round, this time with the great works by Beethoven. What's your favorite piece?

[wushushorty]

As a guy who learned most of his classical music from Bugs Bunny episodes.. I am still amazed at how these composers so skillfully use each hand so independently of one another and create such harmony and rhythm.

[pacus]

Man, the composers of old. Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Bach, etc, GENIUSES.

[nathaneule]

When I was eleven, I wrote a little song, similar to hot cross buns, and was so proud of myself. Listening to his earlier musical compositions, I feel both awe, and my newfound crippling self esteem😅

[abramswee]

people come and go into this world. Some left with trails of destruction and death, most are just passing by, but a rare group will leave such great contribution. Beethoven is one of such positive people that graced the world with his talent. Much appreciated!

[minema]

"Even beethoven looked serious throughout his self-pictures, he is delightful in insides." That was a good sentence. His last musical thought as his last requiem always settle his death good. Unlike Mozart, always having the vibe but on a sorrow look at death which he wrote "unfinished" lacrimosa. Schubert isnt excluded any of all, his "Unfinished Symphony" was full of witherness. Like Mozart, his symphony was unfinished like a requiem. Back to Beethoven, person whom never upsets welcoming his end. Or he thought that, "Every goodness must come to an end."

[Pi_melody]

One evening in Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven was invited to a grand banquet hosted by Countess Thun, a prominent patron of the arts. The room was filled with nobility and high society, all eager to hear the great composer perform. Beethoven, however, had little patience for the aristocracy's pretensions. As the evening wore on, whispers circulated about Beethoven's defiance and eccentricity. Sensing their condescension, Beethoven decided to make a bold statement.

Without a word, he walked over to the grand piano and began to play. His fingers moved with fiery intensity, producing a piece so powerful and emotional that the room fell into a stunned silence. The music was unlike anything the guests had ever heard—raw, passionate, and filled with a sense of both triumph and torment. As he played, Beethoven seemed to channel his own struggles and triumphs into the music, creating an electrifying atmosphere that captivated everyone.

When the final note echoed into silence, Beethoven stood up, looked around at the astonished faces, and simply said, "For those who understand." He then walked out of the room, leaving the guests in awe of his genius and the depth of emotion he had conveyed. This impromptu performance not only silenced his critics but also solidified Beethoven's reputation as a composer who could convey the deepest of human emotions through his music, forever changing the way people experienced and appreciated musical art.

[Catjuggler]

You can tell by when he was 43, he found it hard to adapt to his loss of hearing. But he definitely leant how to adapt shortly after. He really was a true genius.
Just by watching this, it was like watching a mini musical adaptation of a journal. It give you such a real insight of his progression as a musician and how his style evolves throughout his life.
I really enjoyed this clip thank you 👏 👏 👏

[acatwithahatt]

When listening to this I can definitely hear that from the ages of 11 to 20 he was still very much finding himself musically. What he was composing wasn't bad, it just didn't feel or sound like "Beethoven". But by his mid 20's he seemed to finally come fully into his own and develop that fire that I personally love Beethoven in Beethoven's music.

[smiledip]

Something a lot of people actually don't know it that by around age 28-30 Beethoven had lost his hearing.
He was a true master making songs without even hearing, but knowing they would sound marvelous.
<3

[emilgilels]

These chronologically-arranged videos provide great insights into the composers whose works are presented - especially for their earlier/youthful periods which we all too often overlook or discount. Thanks!

[Firguy_the_Foot_Fetishist]

He gets grumpier as he gets older. Just like me!

[everymanfromscratch]

My favorites:
0:28 Rondo in C Major
1:20 Rage over a Lost Penny
3:20 Moonlight Sonata Mvt. 3
5:05 Symphony No.5
5:31 Fur Elise
7:27 hammerklavier
9:09 Ode to Joy "Symphony No.9"
9:45 Letzer Musikalischer Gedanke

[mildmiles]

This guy is sick, when is his next album dropping??

[Preirin]

It is very interesting to me to listen to his emotional evolution through his music over the years. he start light and chirpy, as a small child usually is. As he gets a little older his tones become deeper but still with that lightful-ness of youth with am anticipation of things to come. The prospect of love eternal. Even Rage over a Lost Penny is light and trill, almost as if he finds the experience less angering and more amusing. Why worry over such trivi9al matters?.. at 26 his childhood is squarely behind him and I think we begin to hear the first true 'change' of young Ludwig into a more mature Beethoven; the music reveals an intimate glimpse into a mind who is, perhaps for the first time, thinking about the future. This tune seems, to me at least, to be a little more wary and cautious, reflective of that place between youth and innocence lost.

His music at this point takes a darker, more frustrated tone. The Viennese Classic period was pretty much at its peak at the turn of the century. By now newer, younger composers were coming out with cloned styles of the greats such as Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn as music moved from primarily being written for the churches to expand in to the realm of public enjoyment. This meant that the music of these clones were becoming more popular and widespread. Perhaps this led to a sense of frustration in Beethoven, et al. Maybe that frustration reveled itself in his music. Or, perhaps, he was becoming more aware that his hearing wasn't as good as it used to be...

Maybe none of this is true, but we can still hear that cheeriness of youth slipping away by the time Beethoven is in his mid to late twenties.

Moonlight Sonata is one of my all-time favorite pieces despite evoking feelings of depression and anger. The 1st movement reminds me of a man coming to the realization that nothing lasts forever. As he looks back on his life his vision is perhaps filled with images of his childhood; a boy who would be dragged out of bed by his father when he came home drunk just to force Ludwig to play. What joy could possibly be found in that? A desperate sadness and a longing to be free from the oppression of the ivory keys, with no one to confide in or express how he feels. The 1st movement is pure sorrow and longing.

The 2nd movement is an answer to that sorrow. It reminds me of a daydream where life is better, where he can just BE himself without a drunken father leering over him.

Then the 3rd movement. That daydream is shattered by reality. This piece is pure frustration and anger. Resentment. He mocks the music because it is the music which chains him to this unfortunate life. Every part of this piece is a series of questions and answers being asked and answered over and over again, never changing. Never resolved. He's fully trapped in this life and he knows it now. Nearly every piece of music to follow is tainted with that same mocking frustration. Even Ode to Joy, seen as one of the most triumphant pieces of music in history is, in my opinion, LVB basically screaming, spittle-mouthed and flashing eyes at the audience "THERE! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!"

As fast-paced and bright as some of his following works are, you can still hear the vibrant undertones of sadness and frustration.

All except one....

Für Elise. Many believe this to be a love letter from Beethoven to the woman he loved, although her true identity has never been confirmed. The piece is pure emotional torture; as if he loved her from afar but, for whatever reason, never dared to get close. Maybe she was out of reach, possibly already married or of a completely different social standing, but if you listen to this piece carefully, you do not feel love. You feel longing - that reaching out for something that lies just beyond your grasp. A heart which aches but can never be soothed. It's not about love. It's about unrequited love. A love that he probably carried with him until his death.

Anyway, that's my emotional take on his music. Ludwig van Beethoven has always fascinated me because his music was the first to ever give me an emotional experience when listening. It opened a sense in me that allowed me, I feel, to 'see' beyond the music composition and in a way have a conversation with the composer. Well, maybe not a conversation wherein I take part - more like eavesdropping on the very personal and innermost thoughts of the composer. The only other piece that has affected me in such a way was Mozart's Lacrimosa. That piece is emotional torture as well but for an entirely different reason...