Beethoven's Piano-Playing [antikvár]

GENERAL REMARKS ON BEETHOVEN'S PIANG-PLAYING DOWN TO 1809 The numbers in brackets indicate volume and page of Thayer's Biography,¦ from which the greater part of this sketch has been taken. All the information concerning Beethoven's improvisation has been utilized only so far as appeared necessary for establishing the connection. More complete details about his piano-playing, down to the period mentioned (1809), may be found in the above biography: 1,114,120, (163), 164, 208, 213, 237, 283, 381 ; II, II, (13), 2Si 28, 30, 31, 36, 37, 39, (107), 162, 225, 232, 236, 345 tt stq-y 3SS. 363. 409. 4"-i3 ; III, 58, 63, 64,112, (190). Concerning Beethoven's conducting, see II, 352. Ludwig van Beethoven (bom at Bonn, December 16,1770) received his first instruction in piano-playing and on the violin from his father, the Electoral Court tenor singer, Johann van Beethoven, of Bonn [I, in]. The latter—perhaps dazzled by the precocious successes of the youthful Mozart, or because frequent pecuniary straits rendered it desirable to turn Ludwig's musical talent to early account—appears to have urged his son, at a tender age, to severe piano-practice. Consequently, as early as March 26, 1778 (as per avertissemenf), if not even earlier, the latter was in a position to " have the honour to execute divers concertos at the Hall of the Musical Academy in the Sternengass [a street] " [II, 408-9]. In his ninth year, or thereabouts, his instruction was confided to the tenor singer (former musical director and oboist) Tobias Fried-rich PfeifiEer, who is described as a finished pianist [I, 114, 344, 70], until P.'s departure from Bonn, i.e., for about one year. On the organ he was taught by van den Eeden, about 1780. In later years Beethoven " often conversed with Schindler about the aged organist, * " Life of Ludwig van Beethoven," by Alexander Wheelock Thayer. Edition in German, after the original manuscript, by H. Deiters in Bonn (according to the Preface).—Vol. I: Berlin, Ferdinand Schneider, 1866.—Vol. II: Berlin, W. Weber, 1872.—Vol. Ill (down to the year 1816): Berlin, do., 1879. The conclusion has not yet (1900) appeared.