The work of Ludwig van Beethoven was very inspiring considering the fact that he was deaf for more than half of his life. Beethoven's work was fascinating and heartbreaking as he composed music that shaped his thoughts and feelings, with raw and passionate emotion. It is sometimes said that listening to classical music like Beethoven and Mozart at a young age promotes a child's cognitive development, but this is a huge myth. Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany and baptized on December 17, 1770. His father, Johann, was born in 1740 and sang soprano in the election chapel where his father was Kapellmeister-Kapellmeister. Johann married Maria Magdalena in 1767 and she gave birth to Ludwig Maria two years later. Six days after his birth, Ludwig Maria died. However, a year later, Maria Magdalena gave birth to Ludwig van Beethoven. Five other children were born, two of whom survived: Caspar Anton Carl and Nikolaus Johann. Beethoven's education never went beyond the elementary level, but his musical genius could be compared to that of Mozart. From the age of just 8, Beethoven studied theory and keyboard with the chapel's official organist, van den Eeden. He also studied with several local organists, his father hoping he would become a musical prodigy like Mozart. Beethoven received piano lessons from Tobias Friedrich Pfeiffer while Franz Rovantini gave him violin and viola lessons. In July 1787, Beethoven's mother died of tuberculosis and his father developed a drinking habit. From the age of nineteen, Beethoven was recognized as the head of the family. He easily received half of his father's salary to support their family, as his father openly refused to do it himself. Johann, the fa...... middle of paper ...... places for his music. A piece, found forty years after his death, and which is today the most popular of his music, entitled Fur Elise, was discovered and made popular by Ludwig Nohl, of whom I do not know if he has family ties with Ludwig van Beethoven. The discoverer of his mysterious piece claimed that the original dedicated manuscript, now lost, was dated April 27, 1810, seventeen years before Beethoven's death in 1827. Works Cited Freeman, Shanna. “Top 10 myths about the brain.” HowStuffWorks.HowStuffWorks.com, September 17, 2008. Web. March 28, 2014.Green, Aaron. “A Profile and Biography of Ludwig Van Beethoven.” About.com Classical music. About.com, 2014. Web. March 27, 2014. “Biography of Ludwig Van Beethoven. » PBS. PBS and Web. March 26, 2014. Sherrane, Robert. “Ludwig Van Beethoven.” Music History 102. Ipl.org, nd Web. March 28. 2014.